The Golden Girls

Ok-so don't laugh, but this morning as I was watching Golden Girls (it is one of my guilty pleasures), there was an interesting scene I wanted to share with you all. The Golden Girls-Dorothy, Rose, Blanch, and Sophia-were interviewing people for a housekeeper position. After several interviews of unqualified candidates, the girls had lost all hope. And then-Margerite showed up to interview for the job. The girls were impressed with her charming personality and friendly disposition. They were sitting down in the living room (on the very uncomfortable-looking wicker furniture!), getting to know the interviewee. Blanch (the morally corrupt golden girl) asked Margerite to tell them a little something about herself. Margerite responded by saying she was hard working and friendly. The girls probed her to tell them something more about herself. Finally, Margerite decided to tell them her issue: she was black. Now obviously the golden girls could see this since they held a face-to-face interview. She followed her proclamation of her race by saying that if her being black was a problem with the girls, then she was white. While the audience laughed and clapped in the background-I couldn't help but be taken aback by this scene. First of all, Margerite shows up at the house clad in a headwrap (resembling that of Aunt Jemima), traditional African clothing, and a Jamaican accent. She shows up for a housekeeper position, and immediately brings up her race in the interview. The racial stereotypes embedded in this scene were almost too many to count. Part of me is questioning whether the writers were adding racial stereotypes in a more indirect fashion so as not to openly offend people, or bring up the touchy subject of race. Any thoughts?