The years between Birth of a Nation and Bamboozled

Because of Birth of a Nation, film became the dominant medium and movie theaters were built across the nation. The film demonstrated the power of a well made film and the influence film has on America. The Ku Klux Klan was revived because of this film and their numbers grew 20 times because of it. Their numbers didn't drop significantly until the late 1920's but their views on race still influenced some Americans well into the 1960's and still do today. As time went on, racism in film still existed, but in ways that were hard to notice to the people of those times. No longer was the image of the savage blacks deemed appropriate. However, it was acceptable to make new black stereotypes such as whites in black face during minstrel shows that were popular in the 40's and 50's. As time passed, blacks gained more and more power in Hollywood to the point where films were beginning to be written and directed by blacks. By the new millennium, race was a major issue and there was zero tolerance for negative stereotypes. But is it possible that stereotypes are still very prevalent in our society and is it possible that we see them all of the time without even noticing them? Spike Lee raises this question in the most satirical fashion in his film Bamboozled.