Do Hollywood stereotypes of blacks matter? Some say no, of course not, because everyone knows that Hollywood films and television shows are make-believe, that they are not true to life – not even the so-called reality shows. Others say yes, that they still affect how whites see blacks and even how blacks see themselves. I say yes and no:
Pro:
Everyone over the age of nine knows that television ads are made up by companies to get you to buy their stuff. Yet despite that the ads still work! Because when you hear something enough times a part of you begins to believe it – even if you “know” that it is false!
Stereotypes in film and television work the same way – on everyone regardless of race. For whites it increases their racism. For blacks it increases internalized racism, which has to be unlearned the hard way. Stereotypes are at their most damaging when you are too young to understand them and they enter your unguarded mind to lie there unquestioned for years and years.
At a much less subtle level there is what I call the BET Fallacy: Many whites and even young blacks do not seem to understand that most of what they see of blacks on television is a misrepresentation put there by whites. The way some of them talk you would think Chris Rock had a degree in anthropology, that hip hop artists are “authentically black” and that BET is an all-day, all-night National Geographic special on Black America!
Con:
Those stereotypes came long before television. Most go back to at least the 1800s. They excused slavery, Jim Crow and now excuse a racist society. Stereotypes did just fine before the days of television, better in fact. The same goes for internalized racism. Television merely shows what whites already believe. And continue to believe not so much because they watch television but because stereotypes allow them to believe that whites are Basically Good and that American society is more or less fair and just.
And it gets worse:
Hollywood stereotypes seem to be at the liberal end of white racism: they are, if anything, less racist than what most whites seem to believe. Think about Rodney King or Katrina – which appeared on television as if from another world, as if there was some rip in the space-time continuum that is American television. If America was like it regularly appears on television, it would not only be richer and more beautiful, it would also be far less racist. Think of all the black judges there would be!
In general, the public mainstream culture seems to be far less racist than the vernacular white culture. Some whites read this state of affairs as the media and the universities being controlled by a politically correct, white liberal elite which is too afraid to upset blacks. Meaning that most ordinary white people are far more racist than Hollywood.
See also:
Hollywood stereotypes matter, because the truth is not what really is, but what people think it is. In reality, it’s all about the power struggle, and in this case I’m not even talking about the power of guns or money – I’m talking about the power of representation.
Those who have power can dictate the way people will perceive things and to make their truth be heard and adopted. They have a power to label and to make their presentation of reality the official reality. This includes, but is not limited to, the way certain groups are going to be perceived.
If you are a group with less power, you don’t have enough power to represent yourself; what becomes the universal knowledge about you is no how you’d define and represent yourself but how it’s done by others who have more power.
Note that this isn’t limited to black/white relations in the US, but it can serve as an excellent example.
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I compare to the aging infrastructure: needs an upgrade and/or realistic improvements.
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Hollywood sterotypes of everything matter, because, unfortunately; entertainment defines the population’s perspective of reality. I would love to see more education and real information that is actually useful, and less advertisement-driven non-information that must be discarded when it meets reality. But that’s just me, I guess.
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Interesting post.
Yes, they matter.
American youth watches more tv than they read books, exercise and join youth groups / clubs. These images of a black woman half dressed or a black man with gold teeth do send very strong images of how blacks are in ‘real life’.
Remember that most people look to Hollywood for trends on how to dress, make-up for girls, what music is in fashion and who is the next big hunk.
These images of mostly negative women who are seeking the father of their children on Maury or rappers calling their women dirty names stick. To America and sadly, abroad, it becomes ‘ normal ‘.
And that’s exactly what they want.
Hollywood has an agenda.
That is because of who runs Hollywood.
Rich, older, white men.
For example, remember the classic movie Look who’s coming to Dinner?
In order for Sidney to be acceptable for Spencer Tracy, he have to had a list of credentials a mile long. He was also asexual and very bland despite being a good looking fellow. He never made a physical pass at his white woman, ridiculous I know, but that’s the way it HAD to be in order for him to be ‘safe’.
Hollywood wants not just blacks but all people who are different to serve a couple of purposes for their white viewers; to make them feel less guilty for being racist. That’s why when they see yet another black man who’s selling drugs to small children gets shot by a white cop, it’s justified.
It’s also to reinforce that blacks aren’t really human.
After all, what kind of woman sleeps with over 100 men in a single night and needs Maury to help her find the father? There must be something wrong with ‘those people.’
Modern day Hollywood is nothing but a more polished, politically-correct version of a minstrel show.
With a token character added for ‘ insurance’ that they’re not racist.
I’m not fooled.
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a good post once again! Hollywood is a powerhouse internationally. Even though “everybody” understands that it makes just movies, fiction, the repetition works. Done enough many times, these stereotypes come reality in the minds of people. Diluted, twisted, sometimes almost invisible, but the stereotypes spread out. How many times you have heard: “Yeah, I know its just a movie, but there is some truth in it…”?
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Yes they matter. I think they are just as much a reflection of racial animus/blind spots as they are a cause of them.
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The way you use “racist” Abagond, the truth is racist.
The truth is that blacks are a lot less smart than whites or NE Asians or most of the other Asians we let into this country. Hollywood pretends otherwise in its portrayals. It also pretends there are a whole lot more beautiful white female black male romances than actually occurs.
The PC lefty mainstream media culture lies extensively about the facts on the ground of black achievement in elite brainac etc. positions through its portrayals.
Hollywood’s portrayal of blacks in American upper middle and elite life on TV and in the movies when set in contemporary times shows them achieving in high positions much more than is reality, and also show best buddy black and white male friendship as an everyday usual thing, far more than happens in reality. Friendly relations between blacks and whites at work and so on happen but best buddies not so often.
For example in House the smartest doctor on his super elite major brainiacs only medical diagnostic team is the jet black Foreman. Everyone on that slowly rotating members team with the possible exception of the Ozzie surgeon Chase is portrayed as having a near genius IQ of say about 145 or up. Normdist tells me that 0.00008% of blacks of that age cohort have IQ’s that high, whereas a small but not trace number of whites do (0.13%). Nor is that show unusual. In the old ER starring George Clooney and some others, two of the star residents were black guys.
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Stereotypes matter on TV matter.
Black folks have a numbers disadvantage compared to white folks. It is near impossible to grow up black and not encounter a white person; however, it is extremely possible to grow up white with no contact to a black person. For many whites (and unfortunately, some black folks) the only representation of a black person they see comes from TV. They don’t have real life examples to refute what they see. The same is true for many blacks; there was a point in time that hip hop reflected life, now, life appears to be reflecting hip hop. We see it in many other countries. You go to Africa/South America/etc., You will hear many in the more impoverished areas say things like “whats up my ni66a”.
If we see this in other countries, then we KNOW it has the same affect here in the US. It is okay to have a white family like Showtime’s Shameless, because most folks know plenty of other white people to counteract the stereotype. But when Flavor of Love is one, and there are no other black folks around, it is very possible for a white person to think we all look like buffoons.
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“The television screen is the retina of the mind’s eye. Therefore the television screen is part of the physical structure of the brain. Therefore whatever appears on the television screen emerges as raw experience for those who watch it. Therefore television is reality and reality is less than television.”
-Videodrome (1983)
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They definitely matter. The reason being is that these stereotypes are broadcast around the world and there are far more negative ones than positive. For every judge Mathis and lynn toler and even the political spectacle that is president Obama and the first family the six ladies on basketball wives love & hip hop and real housewives of Atlanta rip whatever stereotypical tv progress that was Made to shreds. For some Cosby and a different world and flavor of love are mutually exclusive. If one is true the other must be false. And the one that’s believed true is usually the one that is current. As of right now blacks for the most part aren’t portrayed in the most positive light when it comes to stereotypes. There are plenty of reasons why BET, VH1, lil Wayne, wakka flocks flame, and others to blame. But at this point the black community is way past blame and needs a progressive solution beyond BET cranking out some feel good sit-coms that coat the stereotypes with sugary sweetness without ever getting to the real.
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Abagond, can you please tell Doug to stay on topic. His pet go to is always intelligence. We know this. He thinks Black people are stupid, yet can’t help sitting here arguing with us stupids.
Ugh, like a dog returning to vomit.
Anyways, I think that yes. It does matter because the Hollywood portrayal is just a cog in the huge engine that is the mass media machine. Why does no one bring up “Birth of a Nation”? Tell me that didn’t influence people. You’re a fool (not speaking to anyone in particular just generally) if you think that Hollywood does not know exactly what it is doing. There has been too many times where casting notices have been called out for perpetuating this or that. If something is negative, it is shown with minorities. If it is positive, it will be white. Even if that positive was created BY people of color. Example, Last Airbender, that movie with the MIT poker students, the movie about 9/11 and it’s portrayal of the Black hero, Prince of Persia, Last Samurai and so on and so forth.
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@ Jorbia & Doug1:
If you, or anyone else, wants to continue the discussion on black IQs do it on the Open Thread or here:
I have a post on African IQs here:
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Co-sign.
I look at Hollywood’s liberal brand of racism as like a quota phenomenon. As long as black people appear in films whether they fit stereotypes or just extras, then it must mean Hollywood is post-racial. Of course, given films like Norbit, The Help, Tower Heist, and Menace II Society, we see the same program of making black people seem either funny, helpless, or destructive, and it shows that Hollywood is anything but post-racial.
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Abagond,
I doubt Doug will be able to continue his rants on black IQs on topics of that nature. He has to find any topic that he believes is building blacks up while putting whites down. After all, like he said he’s intelligent, and he’s too intelligent to follow directions LOL.
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Another great post Abagond! People don’t realize how much the media shapes our perception of reality. It’s used to make POC, especially those outside of America, look less than human. At the same time it portrays White Americans, no matter how crass or dysfunctional (e.g. Jersey Shore, Teen Moms), as perfectly normal and worthy of attention.
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As with other types of media, Hollywood’s stereotyping of blacks does matter. It can and does affect many areas of people’s lives – where they choose to live, go to school, how they are treated by law enforcement and retail clerks, how much they earn, whether they are hired or promoted, etc. Unfortunately many believe everything they see, hear and read, especially when it comes to negative representations of black people. I suspect many whites (including some on this blog) don’t even know any black people personally, except for minimal interactions with a few on the job.
Like someone wrote upthread, negative images of black people are broadcast all over the world. Some people I know who live abroad tell me a lot of what they see comes from American media.
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White America’s perception of blacks start from early childhood, just look at some of the shows on Nickelodeon. There’s “drake and Josh” which has a “sapphire” type character named helen. Then “iCarly” has a character named, T-bo, who’s a buffoon and i could write a whole essay about how I believe Sam Puckett is a black stereotype played by a white girl. Then there’s “Victorious”, which recently aired an episode called “Andre’s horrible girlfriend” filled with stereotypes there’s the angry Black girl named Hope and Mrs. Lee who is an Asian stereotype. There’s also the character, Rex who sounds like a white man imitating a black man from a blaxploitation film. And guess what they all have in common? They’re all created by Dan Schneider.
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@ erica
Same thing with Family Guy.
The black character Cleveland is voice by a white guy and his ex-wife, Loretta, a sapphire, is voice by Alex Borstein.
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@ everyone
Ever wonder why some white actresses, like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Olivia Wilde get to be the leading lady with 15 million dollars in salary and no acting talent but black actresses, who ARE talented, are employed by mostly Tyler Perry, the Hughes Bros and Spike Lee?
This will never end.
Viola Davis had an interview just a few days ago about this very topic!
She didn’t want to play a maid but said due to her age, race and looks, roles for her were few and far between. Even now with Oscar buzz, her phone is NOT ringing off the hook.
That’s why Angela Bassett didn’t want to do Monsters Ball.
Stereotypes matter very much.
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@ truthbetold
Oh, it will end all right, but I don’t think some people are going to like that ending.
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Abagond,
One thing to add to your insight.
Hollywood is operated on a delicate balance of money vs. art.
The public won’t spend 12 dollars to see a movie with an actress or actor who isn’t:
1. Good looking
2.Physically fit
3. Well spoken, unless they are portrayed as working class
4. Well dressed
5. Most important: Relatable
Stereotypes are a safe bet that you’ll rake in the dough.
Most blacks are nothing like Maury’s show but most white Americans, who are racist, need to see a certain percentage of the “others” being the way America portrays them to be.
It makes them feel better that things are status quo.
To show education, class, clean neighborhoods with TWO parents and well behaved kids rouses feelings of anxiety. And boredom. Boredom leads to turning off the tv, lost ratings and lost revenue.
You must appease the masses.
Hence the stereotypes.
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@ someguy
Unless things change in old Hollywood, yes, I mean Mr. Harvey Weinstein and Warner Bros and Metro Goldwyn Mayer, things won’t change.
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@Nom De Plume:
Yes, Hollywood stereotypes of black definitely matter. I can only speak about my mom’s native Philippines, but the people there do watch a lot of American tv shows. Of course, what they see are the stereotypical black portrayals. I had one cousin who immigrated and he was amazed to learn that the new black friends he made were unlike the black people he saw on tv.
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I always say that there’s a reason why they call TV the “idiot box”, people would have to be dense to believe that what you see on TV holds merit.
But it seems people all over the world see television as some kind of oracle or worst than that, a god! Many of us don’t realize it, but we treat television as a religion to honor and follow. We watch what we see and we end up taking it in as the gospel rather than just harmless entertainment.
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The truth is that blacks are a lot less smart than whites or NE Asians or most of the other Asians we let into this country.
Can’t you come up with something more original? Such as… White folks are from Uranus, hence, they have their heads up their buttocks most of the time. Or, white folks are a mixture of demons and humans or something like that, it is more entertaining! It is the same old broken record with you!
I always wondered if those jacka–es- on Maury and Jerry Springer aren’t in reality, actors playing up to the worst stereotypes around to feed whites racist appetites.
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“I doubt Doug will be able to continue his rants on black IQs on topics of that nature. He has to find any topic that he believes is building blacks up while putting whites down. After all, like he said he’s intelligent, and he’s too intelligent to follow directions LOL.”
LOL!
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Comment being monitored above.
Truthbetold,
Most blacks are nothing like Maury’s show but most white Americans, who are racist, need to see a certain percentage of the “others” being the way America portrays them to be.
I wrote two blog posts about Maury, and I still think he should be cancelled. At the same time I ask myself, why the hell would black folks consciously go on that show and end up strengthening the stereotypes?
What’s worse, I remember one episode a while back how all of the guests were black except for one, a white man. All of the black and brown men on that episode denied being the fathers of the kids on that episode. However, this one white man was LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING A FATHER!
That episode sent two messages: One, men of color hate being fathers even if they really are. And two, white men naturally look forward to fatherhood.
Looking back, I shook my head. I know it was no accident. This was deliberate.
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Herneith, Doug said this about his white inventor comment:
I’ve made that same comment more or less in a number of places. Saved it as a word document and all.
That explains a lot.
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Herneith,
I always wondered if those jacka–es- on Maury and Jerry Springer aren’t in reality, actors playing up to the worst stereotypes around to feed whites racist appetites.
I heard from someone who used to work at BET that they PAY them to appear on that show. I don’t know if it’s true, but like they say, money talks and bullsh*t walks.
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And another thing about Maury,
His show also helps play into the “white savior trope”. Guest seem to seek him to help him with their problems.
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Good read from this site:
http://www.40acres.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1782%3Abeing-a-maid&catid=
BEING A MAID
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 17:33
By James McBride
Last night, President Obama, our first African American President, delivered his third State of the Union address. On that same day, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated two gifted African American actresses, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, for Oscars for playing maids in The Help. This is 73 years after the first African American to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel, garnered the award for the same role – as a maid, and a slave maid at that, winning the Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category on Feb. 29, 1940.
And here we are, in the year of our Lord, Jan 25, 2012. Maybe I’m getting old, but the irony of this is too much. Or perhaps I’ve heard this song before. In the 1970’s, when I was a freshman at Oberlin College, my white friends and I used to sit up and talk about racism and solving society’s problems all through the night until the sun rose. Not much good came from these talks, the least of which is I hoped to get laid, which rarely happened. But on those cold nights, I was convinced that when I walked out of college, racism would be just about finished. Instead, it smashed me across the face like a bottle when I walked into the real world. Now, 33 years later, I find myself talking about the same thing I talked about when I was a college freshman.
I have no take with Ms. Davis and Ms. Spencer. They’re outstanding actresses. But the nomination of these two women by the Hollywood community 73 years after Hattie McDaniel won for the same role speaks for itself. As co-writer and co-producer of Spike Lee’s newest film “Red Hook Summer,” and his previous feature film “Miracle At St. Anna,” I have a clear eyed view of what the cultural display of African American life means to hearts in Hollywood, a land of feints and double meanings and as tricky to navigate as anything inside the Beltway. I wish someone had told me this when I was a freshman at Oberlin.
America is a super power not because we make the biggest guns. We’re a superpower because our culture has saturated the planet: Levis, Apple, Nike, Disney, Coke, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Jazz, Rhythm n Blues, Rock ‘n Roll, and Hip Hop. Our culture dominates the world far more than any nuclear bomb can. When you can make a person think a certain way, you don’t have to bomb them. Just give them some credit cards, a wide screen 3D TV, some potato chips, and watch what happens. This kind of cultural war, a war of propaganda and words, elements that both Hollywood and Washington know a lot about, makes America powerful beyond measure. The hard metal of this cultural weaponry, much of it, emanates from the soul of Blacks, the African American experience in music, dance, art and literature……………..
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” When you can make a person think a certain way, you don’t have to bomb them. Just give them some credit cards, a wide screen 3D TV, some potato chips, and watch what happens. ”
That’s powerful stuff everyone.
Makes me ponder what will become of us on a much grander scale.
This is why I firmly believe in ” The Plan.”
American media is indeed powerful and heinous.
We’ve all been so severely brainwashed…it’s mind blowing.
Guys, to be fair and truthful, black directors don’t always give us a fair shake either. Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua, Tony Singletary and the Hughes bros do TRY to portray real life blacks and people of colour in a realistic normal light, middle class / working class, smart, street smart, decent and looking for love.
What about the stereotype of Tyler Perry’s Madea?
I agree that his messages are positive about family sticking together, God’s love and trying to succeed despite being beaten down, but I can’t help but feel that Madea is somehow pandering to an old stereotype of the sapphire matriarch.
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@ Oyan:
Excellent James McBride piece. Thank you.
Some quotes from it:
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Yes, I think they do matter. It’s plain for me to see that, no matter how intelligent, lots of people absorb a portion of what they see on TV as the truth. Seeing stereotypes repeatedly only reinforces these `facts’ they see about Black people or other POC. Then other Whites who watch the same TV shows repeat the stereotype back to them in conversations and then it seems even more like `the truth’, since `everybody’ says it.
It is worse among White people who have never known any POC. If they have no real-life experience to go on, they tend to rely heavily on TV and think Black people are born wearing bling and headphones, bobbing their heads to rap/hip hop. They can see Black people on the street and how they don’t match the image of the stereotypes they believe in, but the thing is they can no longer see the human being without the racial stereotypes automatically springing up in their minds. The Black woman walking down the street who never uttered a word to the White person magically becomes a sassy, neck-snapping sister in their head. Their minds create what they think they should be seeing/hearing and stereotypes are `proven’ to be true. Memory reinvents those who deviate from the stereotypes and clings to those who fit the stereotypes to a T.
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Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer were recently on Tavis Smiley. Davis defends playing a maid which leads to an excellent discussion about Hollywood and how blacks are represented:
http://video.pbs.org/video/2194955259
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@ Abagond
I wanted to comment on that interview you’ve just posted. I thought that it was a great interview that got down the the heart of the discussion- no non sense. I am so glad Travis challenged Viola on the lack of balance in the industry. That initial comment she made didn’t exactly sit well with me, although I partially agree with her clarification on the issue.
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I read that James McBride piece, and even though what he said was on-point, it was a grim reminder of how your life is viewed in this country and its media.
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If it’s of any consolation, once a show leaves America, it becomes an American, rather a black thing. So any bad/stupid/immoral thing made by black Americans on TV becomes a bad/stupid/immoral thing Americans in general do, regardless of race.
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Iris,
Not knowing any POC and relying on TV stereotypes can actually have contra effect for people who don’t know any POC, because of the numerous PC ways blacks are portrayed and their relationship with whites. You rarely see any struggle and any mention of race in a mainstream Hollywood movie, where blacks are usually portrayed as whites dipped in chocolate, or even like perfect individuals that are so ideal to become boring. If you’re unfamiliar with stuff such as Hollywood tokens, color blind racism, etc. you will easily miss all the struggle and unique problems black people face in the US, not to mention you will miss all the unique black American culture.
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@Truthbetold:
“Ever wonder why some white actresses, like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Olivia Wilde get to be the leading lady with 15 million dollars in salary and no acting talent but black actresses, who ARE talented, are employed by mostly Tyler Perry, the Hughes Bros and Spike Lee?
—
It’s sad that that black actresses (and actors) have such a hard time in Hollyweird. Vivica Fox mentioned a while back that she was considering leaving acting altogether because of the stereotypical roles she was being offered. Alfre Woodard, who is very talented, said that she has been told by casting people that she “is not cute enough” for certain roles. I have even noticed that Loretta Divine, who holds an MFA, has even been typecast to some extent.
Leigh204:
“I had one cousin who immigrated and he was amazed to learn that the new black friends he made were unlike the black people he saw on tv.’
—
That’s a good thing.
@brothawolf:
“I wrote two blog posts about Maury, and I still think he should be cancelled.”
—
I agree. Maury kills me with those “baby daddy/baby mama” shows.
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Abagond, you should check this out if you have not already heard of it.
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Propaganda is an effective tool to control people without them actually knowing they’re being controlled. The propaganda we see in the media controls how most humans interact with each other. How we view the poor, view women, view Whites, view non-Whites, view the LGBT community, etc.
What is needed in this country is counter-propaganda. That in the past has been almost impossible since so few people have controlled the media. Now however we are beginning to see counter-propaganda on the web. On sites like this one and others. And as long as we can keep control of the web then we have a chance to increase the amount of counter-propaganda.
Unfortunately we are losing control of the web. Big companies like Comcast, google, facebook and Yahoo are doing everything possible to limit what we do and all are nothing more than spy agencies for the government and the elite. Also many millions of people cannot afford broadband which is another way of controlling the masses.
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Aren’t television portrayals of black Americans nearly exclusively positive? I rarely watch TV, but I’ve seen far more of the white redneck / rapist stereotype than the OG / sassy black person stereotype. Black characters usually seem to be portrayed as chiefs of police, heart surgeons, or lawyers.
Completely anecdotal corroboration from Tracy Morgan playing Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock:
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@ Randy
Scroll up. Plenty of examples were given of shows with stereotyped blacks, like Maury Povich and Flavor of Love. Also read this:
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Spending time around the negro race is all that matters. Hollywood, the media and academia do everything they can to portray blacks as brilliant people who would have been responsible for all good things in the world had it not been for the blue eyed devil. The truth is that sub-Saharan Africa has always been a wasteland of filth, disease and death, and that strong tradition of African savagery exists to this very day in whatever city in whatever part of the world shines park their obese diabetic asses in. Blacks have contributed less to the liberal arts throughout history than 18th Century Germany did and they make-up less than 15% of the American population yet commit over half the violent crime. The anti-white leftist Hollywood elites fight negro stereotypes as a job while they live as far away from NAMs as possible, because if they did live in the hood they know their propaganda would be more likely to reflect those who where the white hood. Racism doesn’t scare bourgeoise white leftists, it’s how easily the truth behind racist thoughts about blacks can be confirmed that frightens them.
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^^^ a good example of how Hollywood is not driving much of the racism that is out there.
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The truth is that sub-Saharan Africa has always been a wasteland of filth, disease and death, and that strong tradition of African savagery exists to this very day in whatever city in whatever part of the world shines park their obese diabetic asses in.
Can anyone doubt the power of propaganda? If Joseph Goebbels was alive in America today, he would be like unto a GOD.
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” The truth is that sub-Saharan Africa has always been a wasteland of filth, disease and death, and that strong tradition of African savagery exists to this very day in whatever city in whatever part of the world shines park their obese diabetic asses in.
Can anyone doubt the power of propaganda? If Joseph Goebbels was alive in America today, he would be like unto a GOD.”
A wasteland?
Savagery?
Wow.
Something that amazes me is the profound ignorance and willful blindness of some of these commenters.
Without the free labour of people of colour, America would have become a wasteland. And the savagery? Well…no need to look at a third world country for that folks, just think back one generation ago.
Any savagery committed by Natives and Africans are in no comparison to the brutality of modern day whites. And let’s not forget the savagery committed by the new version of the KKK, the police.
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@ waka:
How hilarious that two white females think that way.
White women are amongst the most brainwashed due to the fact that they’re sheltered AND a member of a minority group.
They can be the hardest to reach.
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@ brothawolf
Do you think that Jerry, Maury, etc have a personal responsibility to stop the propaganda?
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@ Leigh
Regarding your family members and racist images…
One of my friends, a black woman, lives in Nice.
She came here only to realize that most blacks in the US are different than the ones on American tv.
She commented on how ‘ well spoken’ and ‘easy mannered’ they seemed.
She acknowledged that, yes, some of them appeared like she’d seen on tv but most weren’t.
This was my personal realization that American tv not just affects the way that we see ‘us’ but the way the world sees us.
She also was very confused as to why on American tv, black women looked alike, dressed alike, spoke alike with no variation in personality.
Where were the artsy crowd? The bookish crowd? The sports figures?
She made no secret of the way the French looked at Americans.
Also, being a black woman with a thick French accent, drew her UNWANTED attention. She was happy to leave.
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Truthbetold,
They do, but I think it’s more complicated than just those two and their exploitative urban circuses.
People, especially black folks, must stop supporting these kinds of shows. They need to say “No more” and either change the channel or find new and constructive ways to entertain themselves.
On that same note, they need to stop trying to find ways to come on those shows. There is no logical reason why they would come other than to earn a trip to the city and get their fifteen minutes of fame even if they have to make fools out of themselves. But blacks need to realize that their representation on TV produces a monolithic image of the entire race. Some may not think that matters, but it does. Greatly.
Also, even if those shows do end, the racist propaganda will continue through mainstream rap videos, the local news, and reality based shows. It will continue as long as there’s a market for that kind of “entertainment”. Ultimately, people want to watch black people act like stereotypes because it’s amusing. But, if they saw black people that don’t resemble those stereotypes, then they’re not interesting, unworthy of attention, and are practically invisible. This is why people outside America get shocked when they see black folks in corporate attire, speaking in “standard” English, and act civilized.
Sooner or later something has to push people to the edge and demand a change in the content produced, and it starts with the people themselves.
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Hey Waka, there’s more on that story. Check this out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/gainesville-high-school-s_n_1290929.html?ref=mostpopular
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@ brothawolf and waka
Those two girls are going to grow up real fast.
Poor things. I really feel bad for them.
Sorta.
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The old minstrel stereotypes of Blacks never really went away, they just got split into two different characterizations. It’s been mentioned on this blog before. Hollywood removed the negative stereotypes of Blacks—leaving Black men as noble and misunderstood and Black women as asexual dispensers of maternal wisdom.That’s what you see in mainstream Hollywood and on TV commercials (the most integrated area of the world). These are produced by as noted above by liberals who live far away from the hood, a corollary to the childless feminist who cheers on school bussing in order to celebrate diversity while safe in her gated suburban enclave. Hip hop culture (although it did not do this initially) removed the positive minstrel stereotypes. It glorifies murder, abandonment of children, misogyny, theft, rape, stealing what you want and begging for what you need insisting that all of this is real Black culture. Which is the one that gets defended? The negative stereotype of course! See how Ashley Judd called hip hop rape culture, which it is. She was subjected to a self-righteous PC firestorm about how racist she was for telling the truth. When former PA Secretary of State C Delores Tucker publicly condemned gangsta rap back in the 1990s she was insulted and castigated as an old b*tch that time had passed by. Tucker passed on in 2003, but it turned out she was actually ahead of her time.
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@truthbetold:
I’m not surprised. I mean, I grew up with black relatives (through marriage) in my family and I figured from the getgo that Hollywood’s media portrayals of black people tended to be very negative. My black relatives were not like the stereotypical black people on tv. It’s the same with Hollywood’s portrayal of Asians to the world.
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Re: That video of the girls parlaying their first hand “expertise” of what Black people are like into a criticism of “Black” culture more widely.
*****
I think those girls echo what they expect to see in Black people. Hollywood/News media subtly ingrain those stereotypes and then using the representativeness heuristic they inflate the number of people she thinks fit that stereotype.
Truth of the matter though is that even those people she picks out as fitting the stereotype, she doesn’t know them more than the few seconds she spends mentally criticizing them. She doesn’t listen. She moulds them into a distorted caricature of what a Black person is. All the while ignoring anything that disconfirms these ideas.
She talked about how they do nothing. They are unintelligible. They are poor. They are uneducated. They don’t graduate. They are welfare queens. That they are everywhere. That they are brand wh*res etc.
Talk about loading their barrells with some of the most scripted stereotypes from over the centuries.
The fortunate part of this whole thing is that we see hwo many people actually agree with their points of view: which on youtube turns out to be 20% or 1/5 agree with her (if you look at the likes, you will find over a thousand likes and over four thousand dislikes — staggering numbers).
SMH.
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@ Mira
Excellent point. I can see what you mean and it certainly explains why many people just cannot understand why anyone’s talking about racism! Some TV shows definitely sweep it under the carpet when they have the perfect opportunity to cover the topic of race. Either that, or they fall back on other stereotypes.
I still do think (from my own experience) that a lot of people will cling to the more negative stereotypes. Maybe because, rather than believe Black people are just like them (`Whites dipped in chocolate’), they would prefer to distance themselves from Black people in one way or another. I’ve come to notice many White people like to feel that POC are inherently different from them, no matter where they were born and raised. I suppose when a White person tells him/herself it is in X group’s nature to be drains on society or something else negative, it’s easier to hold onto racist beliefs and justify any nasty actions/words towards X group.
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JT,
By what source do you claim knowledge regarding the cultural environment in which those girls are immersed?
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According to that video, degenerates who exploit the welfare system only come in one color — BLACK.
Someone *roll eyes* should do a financial audit on who sucks/robs the most CA$H from the government teat – black and brown people on welfare, or middle and upper class whites who conveniently pocket mega cash from all sorts of government assistance/welfare giveaways – at the taxpayers expense – for the well to do, and for those adept at knowing how to play the system for huge $$$s.
Corporate farmers who own huge tracts of land and are paid NOT to grow certain crops.
Bankers who make super profits, then fail only to be bailed out by the government, with much of that bail out money going into their own pockets.
Wall St robber barons that swindle everyone they can, get caught, and then get propped up with ca$h so the market doesn’t crash. They get to keep the lion’s share too.
Derelict polluters that poison communities, “certain neighborhoods,” wild-life and oceans because it’s cheaper to pay the attendant fines than what it costs to properly dispose of toxic waste.
Warmongers/criminals like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and company who started wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that killed and maimed hundreds of thousands of innocent souls – and get super rich in the process.
Weapons manufacturers and companies like Blackwater et al that routinely rip off of the taxpayers with overcharges – and even for services that aren’t delivered. Yet, because Daddy Bush or Rumsfeld sits on the board of directors of these rip off corporations, the matter is routinely swept under the rug. Former congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney, took these crooks (Cheney & Rumsfeld) to task during congressional hearings – and lost her congressional seat for it because no one else in government had the ______ to back her up.
The big 3 American auto makers were given a HUGH infusion of cash, yet the surrounding communities in Michigan where once thriving homes and families were left to rot and disintegrate. Many survivors, if you can call them that, now live in shelters, or under a bridge, or in one those tent cities that are increasingly dotting the American landscape.
Big Pharma – they exist solely for the almighty dollar. No other drug production companies in the world charges for drugs, or pushes unsafe hardly tested meds, or entices physicians to push their products on their patients like the American drug companies do. But if you’re black or brown, you better not get caught with any “unsanctioned” drugs.
These observations are just off the top of my head. I could go on.
I just barely scratched the surface of how these mostly WHITE MEN, white collar crooks – actual “DEGENERATES” – dressed in the latest Madison Ave attire, are spreading destruction and suffering to others because they’re permitted to feed their over-the-top incredibly insatiable appetites at the expense of the poor and working class – because its those folks who make up the military and prop up the low wage financial system that make the super rich even richer.
So, when it’s all said and done, those black and brown folks having babies and getting on public assistance – and those that populate America’s racist criminal injustice-complex prisons with SUPPOSEDLY VIOLENT CRIMES — can’t even begin to compare these mostly white murderous, blood thirsty unconscionable thieves perpetrating horrible, despicable crimes against humanity, while being PAID billions for doing so, seemingly unnoticed in broad daylight no less, and hardly anyone seems to give a damn. Most especially, those two amazingly naive – blue pill swallowing – clueless little white girls.
Because at the end of the day – all they can see are BLACK degenerates.
So much for “objectivity.”
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I definitely agree that Hollywood portrayals of Blacks play an important role in influencing not only who we Black people think we are, but also in how people from other countries see us.
I am currently living in northern Argentina where they are extemely few people of African descent. It’s evident from conversations that I’ve had with many people that the majority of most Argentines’ knowledge of the U.S. comes from movies, as it is harder for people here to actually visit the United Sates in person. Most people think that I am Brazilian. Probably because most Black people who are in Argentina (from what I’ve seen and heard) are either Brazilian or African, and this is more in Buenos Aires than where I am,. People are usually surprised when I tell them that I’m “Estadounidense”. I actually went back and forth with someone several times who told me that I am not from the United States. He was only convinced when I provided him with the name of my home state. This happened to me in the Dominican Republic as well. These experiences have told me that Blacks are missing from Hollywood movies, or at least those that are exported overseas.
Now about the stereotypes. I had another experience where I was walking through a plaza when a group of young men started yelling a bunch of profanities at me in English. The verbal assault began with “Think Black” and, although I couldn’t make out everything that was said because I was probably more than 30 feet away and their pronunciation was bad, it seemed to me that they were yelling something that they had seen in a movie or heard in music thinking that I might recognize it or be impressed and not trying to insult me with such profanities. This experience, as shockin as it was, drove home the point that people from other countries see these kinds of portrayals of Black Americans and truly believe that’s who we are.
And even though we may take for granted that “fact” that we can differentiate between Hollywood and reality, people from Argentina seem to truly believe that what they see on the silver screen is how we live our lives. And I don’t think that people in the US have a much more realistic grasp.
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@ Matari
*** standing ovation, jumping up and down!!!***
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Everyone:
I know this article with pics will likely rile people up. I know it did for me. The Hollywood media has quite the influence on people from other countries. You can see their perceptions of blacks particularly in Asian countries such as South Korea. Blackface tends to creep up now and then. This is embarrassing and downright shameful.
http://seoulbeats.com/2011/08/boom-does-blackface-and-people-are-mad-now-wheres-my-soapbox/
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@matari:
Yes, it is really weird that the people who most loudly accuse others for welfare abuse are the ones who somehow end up with most benefits from the states. Big bankers, big busines, super rich who all get tax deductions, government subsidies and monetary support, money infusions and what ever are usually the loudest critics of any kind of relief of the poor. The same guys on Wall Street who stole 770 000 000 000 dollars from the america taxpayers are among the loudest critics ad the argument is laways the same: it makes the poor lazy if they get money from the government! Yeah, right…
@rmoreno:
I noticed the same thing way back when I was on the road as a young man. Even in Africa the Hollywood and american television shows had a huge impact on those guys down there. When we talk about the power of Hollywood propaganda it is always good to remember that it effects the whole globe.
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Matari said:
The students in that video explicitly state that the scope of their comments is limited to their first-hand experiences at their school.
@sam: see above
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@ Randy,
First off: Are you really defending them?
Second off: They said that their commentary represents Black people in the south. And was it just me or did you hear them say that they were referring to “ghetto African Americans” or “n*******s.”
Where do you think they got these tired-@ss archetypes from?
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“The students in that video explicitly state that the scope of their comments is limited to their first-hand experiences at their school.”
*****************************
White people (generally speaking) are terrifically adept at seeing exactly what they want to see! Hence, the well documented anecdotal, scientific research and studies, etc re their delusional pathologies.
Whites excel at seeing what’s wrong with “others.”
Yet somehow they truly suck at seeing what wrong with themselves.
The students in that video really need to broaden their “scope!”
That’s why blogs like this – in part – exist. They could come here, be quiet, READ & LEARN AND BELIEVE.
And ask questions to further their own understanding – not just asking questions for the sake of contention and argument.
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@ Randy
For a grown-ass man like yourself it is extremely unfunny the way you constantly take what white people say at face value.
Especially when at the very same time you find every reason to doubt what black people say, as if they are four-year-olds talking about the monster under their bed.
Especially when YOU are the one who makes a big deal of “well, if an x person said the very same thing you would take it differently….”
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I will be doing a post on that video of the two racist white girls, but due to technical difficulties it probably will not appear until tonight.
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JT,
Those comments were certainly in poor taste. However, a particular form of the outraged reaction to them has revealed a chilling anti-free speech environment which can only perpetuate racial animus.
Let me explain where exactly the problem arises.
It’s perfectly reasonable and rational to object to an expressed stereotype such as: “All black people are on welfare and/or ‘talk ghetto’.” But then this gets overextended to where one is not permitted to observe that in a specific location, there may indeed be a preponderance of such people.
In other words, it’s not enough to acknowledge that not all members of a group behave in a certain way, rather one must pretend that none of them do, or that they’re few and far between.
So now you have a situation where people are being cowed into not being able to comment upon what they observe with their own eyes. It’s an Orwellian diktat which breeds resentment.
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Abagond said:
Are you suggesting that the main objection to those girls’ comments is the implication that they’re stereotyping all black people?
I would offer that the negative reaction would be nearly the same had they gone out of their way to specifically disclaim that they’re only referring to fellow members of their student body.
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@randy:
If you advocate free speech, then it works both ways. You can, or those girls can, say what ever you want. But if go around callin people n*****s be prepared to hear something back. Also, if you state openly that blacks are this or that, be prepeared to hear that whites are so and so.
Seems to me like somehow so many Free speech people are always telling others what that means.
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@ Truthbetold
Thank you – for all YOUR incessant appeals to those who have hearts that hear.
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@ leigh
This isn’t the first time a non-english speaking country donned shoe polish.
While I make no excuses for racism, some countries are not tied to blackface and its effects on culture like America.
In their minds, some of them of course, it’s only part on a costume and NOT a political statement.
Even though it’s offensive, it was not done with offensive intent.
Many countries in Europe still call blacks coloured, and so I we from time to time, but it’s not meant in the same connotation as the U.S. saying coloured.
I was struck at some costumes in the Islands, for instance, a mixed and mostly black area, where non black children would dress up as Mr. T with gold chains and black polish on their faces. No one was offended. It was just a costume.
Perhaps some reading about black history is in order?
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@leigh204:
I’ve seen videos from Japan showing the same kind of thing – wig-wearing men and women in blackface sporting fake gold chains trying to rap or do other “black” imitations. My mind immediately went to the media.
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There is, or was, a blackface youth subculture in Japan:
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@ Randy
You bring up free speech.
Hmmmm…
Why is it whenever a white person makes a racist comment and gets blacklash, they say, ” I’m sorry IF I offended anyone” and ” America gives us free speech.”
Free speech is great.
Some people die for it.
But words do matter, Randy.
It is ok to yell ‘ Fire ‘ in a crowded theater?
We have a responsibility to say truthful speech, not hateful speech.
Those two young girls were inciteful, not exciteful.
Therein lies the difference.
Oh, and you know you’re brainwashed, right?
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sam said:
Completely agree.
truthbetold said:
The right to swing your fist ends at the nose of another. The right to speak does not end at the offendable ears of another. It’s a constitutionally protected difference, and we’re all better off for it.
truthbetold said:
First of all, that’s not how free speech works. Secondly, “hateful speech” is a completely subjective term which is contingent upon the feelings of listeners, and bears no relationship to whether a set of statements are truthful or not.
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So, Randy, let me understand this.
Since hateful speech is subjective and not contingent upon the hurt feelings of listeners, do you agree with the speeches of the KKK?
Do you agree that words and images have no power to illicit actions and therefore bear no responsibility on the speaker?
Randy, please think before you answer.
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@ Randy,
Hate speech is illegal in Canada. You know that ruthless dictatorship to the north? And everyone is better off with that law in place. The atmosphere isn’t so vile and personally destructive as it is in the United States on fault lines such as inter-racial conflict.
Which leads me to my second point:
If the house of freedom is propped up by the idea that any hateful verbal activity can be promoted or engaged in without legal recourse, it’s time that house come crashing down.
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Abagond:
Hollywood in and of itself is not the problem, instead, the institutions and powerbrokers that finance the industry are the greater evil. Corporations and the advertising agencies are the bigger fish that we need to focus on. There is no entertainment industry on this planet without corporate advertising. A lot of the racial bs that comes out of hollywood is filtered thru the lens of race and buying power. Whitewomen are assumed to be wealthier than blackwomen, therefore, the vast majority of women that we see on the “idiot box” are white females. All of this is based on an assumption of those in New York. Blackwomen have buying power equal to or greater than whitewomen, but, that’s now how “they” see it. We complain about not seeing positive images on tv, It’s about money black people. The problem that we run into as black folk, is that, we don’t hold people and institutions accountable. Everybody wants us to buy their products, but don’t wanna break bread with us at the same time. Blackness=Money…Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
Tyrone
Black Eros Movement
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truthbetold:
I would agree that members of the KKK have the same constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech as anyone else. Don’t you?
truthbetold:
It depends on which type of “responsibility” you’re referring to. Barring incitement to criminality, I’d say that speech makers bear no legal responsibility for actions taken as a result of their words. As for moral responsibility, that’s up to people to individually decide.
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@Randy
I would agree that members of the KKK have the same constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech as anyone else. Don’t you?
&
It depends on which type of “responsibility” you’re referring to. Barring incitement to criminality…..
You dont think that the KKK and other Aryan supremacist groups have made speeches to deliberately incite violence? I clearly recall as a child the NF marching saying ‘Ni66ers out’ and how aggressive and violent these individuals were to any black person who had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whilst those words alone may in your opinion, be part of the freedon of the few to express themselves, these same kinds of comments/statements/chants are what was uttered to teenager Steven Lawrence before 5 youths laid into him, killing him in an unprovoked attack.
….I’d say that speech makers bear no legal responsibility for actions taken as a result of their words. As for moral responsibility, that’s up to people to individually decide
Did you feel this way about the President Clinton scandal(s) or that of other politicians?
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@ Tyrone
Well said, again.
It’s about the money, always have been, always will be.
Did you know that the largest consumer of “black clothing labels” are worn by white, middle class, male youngsters?
@ Randy,
I see.
Well, my friend, I have nothing more to say.
Oh, by the way, you do know you’re brainwashed right?
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yes they do because not everyone who watches them is a white American. There are places where they entrench racism like amongst Chinese as per this study http://www.scoop.it/t/microaggressions/p/1009756528/importing-white-racism-into-china-racismreview-com . we must be careful – Hollywood reaches beyond USA. I found Eastern Europe to be largely unaffected but in time it will be thanks to Hollywood
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I found Eastern Europe to be largely unaffected but in time it will be thanks to Hollywood
Explain, please. I’d say Eastern Europe is very affected by Hollywood. And since not many black people (or any non-white people) live in EE, the only idea Eastern Europeans have of them is through Hollywood.
However, the stereotypes people pick up from the Hollywood movies and other mainstream media aren’t always the ones white Americans pick up, because Eastern Europeans lack cultural context. The idea of language privilege, for example, is unknown in EE, so people fail to understand the whole deal about the N word. Also, some stereotypes that white Americans see as uniquely black (thanks to Hollywood), Eastern Europeans might see to be universal for Americans regardless of race. The (pardon my language) “ghetto” behavior might be one of them. And there are stereotypes that Eastern Europeans simply don’t pick up: out of wedlock birth for blacks, for example, it’s something EE people don’t see to exist as a stereotype. I don’t even think “black rapists” exist as a stereotype.
There are some stereotypes that EE do share, though, for example, oversexed black men, but then again, Americans in general are seen as immoral and oversexed in a bad way.
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@ Mira
Well said and I agree.
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@Demerera and truthbetold,
Arguing a defense of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment in particular is well beyond the scope of this post. Needless to say, I’m in favor of it, warts and all. I’ll offer the obvious summary and say that the alternative is far worse.
@JT: I have a hard time believing you’re a real person. Certainty doesn’t exist in an anonymous environment such as this, but in forums with healthy debates one generally takes it as an article of faith that the participants, if not actually real personalities, are nonetheless believably drawn simulacra.
I rather suspect you’re a stormfrontish troll trying to see how far you can take the “obsequious honky” shtick before being called out by the loyalists. So far so good.
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Right: the free speech issues are getting off topic. Especially since no one is disputing Hollywood’s political right to present blacks anyway it wants.
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@ Mira
Interesting comment!
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I’ve never understood why supposedly highly intelligent people would have such difficulty in (at the very least) questioning the validity of the images and concepts being offered to them.
Either these people aren’t as bright as they are stereotyped as being, or they are so eagerly swallowing the stereotypes being fed to them by the media because to do so fits their purposes.
I have spent little time in the company of East Asian, and despite being exposed to East Asian stereotypes, I’ve always managed to regard East Asian as the fully fleshed out, multifaceted individuals they are, as opposed to viewing them as little more than walking/talking stereotypes.
Living half way around the globe and/or in an area where there are few if any Blacks really doesn’t cut it as a rational excuse for embracing anti-Black propaganda.
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[…] “Do Hollywood Stereotypes of Blacks Matter?” by Abagond […]
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@truthtobetold & tyrone:
Right on target! Follow the money, I always say. The big companies and the big money are running things, if not directly then from behind the fasade. I’ve seen litterally dozens and dozens of interviews of directors, who have told that they had to do this or that, because somebody somewhere higher up said so or that they had to change the script or hire another actor/actress because the money guys told them so.
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@mira
yes eastern europe is already influenced by Hollywood but the impact had not yet gelled into racist stereotypes. perhaps as you point out they have taken it as American rather than black stereotypes. this was a few years back. my fear is that continued exposure combined with closer integration with Western Europe will change that.
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not also hollywood but comics too:
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@JT: I have a hard time believing you’re a real person. Certainty doesn’t exist in an anonymous environment such as this, but in forums with healthy debates one generally takes it as an article of faith that the participants, if not actually real personalities, are nonetheless believably drawn simulacra.
I rather suspect you’re a stormfrontish troll trying to see how far you can take the “obsequious honky” shtick before being called out by the loyalists. So far so good.
********
@Randy
Well, i think that that theory reflects YOU and your lack of exposure to alternative ways of thinking/being. Because I am white, i have to think and express what other whites think? Even if i don’t believe it?
Nope. I used to do that. It harms too many people. People that i think are more benign, enriched, sincere. People close to me that have been better to me than most whites ever have or will.
So forgive me if i say “f*#k you” to whiteness. To people like you.
And i would add that “I rather suspect” that you’re incapable of succinctly expressing an idea as evidenced by your post above. It took 3-4 readings to get your theory. Maybe you can take writing lessons?
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thabo,
The EE situation is interesting, because people there don’t really have much experience with non-whites (well, it depends. Some do. From the US point of view, EE might seem monolithic, but it’s anything but. I am mainly familiar with my part of the world (Balkans) and not the rest of EE).
That being said, the limited experience with non-white people AND the fact ethnicity matters much more than the race here, will make the perception of Hollywood stereotypes different. There are certain stereotypes, and the racism EE people experience exists, but it’s along the lines of what I call “pre-contact racism”. They know virtually nothing about black people. They don’t know black hair has a different texture than the white hair, for example, so any reference to hair or its significance is completely lost on them. (This is just one example, but there’s more).
They simply lack cultural context to understand certain stereotypes. Not to mention some things are different in EE than in America. For example, the most progressive (and the best to live in) city areas are city centers. “Urban” means to be cultured, educated and modern. Suburbia is usually undeveloped, and on the half way to rural areas. And rural (as the opposite of urban) is seen (at least in my part of the world) as baaaad, uneducated, uncultured). So when someone in a Hollywood movie says: “urban youth”, the image people here have is completely different than it’s meant in the movie context.
Might seem like a little thing, but these little things change meaning significantly.
Also, many stereotypes are seen as something all Americans do, so in this sense Hollywood is doing a disadvantage to all Americans.
The way I saw black Americans (and race relation in the US) before I met actual Americans online:
– Racism is mainly thing of the past.There are still extremely racist people in the US, but most people are disgusted by them. Today, people are able to joke about race and it’s not really serious the way it is, except for the KKK kind of racists (who all live in the South).
– Only whites are racists; blacks and others would love to hand out with whites and would take any opportunity to do so. Only when whites decide they don’t want to be around blacks is where separation occurs.
– There’s no much difference between black and white American culture (note that I still see things more or less like this)
– Black people are either “tough” or extremely calm, civil and rational. There are these extremely rational black people all over the place in movies. They always know what to do and what to say without even getting mad, or insecure or scared ever. They are to be admired and one wonders what kind of meditation/patience they are blessed with. Interestingly, Asians and Hispanics are portrayed as the loud ones more than blacks. For every loud black person there is one idealistically rational. One would think black Americans are either listening rap and saying stuff such as “yo, mothafucka” or are… Well, Morgan Freeman.
– Speaking of swearing, black people are seen like a group who swears a lot (except the old ladies who’d hit you for swearing), but this is not seen as bad in my culture. Everybody swears here, including PhD professors, so when a black PhD professor drops a swear word or a slang term that is not seen as strange.
– An interesting stereotype: black American males are strangely attracted to the career in the police, namely, to become chief of a police station. Every single police station in America has one, or so it seems based on Hollywood movies.
– Black girls love to hang out with white girls. Every group of female friends contains one – and only one – black girl.
There’s more, but this is what I can think of right now.
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Randy wrote:
“I rather suspect you’re a stormfrontish troll trying to see how far you can take the “obsequious honky” shtick…”
**************************************
So, is this how you see all white people who are anti-racist?
Tim Wise?
Joe Feagin?
Robert Jensen?
..and others?
…assuming that you’re somewhat familiar with white anti-racists.
Are you?
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Matari:
Not necessarily, but JT’s comments are just too caricatured to be believable, unlike those of someone like sam.
As for the list you mention, I’m only familiar with Tim Wise, and I think he’s a pandering careerist who is laughing to himself all the way to the bank. That’s some “white privilege” for you.
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“…just too caricatured to be believable”
Right.
So could you clarify: why would I be in support of Black justice if I were from StormFront? And if you are going to suggest that I am not in support of Black justice, then could you at least supply a reason as to why I wouldn’t just come out and say so? Afterall, Abagond has shown tolerance to bigotry on his website as long as those people who are perpetuating that bigotry follow the rules. So based on this illogical conclusion, why wouldn’t i just show my true hateful colors and follow the rules?
Just because you don’t understand someone doesn’t make them a secret spy from Stormfront. LOL.
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@Sam
Appreciate the feedback brotha. The main point that i wanna get across to us as black people, is that, hollywood and the music industry use black urban culture to sell product to the masses on a large scale. This is where shows such as “Flavor of Love” come to the forefront. It doesn’t matter how dysfunctional the program is, whites and others want a piece of “Black Cool” however they can get it. Sports, hip-hop, r&b, jazz, theater, etc. Other races can’t push product and swagger the way we can. Hip-Hop sold it’s soul to the devil when white kids in the burbs jumped on the bandwagon, and the genre hasn’t been the same since. Blackmen in hip-hop can promote crime, violence, and hatred of blackwomen as much as they want, as long as the music has a dope beat to it. That’s all the suits and madison avenue care about when it’s all said and done. They don’t care about the deadly consequences of the lyrics that are projected onto young black people on this planet, Don’t Care! As i’ve said before, media is about selling product and making money for the networks, local-stations, and studios…Bottomline!
Tyrone
Black Eros
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I agree with you. Why is it that black never attempt to slap on the same stereotypes that other people slap on them, despite blacks being aware of the stereotypes. Could it be that, Asians, along with other non-whites see black people from white lens, and while they learn to “normalize” white people, they also learn to stereotype/ “abnormalize” black people.
There’s a phrase I always use. As black people, our stereotypes precede us.
I’ve never understood why supposedly highly intelligent people would have such difficulty in (at the very least) questioning the validity of the images and concepts being offered to them.
Either these people aren’t as bright as they are stereotyped as being, or they are so eagerly swallowing the stereotypes being fed to them by the media because to do so fits their purposes.
I have spent little time in the company of East Asian, and despite being exposed to East Asian stereotypes, I’ve always managed to regard East Asian as the fully fleshed out, multifaceted individuals they are, as opposed to viewing them as little more than walking/talking stereotypes.
Living half way around the globe and/or in an area where there are few if any Blacks really doesn’t cut it as a rational excuse for embracing anti-Black propaganda.
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@ Randy,
One more thing i would say to you:
I identify with Black people. I believe in the struggle. I believe in their words, their histories and their stories. I respect them and the truth that is told from their lips.
I passionately resent the prospect of inheriting a world that continues to be tarnished by the stupidity and bigotry that you and your brethren perpetuate. I think you are emotional/psychological/intellectual infants. And i’ve had enough of you. As i think others have.
This is why i post with might. Because i mean every word.
Why don’t you go take a nap?
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@JT
An important point that other races need to stay mindful of, they can’t tell black people how to feel and think about race. Can others have opinions of their own as it relates to black people, Of Course! But, black folk are not obligated to adhere to what others say, regardless of who they are. This is the insanity of viewing the world thru rose colored glasses, the truth is sacrificed for the sake of racial harmony, which is elusive at best. Racial conflict exist on the planet because human beings don’t know when to stop. Stop the foolishness to be exact. “Those who are not black, have a problem with black people, and black people have a problem with themselves.” Who is the source of this very profound quote? Min. Louis Farrakhan is the source. I used to listen to Farrakhan on AM-Radio when i was in middle and high school. It speaks for itself, there is no confusion or misunderstanding in the meaning.
Tyrone
Black Eros
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@JT
An important point that other races need to stay mindful of, they can’t tell black people how to feel and think about race. Can others have opinions of their own as it relates to black people, Of Course! But, black folk are not obligated to adhere to what others say, regardless of who they are.
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@ Tyrone,
i hear you. I am not sure if you are suggesting that I am trying to tell people how to feel or think or if you are speaking more generally. The only time when i think i crossed that line into telling people what to do was when i first started posting here and i suggested the writing of a 99-point style manifesto to the end of racism. I still think it is a good idea but clearly noone else did so i didn’t push on the subject.
I agree with the principle. Non-Blacks can not teach Blacks about something they don’t know. That’s like asking me to teach someone who speaks Vietnamese, Vietnamese. I can’t do that. All i can do is learn from them and build on that knowledge.
In this case i see it as taking action as a Non-Black in support of Blacks. =D
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@JT
Thanks for the feedback, no disrespect intended. I want those who are not black to understand that black people deal with the issue of race in different ways. All of us are striving for the same goal, respect for black people and culture. It’s not about being head over heels in love with us, it’s about mutual respect at the end of the day. I’m more conservative when it comes to blackness, others are more liberal. This is what separates me from others on this blog. I want to conserve and maintain the foundation of our race, while others aim to be more inclusive. There are pros and cons to both mindsets. JT, at this point and time, black folk have to be introverted to deal with the myriad of issues that affect us at this time. It’s no dis to you, but we have to take care of home first before we can deal with others. I don’t convey this point as much as i should, but this is where my head is at right now. Again, appreciate the dialogue my man.
Tyrone
Black Eros
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[…] Another blog I read is doing (yet another) topic about how Hollywood sterotypes play into the racist opinions and judgements that people have of one another; as expected, the usual gang of idiotic trolls has spread their collective feculence in the comments section and justified their inane, insane ‘reasonings’. Here’s the link: https://abagond.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/do-hollywood-stereotypes-of-blacks-matter/ […]
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The sterotyping in films towards people of color (not just blacks) tends to be a bit harsh, and Hollywood knows this. In my opinion this is just a way of keeping hate/racism going. It’s just feeding the fire! Then when these movies go overseas to countries like Korea or France or Japan, the viewers get an unrealistic and false interpretation of us blacks and asians.
Hollywood repeatedly plays up the sterotype that blacks are dark, uneducated and troublemakers and that asians are really smart or can’t get a girfriend or can’t speak English with or without an accent (I have friends in Japan who speak English without an accent and they’re native Japanese! it comes from studying abroad here in the US). They even downplay the interacial couples here in America. The only time you see a black and asian couple or a black and latino couple is if a black film producer writes the script!
It is the year 2012, we should not still have sterotyping/racist views in America. This is a melting pot of different cultures, so why don’t our movies reflect that?
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Guys read this Blog
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t649698/
anti-white advertising.
IT’S REALLY REVOLTING!!!!!!!
hThe advertisement that you show in your post is typical of Obama-regime advertising. I see far more blacks as the main actors in advertisements. Though that is not good for our children to see, there is one way in which I think this can be good for the White Nationalist cause but I will not discuss it here. Television, like other communication, is only a tool that can be used on the unaware.
10-18-2009, 11:38 AM #3
allkesh
Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: The Commonwealth of Virginia
Posts: 1,051
Re: More anti-white advertising.
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The city I live in is 46% white and the advertising always have black people in it. Black faces on everything from ads at the Exxon to coupons from Pizza Hut. Even the clothing tags at Walmart are black. I guess they call that white privilege in areas where whites are the clear majority. I can’t wait to move!
10-18-2009, 01:15 PM #4
RiderOnTheStorm
“Friend of Stormfront”
Sustaining Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Iowa, USA
Posts: 1,965
Re: More anti-white advertising.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacDhomhnuill
The advertisement that you show in your post is typical of Obama-regime advertising. I see far more blacks as the main actors in advertisements. Though that is not good for our children to see, there is one way in which I think this can be good for the White Nationalist cause but I will not discuss it here. Television, like other communication, is only a tool that can be used on the unaware.
You comments are right on the money, I think I understand how it can be good for us. I’m certain that race has been brought to the attention of many blissfully ignorant whites, thanks to Obama and friends.
10-18-2009, 02:23 PM #5
FunktionMann
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Rosco, GA
Posts: 706
Re: More anti-white advertising.
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The latest ad I have seen for Levis looks like a Pedocrombie & Filth ad and even shows a white slut kissing a black thug. I will not be buying any more of America’s oldest jeans. Time for ALL White Americans to vote with their wallets and boycott ALL of these sellouts.
FM
10-18-2009, 10:20 PM #6
NationalCrusader14
Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Florida, United States
Posts: 5,460
Re: More anti-white advertising.
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It doesn’t surprise me. Very observant.
10-18-2009, 10:43 PM #7
Stotan
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: east coast of North Carolina
Posts: 7
Re: More anti-white advertising.
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How about this one –the commercials for the home burglary alarm they keep running on television—the criminals breaking in are —surprise–always white.
10-19-2009, 02:04 AM #8
RedHeadedChic
Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Western WA
Posts: 348
Re: More anti-white advertising.
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I too have noticed an upswing in this. Has anyone else noticed on a lot of TV shows now they have a black man playing the man in charge? For example, Fringe has the boss as a black man, so does Flash Forward. Ummm…I know there are more but I can’t think of any right now.
__________________
What is right is not always popular, what is popular is not always right.
I love my country, but I fear my government.
The New Activism, Our Ethics Part I, Part II, Part III
10-19-2009, 02:14 AM #9
White separatist
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Disneyland
Posts: 2,615
Re: More anti-white advertising.
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Lol this advertising is so blatant and stupid its actually funny. First they scribble out the face of the white guy in the far left writing “friends forever” implying they could only be friends with a white man. Then they demonize the white male on far right most likely because he was a racist, then put a big sloppy love heart around the negro. Leaving the two white females beside him untouched. Pathetic
10-19-2009, 09:42 AM #10
Eyes Wide Open
White Rabbit
“Friend of Stormfront”
Sustaining Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The Southern Rabbit Patch
Posts: 645
Re: More anti-white advertising.
——————————————————————————-13 or so % of the population, however probably 50% of the advertising and television population. The amusing thing about it however, is that it’s failing. Television is one of the tools that they’re using, but it’s just not working. Check our Horus and follow the white rabbit. He can give you new insight into the media failures.
__________________
I Took The Red Pill
ttp://www.stormfront.org/forum/t649698/
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A friend of mine told me about what Italian Vogue is doing for black women; an entire section dedicated to black, it is called “V Black” I found it very interesting, i recommend you go check it out!!
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@ Bell,
Check out the documentary the “Color of Beauty”, there’s a part that explains why that Vogue issue is too little too late.
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[…] Black Stereotype […]
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Ace,
Thanks for recommending that documentary to me; this isn’t the first time I’m watching it, I have seen it over and over again from the very first time i saw it 3 years ago. Trust me it’s very heart breaking!
Renèe is a stunning model and i think she deserves to be one of the TOP models in the modelling industry.
My cousin has three girlfriends who are dazzlingly beautiful (much more than Renèe) they range from 186cm-190cm, incredibly beautiful, they look unreal; they can’t even walk on the street because they get bombarded with (great and polite) compliments yet they constantly receive the same response as Renèe.
They constantly hear from whites and other races telling them that indeed the F industry is unjust towards Black models and that they are the clear evidence, and i totally agree with them. So i understand what she was saying.
In 10.14.48 In the documentary, Renèe said:
“It’s them saying, let’s prove we’re not really racist, and do this, and then get everyone off our backs. And unfortunately it worked. Nobody’s complaining about it anymore, everyone’s saying, “Well, remember that one black issue we got.” Give me a break”.
I strongly agree with her, but I think better late than never. The F industry is fond of making 1 step forward and 20 steps backward!! They just enjoy doing it.
But honestly i think Franca Sozzani is definitely one of those trying to do something in her own little way for black models. Initially i was actually referring to the “V black section” on her website and not the Vogue Issue that didn’t even received the desired result.
Well, i don’t get bored anymore because I have finally found the answer to it all. Let’s take a car like Ferrari;1 ferrari car can compete with 100 non sportive and flashy cars but it’s not intimidated, favoured, it doesn’t need publicity, it doesn’t need any privilege being bestowed upon it, in conclusion it’s not afraid to compete with others because it’s not insecure and it knows that it’s a prise car! But if Ferrari does the opposite, that would be a clear evidence of it’s insecurity and worthlessness! So i think other races like Black, Asian and Hispanic etc not being sufficient in the F industry is a result of White insecurity and low self-esteem. In fact when you see a REAL Black model (not the ones purposely chosen to portray what they think a non white beauty should be) i mean models like Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls, Jessica White, Oluchi, just to name a few.
Models like these transcend among 100 000 White models, so you can imagine what would happen putting10 Black models like the ones i mentioned and 10 White models together on a Campaign, catwalk etc.The difference is that the B models are incredibly beautiful and they all varies from one another but theirs look like dead ringer (clone), apart from their different hair and eye colours, which is not even exclusive because it applies to Black as well. They know that and they are trying to avoid it by excusing their wrongful conduct by saying ” oh well you know, there are very few beautiful black women, they’re very rare you know, but you have lots of beautiful white women”, forgetting to add “It’s normal because our race is the vast majority and theirs is the minority”. I no longer feel upset over it, instead i commiserate them. I also understand that it’s a way of chucking out their insecurities and low self esteem.
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TV does not influence no one, it’s the other way around. IT’s society which influence tv, or else racism would have been erase a long time ago. Most songs on the radio are about love, looking for love, sex, or partying, yet the world is still violent.
As society changes, the tv changes, which is why now you see more Asian women and White men as a couple, yet you can’t find a Black and White who are just friends.
That’s not tv influencing, it’s society.
Society still hates Blacks… period, especially Black women….
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As far as the thug idiots/rappers, well sadly it’s an epidemic among Blacks. It’s like they are doing what is considered opposite of White. Wearing pants that don’t fit, their azz out, fug up hairstyle/uncombed/dirty, can’t speak properly, and it goes on and on…
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TV does not influence no one, it’s the other way around. IT’s society which influence tv, or else racism would have been erase a long time ago. Most songs on the radio are about love, looking for love, sex, or partying, yet the world is still violent.
As society changes, the tv changes, which is why now you see more Asian women and White men as a couple, yet you can’t find a Black and White who are just friends.
That’s not tv influencing, it’s society.
Society still hates Blacks… period, especially Black women….
No, the media is used to foment isms and schisms among the masses and television and Hollywood are viable forms of mind-control and this is why black people in particular women are rendered “invisible” by these forms of media. If Black women are represented onscreen they are usually represented by “bi-racial” actresses as the suggestion is that “bi-racial” black women are “better” and more attrative than regular black women just as the social suggestion is being placed in films with Black men being paired with white women in all popular media so society finds this acceptable and follows suit.
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@Anomymous
I think it actually works both ways; society influences TV, which in turn influences society.
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Nope they don’t matter because stereotypes aren’t true; but a big black woman can sing her butt off.
🙂
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