The 20 Oscar nominees for the top acting awards are all White – for the second year in a row. #OscarsSoWhite, as Twitter puts it. On January 14th 2016, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences announced the nominees for the Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, considered the top film awards in the US.
By the numbers: % non-Hispanic White:
- 54% US ticket buyers (2015),
- 56% US in 2030 (projected),
- 60% US in 2020 (projected)
- 64% US in 2010,
- 69% US in 2000,
- 74% cast of Hollywood films (2013, the 100 top grossing films),
- 76% US in 1990,
- 80% US in 1980,
- 84% US in 1970,
- 85% US in 1960,
- 88% US in 1950,
- 93% Best Actor winners (1927-2012),
- 94% the Academy (2016),
- 99% Best Actress winners (1927-2012).
The Academy has 6,261 members. By race (in 2014):
- 94% White,
- 2% Black,
- < 2% Latino,
- < 1% Asian and Native.
Hollywood films are Whiter than the US. Demographically, they look like the US from the 1990s, while film-goers look like the 2030s – and the Academy looks like the 1950s (and that is being generous). In fact, the average Academy voter was born in the early 1950s.
Even if you take into account how White Hollywood films are, the odds that the 20 nominees would be all White two years in a row by mere chance is 1 in 170,110. To put that another way, there is a 99.9994% chance that racism at some level has something to do with it.
And it gets worse: There were two films last year with Black lead characters and Black directors that not only made over $100 million but were well-received by film critics: “Creed” and “Straight Outta Compton”. They did receive nominations, but they all went to Whites: to Sylvester Stallone for “Creed” and the two screenwriters of “Straight Outta Compton”.
Jada Pinkett Smith is calling for a boycott of the awards show, February 28th. Spike Lee will not be going either. Unfortunately, they can be seen as sore losers: Spike Lee and Will Smith (Jada’s husband) were both passed over.
Last year’s show had the lowest ratings in six years.
Chris Rock is this year’s host. Tyrese is urging him to walk away. If he does not, he will have to say something about it in his opening monologue. Already he is calling it the White BET Awards.
What I would love to see: instead of an opening monologue, Chris Rock reads a short statement urging every decent person to walk out of an event so clearly racist – and then walks out.
Even when Blacks do win an Oscar, it is often for playing degrading or stereotyped parts, like servants, slaves, welfare queens and singers. It does not even seem to help them find work. Lou Gossett Jr, who won an Oscar in 1982, said:
“Now, when my contemporaries won the Academy Award, their careers went crazy. I didn’t get a phone call for a year and a half for a job.”
Jada Pinkett Smith:
“Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power. And we are a dignified people, and we are powerful. So let’s let the Academy do them, with all grace and love. And let’s do us, differently.”
April Reign, who created #OscarsSoWhite:
“If you are concerned … don’t watch”
Thanks to King for suggesting this post.
– Abagond, 2016.
Updated (February 26th 2017): Tonight are the Oscars for 2017. Unlike the last two years, plenty of Blacks have been nominated:
- Best Actor: Denzel Washington for “Fences”
- Best Actress: Ruth Negga in “Loving”
- Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight”
- Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris in “Moonlight”
- Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer in “Hidden Figures”
- Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis in “Fences”
and in non-acting categories:
- Best Director: Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight”
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight”
- Best Film Editing: Joi McMillon for “Moonlight”
- Best Documentary Feature: Ava DuVernay for “13th”
- Best Documentary Feature: Roger Ross Williams for “Life, Animated”
- Best Documentary Feature: Raoul Peck, Hébert Peck and Rémi Grellety for “I Am Not Your Negro.”
- Best Cinematography: Bradford Young for “Arrival”
Best of luck!
Sources: Mainly NPR, Washington Post, LA Times, Indiewire, World News Today, “The Black List” (2008) by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Elvis Mitchell.
See also:
- Hollywood
- structural racism
- racial decade
- Will Smith: America is not a racist nation
547
On this blog we can call the event “Straight outta Mirkwood”.
“Meanwhile, voters in the Academy serve for life and therefore are mostly old. In 2014, half were born before 1951.”
Their the Supreme Court of Film.
I can’t remember the last time I watched the Oscars. It’s not my thing.
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Thanks for doing this post Abagond.
Today, the battle lines were drawn within Black Hollywood. Jada Pinkett-Smith’s call to boycott the Oscars was met with resistance from a long time enemy of the Smith’s—Aunt Vivian (Janet Hubert) from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
This was the best I could do to find Jada’s original call for boycott. Maybe there is a less edited version somewhere but I couldn’t find it off the bat.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9GqeY5XjWE)
Here was Janet Hubert’s reply to Jada Pinkett-Smith
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9eY-kKXBnQ)
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I wish some one would tell all of the so ” prominent blacks ” in Hollywood to practice some self determination by pooling their resources to create and build their
own dam Hollywood . Stop begging for affection and acceptance from people who do not care at all about you . Use your success and get off of their Plantation . It is the only way to get respect . Forty Acres And A Mule . Think about it .
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I would love to see the day when black people say, “F the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Golden Globes”, and stop begging white people (and white institutions) to validate our worth, our talent and our humanity and start doing it ourselves.
It’s like the unpopular kids who keep begging the popular kids to accept them without understanding it is their begging that gives the popular kids their power over the unpopular kids
At this late date there is no God earthly reason why black people should be surprised or shocked or dismayed or upset by our exclusion or unjust treatment in a white supremacy society.
and there is no sensible reason to continue begging for crumbs of recognition that we will NEVER get — except for the most degrading roles imaginable.
Where is our self-respect and common sense?
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Trojan Pam wrote:
.
GOOD QUESTION!
Our “self-respect and common sense” are in the same place our self-love is,,, and until we decide to find self-love, and use it, nothing is going to change for the better!
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@ Fan …
I agree. And we will NEVER experience it until we get off the white tit of validation,
One place to begin is to stop putting ANY value on awards from an industry that rewards black entertainers for degrading us.
In fact, any time black people get an “award” we should be suspicious of what it really signifies, be it an Oscar, or a Pulitzer, or a big fancy political title.
it usually means black people will be harmed in some way and is usually a sign that a major deception is taking place,
Do we not know by now who we are dealing with???
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Business as usual in Hollywhite.
I don’t support Hollywhite by paying to watch movies in the theaters or buy DVD/Blu-ray movies. I am calling for all of you to do the same.
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Note:
michaeljonbarker quoted the post as:
I have since changed that paragraph to read:
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As a Black female screenwriter, I have always been concerned about the lack of minority representation in Hollywood, which is overtly Jewish and so White washed (like People magazine, among others) that it’s a miracle there are ever any films about any people of color. I have never watched the Oscars and never will, nor any other award show because Whites are going to put their people first. Blacks should not bother attending those shows, and if any show their Uncle Tom faces at this year’s, they ought to be (excuse the pun) Black listed.
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@Mirkwood
My apologies for you using you as part of a joke. The truth is most of Hollywood is Liberal and Progessive like yourself yet here they are with their own little white club. The irony !!!
I thought it was funny but apparently nobody else did. If Abagond could delete my comments I’m ok with that. They don’t really add to topic at hand.
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Bear in mind….
This is not simply about BLACK exclusion or hatred of “Blacks”
This is about total non-White exclusion. Every single nominee this year (and last) is Lilly White. No Asians, no Latinos, no Polynesians, no Native Americans, no Indians, etc.
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I’ve worked at the Disney ‘campus’ in Burbank and it’s real diverse and young.
If you drive by a shoot in L.A. it’s similarly diverse. Maybe Hollywood’s idea of diversity is the help.
It seems those at the top of the industry are white and have their own narcistic club. One thing Abagonds post pointed out was that movie goers are far less white then those that make, fund and choose who the best performers and directors are. Thats a big disconnect and if a boycott materialized I think calling out the industries hypocrisy and racism would be a good thing.
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“I thought it was funny but apparently nobody else did.”
@MJB
Don’t misinterpret the silence.
Not only was it funny, it was an apt description…
(As far as I’m concerned, Mirkwood is always the joke!)
“Straight outta Mirkwood”.
Hollywood/Mirkwood … not much difference between the two, except Hollywood may not be as clueless as Mirkwood – but even that’s up for debate as they’re both similarly hopeless/obtuse.
@Sondis
I agree with you.. we have no business supporting ANY businesses that mistreats/disrespects/marginalizes Black people. It is never in our interest to support ANYONE who does not support us.
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I haven’t watched the Oscars in decades. It’s a Hollywood popularity contest, keeping in mind that Hollywood is populated with narcissistic assholes. Basically: “Who is the most popular narcissistic asshole this year?” I think the last time I let myself care even a little bit was the bitterness I felt when the Academy awarded Best Documentary to “Bowling for Columbine”, which is a polemic, not a documentary, and a shitty polemic at that, over some excellent competitors such as “Spellbound”. That was a moment of folly after not paying attention to the Oscars for many years but allowing myself to be duped into wasting five minutes because of my interest in documentary film. Really. Governor Snyder of Michigan poisoned an entire city and appears to be getting away with it. Trump/Palin has a realistic shot at being elected in 2016. Europe has no idea what to do about Syrian men sexually assaulting European women. North Korea is blowing up Nukes. China is taking a breather from the world economy. The Fed has kept interest at basically 0% for years. And people are wringing their hands about a little golden statue? There hasn’t been a good movie since maybe “Chinatown” or “She’s Gotta Have It!”.
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I think I have 2 points I want to make:
Why don’t we just make our own Hollywood? I half agree with this. But bear in mind that we have a similar example of this in Bollywood (Indian Hollywood). The difference is that there is quite a difference in population and therefore economy.
India: 1,267,401,849
Black America: 42,000,000
And even with that, Bollywood’s total budget and total market is a small fraction of what Hollywood has. Therefore, for instance, a Black American Hollywood (Movie Motown) would be a dramatically smaller industry even than Bollywood. Which means that production values would be much much lower than we are used to seeing.
Not to say that we couldn’t make a certain type of film. But there would be many kinds of films that could not be well made with such dramatically smaller budgets.
Besides, Hollywood has been a MAJOR vehicle used to spread White supremacy around the globe. I am not comfortable simply allowing that to continue by taking out ball and playing just in our own back yard. Having outspoken minorities within Hollywood is why Hollywood can no longer get away with making the kind of films they used to make in the 1940’s. To me, it is important to have a seat at that table. Hollywood should be held accountable to at least try and undo some of the damage that they have caused spreading harmful stereotypes around the world.
However, I think that successful minority actors, producers, directors and writers can help by pooling their resources within Hollywood to give opportunities to up-and-coming minority filmmakers. There should be more independent ethnic minority films made. But they need to made at a level and on a platform where the visions of how minorities see themselves can become as ubiquitous worldwide as all the Hollywood propaganda that preceded it.
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Second point.
We should not see this simply as a battle for more Black Oscars. This is really just another revelation of how Liberalism really works. I mean, is their ANYONE more sanctimonious about diversity than Hollywood? Yet
The Academy has 6,261 members. By race (in 2014):
94% White,
2% Black,
2% Latino,
1% Asian and Native.
Which just goes to prove that harping on “The evil Republicans” is not the answer! (I’m looking at YOU, Mirkwood) The “Progressives” are no more interested in “progress” than anyone else. They like to TALK about it, but how could they possible be serious about diversity when their own most Liberal institutions have not only besmirched the name of minority groups all over the globe, but have also managed to keep in place a power structure that is more White than Donald Sterling’s front office???
A pox on both their houses!
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DO ARE OWN THING OR IS IT NOT DO ABLE BECAUSE……………. THE HIDDEN HAND ?
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I do boycott makes sense but I don’t think anyone in charge gives a f.ck. In fact, I think they are kind of happy if they could spin that into: “black people choose not to participate, blah blah blah”. I think it would be more effective if white people start boycotting Oscars or at least speaking about this. Like, if those who win this year refuse their Oscars and make a public statement about it. Not that it would help on its own but I think it would hurt Academy more.
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Also,it would be good to make the Academy members more diverse. Old white men voting = situation that we have here.
Not that I think Oscars are important per se but they are still considered important (in practical sense, not just as an award).
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I confess, I’m pleased as PUNCH that no blacks were nominated for Oscars. .
It is just one more wake-up call for blacks (how many do we need?) that white society is going BACK to business as usual and that it is time to REDEFINE what “black progress” is.
Is it white people constantly calling all the shots, and giving the money and prizes and judging when we are worthy of recognition (or a job or justice)? Is that black progress? How is that “black progress?”
The Oscars are bigger than a few nominations and crackpot fake gold statues, it is a reflection of the white supremacy politics of exclusion and control that can be seen in economics, education, war, and politics. They decide whether black schools close and the quality of education they provide. They decide whether a white policeman can commit murder and get away with it.
They even decide that a black person with a white parent is more deserving of a movie role or TV commercial or a job than a black person with two black parents. Haven’t you noticed the trend of casting mainly biracial people as the new and improved “blacks?” to the exclusion of brown and dark skinned black people?.
I hope this isn’t off topic, but my desperate hope is that black people will take off the blinders, crank up the craniums, stop buying into the lie of “black progress” via “white validation” and start REDEFINING what real black progress represents to US
What I would like to see is our children watching black people GET and GIVE awards for excellence in entrepreneurial endeavors, for opening new black schools and new black-owned businesses and creating new inventions and making new scientific discoveries
The system will try to derail and distract us from the developing the REAL skills that any people need for survival and progress by hyping some BS multi-million dollar deal some black athlete with little or no education signed to make overpriced headphones and sneakers,
Maybe, we’ll have reached a point where we’ll say
F the Oscars, Grammys, and Golden Globes. We’ve got real black businesses and and thriving black schools and prosperous black communities and real policing (that we do ourselves) and solid families and children who are loved and protected and nurtured who would never think “Empire” or “Scandal” or “Straight Outta Compton” or “The Butler” was a true representation of who black people are
(sorry about the long post)
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How does boycotting a people or institution that doesn’t give a s**t about you work?
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While the Oscrs don’t interest me particularly, the racism in television/movies has always baffled me. I don’t get the ratonale of these white movie prodicers. Even if I were an open racist I would try to profit of the obvious demand for non-white actors.
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Hahaha hahaha American blacks are so lame! You guys talk about being dignified and not begging, yet you want the Academy to give you all a pat on the head. And for what? The N. W. A. movie. The Findem Fuckem Flee guys. The beat up Michelle and Dee Barnes guys. Pathetic. You think you can start your own show maybe. Oh that’s right. Too hard. Have to get sponsorship and ads and all that. And you all can’t be bothered with that.
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Findem Fuckem Flee guys. The beat up Michelle and Dee Barnes guys. Pathetic. You think you can start your own show maybe. Oh that’s right. Too hard. Have to get sponsorship and ads and all that. And you all can’t be bothered with that.
Who is Findem Fuckem Flee?
@Mirkwood
ts the Confederates’ fault!
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@kartoffel
“Even if I were an open racist I would try to profit of the obvious demand for non-white actors.”
You should also see the discussion on ttps://abagond.wordpress.com/2015/11/14/hollywood-whitewashing/#comments
where a commenter suggests the whitewashing of historical events in Hollywood films is all about capitalism.
But if such a growing non-white American demographic feels left out, and if there’s real demand for diversity as you say, then what’s the business rationale for the disproportionately white Hollywood film industry?
@satanforce
FYI, “American blacks” have awards shows, movie studios, etc.
@Ben Munday
It works by refusing to pay to see the Hollywood films being produced. African Americans have over a trillion dollars in annual purchasing power and disproportionately spend money on movies. If most of them boycott, Hollywood studios would take a noticeable financial hit.
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Blanc2 said:
Lord of Mirkwood said:
Interesting how commenters who seem to be White liberals play down a clear-cut case White liberal racism.
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IMHO You have to look as Hollywood not as simple “entertainment.” That limited description is aimed only at fools. You have to look at it as ‘Propaganda,’ like the American version of Pravda. Hollywood is now, and has always been, about putting ideas into people’s heads.
Hollywood is also not geared only at America. They have been making most of their profits in international markets now for years. They aim messages at the world, not just the Americas. Hollywood is not ONLY about money. It has to make money overall of course, but they will spend money to send certain messages that they feel are important.
Taken in that light, what Hollywood does and who Hollywood promotes becomes more important on the world stage.
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Like I said, it’s the confederates’ fault! Dirty Rebs!
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@ Lord of Mirkwood @ Blanc2
To pick up on what King just said, Hollywood, like or not, shapes how people see the world and therefore affects people’s lives. It helps the US to be comfortable with drone attacks on defenceless civilians and CIA torture. And for people of colour, it shapes the racism of Whites and their own internalized racism. People of colour are both under represented and MIS-represented by Hollywood.
Tons of White people seem to get much of their picture of Black people from Hollywood, from the US entertainment industry. So Black men, for example, are seen as criminal and dangerous even when they are not, so they are stopped by police for no reason, killed for no reason, or not hired for no reason. It has real-world effects. It shapes government policy and law. It is not the ONLY thing, but it is certainly part of it, a part that is easier to hold to account because it is so public.
The Oscars are a pressure point where Blacks in particular, and people of colour more generally, can make themselves heard. The Academy gets most of its money from the awards shows. And Hollywood is dependent on non-White dollars, more so than most industries.
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This is a reply I gave to my American cousin on his Facebook. He had posted an article alluding to this proposed boycott a couple of days ago.:
I have no sympathy for this cause. Instead of pandering to white acceptance, they should be creating a black ‘Hollywood’ where they have control over the movies put out from inception to its fruition. With all the literature out there, there are plenty of stories regardless of the genre to draw upon.
I see there are several who have similar views. The money they spend going to movies and probably to dinner afterward, would be better pooled to effect this. Besides, the Oscars are one big snooze fest!
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Abagond wrote:
I’m not sure but since long I got a different impression about how American films represent American society. But maybe I’m wrong, or I’m not recollecting correctly my past impressions, or I’m confusing TV series with films, or… maybe this impression is correct and reflects the sample of movies that come to my corner of the planet Earth. I’m not speaking about the awards per si but about the representation of Black Americans in the films produced in the USA.
For some reason many people outside of the USA think that there are many Blacks in that country. They see them well or over-represented in many important sports, they see them in the news for different reasons – for example soldiers in mission -, they see them also in big hit movies and TV series.
Some people even think that Blacks are the majority population in the USA. And command a lot of authority in that society!
If this is not mainly because of Hollywood I don’t know what can be the reason.
Black police chiefs, military commanders, etc are or seem to be something people notice oft and do not forget easily after seeing them in American films!
Is not Black one of the main characters in the last episode of the Star Wars saga, Star Wars: the Force Awakens?
Is Vin Diesel, form the The Chronicles of Riddick trilogy not a Black American?
Or is the presence of Blacks in main roles in the TV series NCIS: Los Angeles and Hawaii Five-0 not balanced enough taking in account the present demographic structure of the country?
In fact when I discuss American films with friends one of our recurrent complain is not relative to them but relative to Brazilian soap operas that are also common here. American films and TV series show always (or almost always) Black Americans, and, in most cases, in positive roles. On the other hand, Brazilian soap operas show very few Blacks and almost always in insignificant or degrading roles (bandits, domestic workers, etc) or, at best, as heroes of times of slavery at that country.
But I’m aware that these are only impressions. Anyway I present them to remember you that America’s image abroad is very positive as a powerful, democratic and fair country despite what the “real” reality is in the ground!
There are some reasons why many people outside the USA love this country! And it’s not only because of the standard of living there…
P.S.:
One question for everybody:
Should films show the social reality of a country as it is without making things appear prettier than they are in reality? Or should they project an image of what that society dreams for itself in a hopefully better future?
I always got the impression that American films present things prettier than in reality. On the opposite, Brazilian soap operas present things as ugly as they are.
I don’t know what model is better, what impacts better the respective society!
Food for thought…
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Agabond, I completely understand your point and agree. By the way I’m not liberal. But I digress. Yes, Americans allow their values to be informed and shaped by Hollywood, and McDonalds, and the NFL, etc. Pop entertainment. It’s disgusting and pathetic at so many levels. Hollywood is deeply racist. You got no argument from me there. It is also deeply sexist. “The Revenant” features two women, who have no conversation at all. One is killed and one is raped, then killed. It’s up for awards, which only goes to show that Hollywood thinks Americans celebrate the opportunity to pay to see pretend women get pretend raped (as opposed to some cultures that watch, free of charge, real women get really raped). It is deeply flawed in many other ways as well. The Oscars is Hollywood’s grand cluster-f&ck, where it gets to pat itself on the back about being so creative, when in reality it is merely one big advertising agency. It’s not merely racism in Hollywood that I deplore. It is all of Hollywood. I think everybody should boycott them, every year.
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@Herneith
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxc-YEgCINg)
It is rather interesting how some blacks are willing to support their own degradation, so long as they get a pat on the head from Massa.
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@ Satanforce
Comment deleted for use of a slur.
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I don’t support Hollywood. I don’t support black actors and actress accepted the crumb roles as maids, bulters and another unimportant roles.I rather for them to take their talent to Nollywood or Ghallywood than become another cinema slave.
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Mirkwood,
Besides being blind to your own part in white supremecy you are also blind when it comes to racsim practiced by white liberals. So you want to talk about health care and neo confederates.
What about Will Smith and his performance in “Concussion” ? That was an Oscar worthy performance and he got snubbed. What about Duane Howard the Native American actor who played the powerful role of Elk Dog in the Revenant ? The Revenant has been all about Leonardo DiCaprio and the “work” he had to put into that role.
The Oscars is an exclusive white club that views itself as “good” and “tolerant” and think they enlighten the planet. The degrees of separation from them and common people is so great that they delude themselves. The Oscars is as much a part of white supremecy as is CNN. It’s all part of the same club.
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Jada P. Smith needs to have a whole theater full of seats. She is just mad because Will didn’t get recognized this year. That horrible accent he was trying to pull off as the African physician. She is such a hypocrite, She and husband are black when it’s convenient for them. I love the YouTube video actress Janet Huber did reading the Smiths for filth, old Aunt Vivian was salty but she told the truth about Jada and Will.
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A black woman is President of The Academy Awards and it’s still a racist piece of garbage. I certainly won’t be watching. Especially after snubbing Idris Alba for his dynamic performance. Oscar can kick rocks.
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Why do we black people expect validation from white orgs? Like come on, stop buying into the inclusive egalitarian fiction & you wont be let down.
Why do we act like we don’t know what this is? A white system. Otherwise in 2016 we wouldn’t still be going “the first black so and so!” We can try to make our own again, but I think many Africans brains are too warped from white jesus/sky daddy delusion and self hate as a result of us being degraded over hundreds of years. However even in the 1920 African Americans did it, even though it was destroyed by white America.They have to try again..
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Everytime I watch the BET Awards, I am filled with an abundance of pride for the black race. And no cares about Spike Lee, though Tyler Perry and the Empire, ahem, Guy, do cause a welling up of pride in me from the bottom of my heart.
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No. Thats not it. The only black people lets through are wierdoes with sensational stories like Dango Unchained, Precious, The Wire, and other such poverty and race porn. Now even those sell-outs are getting barred. People outside America arent dummies, we know the fucking score. My class went to see Amistad, because we know what is real and what is not.
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@Mirkwood
We both play a part in white supremecy. The difference is I own up to it and you pretend it doesn’t exist.
@Mary
I haven’t seen Concussion but read somewhere that Will had been snubbed. As far as his “crappy African accent” what does that mean exactly. The African continent is huge and many languages spoken. I’m not sure you can point to an athentic “African accent”.
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@LOM
You seem to be uninterested in the main assertion of Abagond’s post. You’ve outright asked why people are bothering to discuss it and even posted a link to a post of yours that trivializes the desire for more balanced representation.
I’m curious, are you uninterested because you actually don’t agree with the title of the post, “All-White Ocsars”? Do you look at that group and see something more diverse and therefore you don’t get what all the fuss is about?
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LOM… I am more scare of white people like you than neo-Nazi. You are a white supremacist with smiley face
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satanforce wrote:
“Hahaha hahaha American blacks are so lame! You guys talk about being dignified and not begging, yet you want the Academy to give you all a pat on the head. And for what? The N. W. A. movie.”
Hahaha hahaha, my devilish friend, why don’t you put Jamaica on the map by starting a Jamaican film industry that matters? “Oh that’s right. Too hard. Have to get sponsorship and ads and all that. And you all can’t be bothered with that.”
Jamaican blacks are so lame! See how your argument can be turned back against you?
No Blacks nominated, big deal! Will Smith couldn’t get his Last Pharaoh film made, Danny Glover had no better luck with his Toussaint Louverture film. Two major black stars can’t get films made about black people who didn’t occupy stereotypical roles.
How about getting in touch with Mellody Hobson, George Lucas’ wife? I’ve read that they are worth a cool $5.1 billion. Oh that’s right, they want to keep that money and increase it, so no financing of black themed films for them. Mrs. Lucas is black, for those who didn’t know that.
She isn’t the only “black” person who controls a decent amount of cash, Oprah, Maggie Betts, the daughter of Roland Betts, “Founder and President of Silver Screen Management, Inc., which raised more than $1 billion in four limited partnerships from 140,000 investors to finance and produce over 75 films with the Walt Disney Company. Films include Beauty and the Beast, Pretty Woman, The Little Mermaid, and Three Men and a Baby.” And others seat on tons of cash.
Satanforce notwithstanding, some blacks in America are quite privileged and wealthy, and could do something if they deemed it worthwhile.
The thing that annoys me about posts such as this is the tendency to depict all black people as powerless victims.
I’ve mocked Lordy’s lame class analysis on more than one occasion here, but class explains far more than the race angle does.
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No. You have missed the point completely. Jamaica doesn’t need to be “on the map” because we have nothing to prove to anyone. Blacks want to be accepted by the Oscars because they consider White institutions and values an objective, natural standard to which to aspire. No thought is put into why those standards are worthy of aspiration.
Putting “Jamaica on the map ” is no reason to start a film industry. However, if the problem is shifted to Industrialization in general, then the focus should shift to funding from blacks on an international scale. Similar to Amistad, I am sure people would see L’Overtute’s biography end masse.
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(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXXzVdXVzyU)
Watch this video
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LOM.. White Liberalism is white supremacy with a smiley face
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Let’s all agree and do our own thang!
Boycott all that crap! Because its all..crap!
Black folks need their own…why has that not even happened?
We got one billionaire and some millionaires…..Bollywood didn’t have that much when it started…and they (Indians/Pakistanis) are doing things their way.
it is sick and sad to see we can’t see beyond Tyler Perry stuff. STOP begging for artistic table crumbs! Folks, THEY EMULATE US, THEN PAT THEMSELVES ON THE BACK FOR IT!
So, there are real black artists out there with much to say. No they don’t all look like Bey or that Riri girl without clothes. But they have beautiful voices and talent to share. We gotta love our own… and ourselves first.
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LOM.. I disagree. The real difference between the liberal and the conservative is that the conservative will control you by external mechanisms, the liberal will control you by internal mechanism. Both have an adverse reaction every time African agency lifts its head up.
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REMEMBER THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE! it wasn’t theirs and they could not control it! We told THEM what was beautiful and true from OUR perspectives.
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@Michael Jon Barker: I stand by my statement about Will Smith and his crappy attempt of a “Nigerian” accent. You have your opinion I have mine. Will Smith sucks in this movie.
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satanforce,
Blacks want to be accepted by the Oscars because they consider White institutions and values an objective, natural standard to which to aspire. No thought is put into why those standards are worthy of aspiration.
Linda says,
Satan, that’s a little harsh. We have our own thing in Jamaica because white’s are the minority, so in essence, we don’t cater to them because we don’t have to
black Americans are the minority in the USA, and they are left out by the dominant white culture because same thing, white America does not see the need to cater to them
I don’t blame them for wanting to be a part of a country and culture they helped to build
because the white American entertainment aggressively “appropriated” black American culture in order to build their “white Entertainment” industry – without pay or acknowledgement
example:
the Betty Boop persona was stolen from a black American actress, Esther Jones, and Betty Boop was a white cultural Icon in the 1930s
http://www.littlethings.com/real-betty-boop-baby-esther/
rock music began with black musicians in the south — white corporations stole/took songs that what they wanted, re-packaged it with white musicians,
and sold it to all of America and the world as their own creation – making millions and not sharing the wealth or giving credit where it was due
so black Americans should fight
I do have to side eye the messenger, Jada Pinkett Smith, though
because she and Will are fully immersed in white Hollywood, but decided now she wants to make a stand and she wants to drag other black artists into it, people who don’t have her clout or star power and cannot afford be excluded
but I guess, it has to start somewhere, with someone
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It was Will Smith who said the US is not a racist nation:
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Think of Hollywood as the world’s largest and most powerful Advertising Agency.Think of movies and T.V. shows as expensive, 2 -hour-long commercials.
Does it matter who is shown in these commercials, and in what light?
Or is it crazy to want to have some control over what get’s aired?… especially when the commercial is often about YOU!
Hollywood is broadcasting it’s own powerful commercials to the entire planet. Is trying to tape our own “commercials,” as best we can, really the best way to counter them? I understand the emotion behind it, but I still remain skeptical that this is the most effective strategy.
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@Abagond: Yes he did say that the Smiths are delusional and live in their Hollywood bubble. I don’t think they even know what regular black people go through trying to work and pay bills and struggling to make it day to day. That’s why I say Jada needs to sit down and shut up because up until now they were immersed in Hollywood culture. But because Will got snubbed she’s mad. If Will had been nominated she would have been quiet as a church mouse.
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I was watching Extra the Hollywood entertainment news show and Spike Lee said he didn’t call for a boycott. He said he and his wife would not be attending the ceremony. He said he never said boycott.
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You are quite correct of course, and I am being a bit harsh. But based on what I saw when I was in the States a few months back, will all have to choose at some point. In America, it will be, are we “black”, or are we “American?” A bit apocalyptic and pessimistic yes, but black all over the world will have to make that choice in one form or another.
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@Jacque
“THEY EMULATE US, THEN PAT THEMSELVES ON THE BACK FOR IT!”
So very true!
I also agree with your points about starting an African American owned film industry. A lot of Black folk in the Hollywood system (and in the general population) are deeply brainwashed into believing the White man’s ice is colder and his sugar sweeter. They can’t even envision doing anything for themselves no matter how much money and power they have. They think that begging for crumbs is the way to go (“…someday the good White folks will see how good, smart, talented and loyal we are and let us in…”). Hah!
Sometimes I think about how a Black owned and operated film industry could be an economic engine for the Black community nationwide. A Black film industry could provide family wage employment and opportunity to:
Black creatives: actors, musicians, directors, producers, set designers, costume and make-up craftspeople.
Black technicians: audio, sound and light specialists, camera and computer generation technicians.
Black-owned support firms: catering, cleaning and construction.
Black agents representing actors and (eventually) sports entertainers.
Black-owned insurance firms.
Black-owned credit unions, banks and investment firms.
I agree with your observation that such an industry could start small, using available technology and creating alternatives to current distribution channels.
The production values might not be as slick as Hollywood’s in the beginning. That could be improved over time. The most important thing is getting started and not allowing others to strangle the baby in the crib.
@munubantu
You put out the question:
“Should films show the social reality of a country as it is without making things appear prettier than they are in reality? Or should they project an image of what that society dreams for itself in a hopefully better future?”
I would love for a Black owned and operated film industry to do both/and. I would want to see Black films that show Black reality in a responsible and nuanced fashion that include consequences. I also think Black people need films that uplift and show future possibilities. There is room for both types of stories.
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re:
and re: Abagond’s
This is SO true. I have met thousands of people overseas who have never been the USA, yet feel that they know and understand it because of all the Hollywood TV and films they watch. They don’t understand what I mean when I tell them that much of it makes me uncomfortable as most of it does not seem like the USA to me at all. Or maybe what the USA must look like if you live in a white suburban bubble.
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You know, the problem of a white Hollywood and Hollywood white-washing is an excellent opportunity for different POC to collaborate on a shared interest. Then we could have 100-120 million people in the USA rally behind a cause. This issue doesn’t just affect blacks.
This issue has been here since the 1920s (and even before that, with the minstrel shows). But now there is a large enough force to make a real difference.
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No disrespect, but talking about boycotting the Oscars and how important it is to find a way in the white doors that have been nailed shut in our faces time and time and time and time and time again reminds me of something comedian Paul Mooney said:
The delusion of inclusion
we just won’t give up that tit of white validation because I guess we can’t imagine surviving without it (or white people and their awards and titles)
what a shame our confidence has been so terribly destroyed by the system of white supremacy that we still seek the attention and approval of the same people who oppress us
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@ Blanc2
Since many Hollywood movies get the bulk of their revenue from overseas distribution, boycotting by domestic POC might not have that much effect.
When I saw The Martian, I strongly felt that
– white people are on top; POC in the USA are few in number and have limited roles that support whites
– Americans are on top; they put the first colony on Mars and even the Chinese are subordinate to them.
If that is not a message, I don’t know what is. Hollywood is more about propaganda then just revenue.
The point is, simply boycotting is not enough. That has not worked well in the past and will not bring much change. They also need to spread their message overseas. A boycott of the Oscars *might* help a bit as the message would reach an international audience.
I support more independent filmmaking. The 120 million POC in the USA should be able to support an industry that depicts their point of view.
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Chris Rock must be under huge pressure right now.
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@ Mary.
Thanks for the back ground about the Smith family. Your earlier comments make better sense to me now. Yes I imagine he lives in a bubble. I saw a small clip of the movie and thought he played the part well, and his acting wasn’t like any Will Smith I had ever seen.
You disagree with my opinion and that’s fine. It wasn’t my intent to disrespect you.
The movie was well received and the movie reviews (from mostly white people) were strongly positive in regards to Will Smiths acting.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3322364/reviews?ref_=tt_ov_rt
The one recurring theme in the reviews suggested that his performance was Oscar worthy.
So the question remains does Will Smith still believe that “America is not a racist nation” or was this snub a quite nudge for him that he’s not really a member of the white club after all. That money and class can get you a lot but not necessarily an Oscar in a white dominated industry even when one might be deserved.
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@ abagond,
who said: “It was Will Smith who said the US is not a racist nation:”
—
which is exactly why I do not treat black entertainers (or whites ones) as people who are credible, reliable, admirable, or worthwhile. They work for the same institutions that control everything — politics, entertainment, economics, religion, employment, etc.
I think this fixation over entertainment and celebrities and rock star politicians is one of the reasons we can’t get much else accomplished on a collective scale.
Our focus is clearly wrong-headed when we worry more about an Oscar than we do about the LACK of sustainable black businesses or creating black educational institutions that we control
What kind of nation can you build with a people whose heroes are black comedians and entertainers and rappers and politicians (who don’t talk to us)?
How can we even think about a ‘black mega movie business” when we have great difficulty creating small black businesses in our communities that last longer than a year or two?
I don’t think we lack the talent or intelligence, but we do lack the skill to build sustainable businesses and we lack the will to collectively support them.
I think it’s due to our collective unwillingness and inability to think outside the box we’ve been imprisoned in for 500 years. We are still focused on what white people think about us and how they judge us. They are our entire world, our default, our standard, our eyes and ears, and hence, our ultimate salvation
that is why it is so easy to control and manipulate us. We have literally given away ALL our power to define and empower ourselves — then wonder why we are so powerless.
There is entirely too much focus on the wrong things. And part of locking black people out of the Oscars is a deliberate strategy of programming us to keep banging our heads against the steel door. “Let me in! Let me in!”
We’re on their chessboard, and we’re playing checkers and wonder why we keep losing
It’s their game, they make the rules and they change the rules at a whim if they think they might lose a few points
It’s time to get up from the table and walk away
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@michaeljonbaker: No offense taken I respect you as a commenter. The Smith family is annoying to me and Wil making foolish statements about the racism just make grind my teeth to powder. Then Jada all of a sudden wants to go in activist mode. (Rolls eyes).
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*Wil making fooling statements about racism just makes me grind my teeth to powder.*^^^^^
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Nina Simone had a great quote “You have to get up and leave the table when love is no longer being served.” In regards to the Oscars black folks need to get up and leave the table. But I don’t think the Academy Awards committee ever loved black folks. So black people just need to get up and leave the table and forget about The Academy Awards.
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@ Mary Burrell
I agree.
(that’s a great Nina Simone quote).
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Next year all the Tyler Perry movies will be nominated. LOL😀😩😉😡
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@ Kiwi
And as I have said above, this is not “a Black issue.”
It wasn’t like there were plenty of Latinos, Asians, and Middle Easterners nominated for their work either. There were no non-Whites nominated
And to me that makes this a struggle for ALL minorities. Yes, Blacks are often the most vocal about this sort of thing. But its really everybody’s fight.
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LOL! New York Post
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@Kiwi
Now I am speaking as a non African American black, but I prefer ”walking away and build up their own institutions” option. Our primary stumbling block as Blacks seems to be that waiting for white people to “repent” has us stuck in neutral…there is a possibility that white people as a collective may never repent…and we will be forced to go on our way despite the obstacle…kinda like we know that the air is polluted on some days…but do we stop breathing until the air clears?…no.
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@ Pumpkin
For the same reason some children crave acceptance from their parents, no matter how much they’re mistreated by them.
Although the Italians, Germans and Irish were begrudgingly integrated into the so-called “melting pot” of American society, mainstream white America has made it abundantly clear time and again that blacks are the permanent outcasts, never to be truly integrated into society, no matter how hard they strive for it and how many contributions they offer.
So here we are, begging mainstream white America to accept us as human beings. And time and again, we get the same answer in so many forms: “no, you’re not.”
@ Trojan Pam
We could and we should.
But one of the problems highlighted in the last few comments is walking away from what you believe is rightfully yours. After all, you and your ancestors helped build this country with sweat and blood. To walk away from that would be an admission of defeat in its own right. Walking away with only the clothes on our back is a tremendously difficult thing to do, but sometimes it’s the only thing that can be done.
The other problem is that many blacks feel that they’re nothing without whites. Hence the craving for whites to affirm and recognize their existence, let alone their self-worth.
Gads, this sounds like the collective of Black America’s suffering from spousal abuse.
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@ Aja
Not necessarily “repent,” but “wake up” and, for once, recognize the black man’s inherent humanity.
Now that’s nearly impossible for a people who once saw (and likely still see) the black body as a non-human tool – a beast of burden with those inconvenient traits of speech, higher cognitive thought and free will.
So you either put up with the polluted air and wait for those rare days when things clear up momentarily – or you move. A lot of people aren’t ready to leave everything behind just for that.
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The NAACP nominations for Best Movie are;
-Concussion (Haven’t seen it)
-Straight Outta Compton (A trip down memory lane)
-Creed (Rocky six – or is it seven?)
-Beasts of No Nation (Beautiful. The only true snub this year. Even the Asain-American director should have been nominated)
-Dope (Dope!)
Chris Rock should boycott? Sure, as soon as anyone who says so boycotts their job for their hiring policies. Chris Rock is an employee.
Whoever commented upthread about Tyler Perry movies being nominated next year – that was a good one.
Honestly, there wasn’t much Black quality this year.
@ Ab – Several people have commented that Blacks should start their own – which is more complex than one can imagine (Distribution being more of a hurdle than financing).
Have you written any posts about what it takes to actually own, sustain and grow a Black business?
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@Mack Lyons (@DDSSBlog)
But one of the problems highlighted in the last few comments is walking away from what you believe is rightfully yours. After all, you and your ancestors helped build this country with sweat and blood.
I’m African and I think that Black Americas should not entertain the idea of leaving their country for anywhere else. Exactly because of the reason stated above and also because they are, even if not knowing precisely, “marked” by the American way of life, in general, in a way that is only clear enough when they travel to other countries and see how different they are relative to natives there (being it in Europe. Asia or even Africa).
Actually, I think that what other commenters had in mind was that Black Americans should try, without leaving the USA, to build their own parallel institutions where possible : Black-llywood, Black printing shops, Black food processing plants, Black retail markets, Black libraries, Black banks, etc. Creating those spaces and maintaining them independently of similar White dominated spaces, could give the necessary balance.
A previous example was the The Black Wall Street a century ago.
Best examples, maybe, could be the China towns of the major American cities. They seem to function with a large degree of independence relatively to White dominated business. Blacks should try to look at them closely and learn from them.
I think also that Black American should try to make closer connections to other places outside USA, and especially with the African continent. Look, other ethnic groups, extract part of their power inside the USA by using for their own gain such relations with other places. Examples are probably part of the Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Asian Indians, etc. Look closer at what people inside those communities do and you will have an idea. Why do middle class Blacks not try to establish business with Africa, for example? The continent is growing economically and gives more and more opportunities in many areas and I don’t think that anybody there would discriminate or inhibit you in your activities.
Contrary of what you can think now, once you diversify your sources of income, White Americans will not shy from you but, in fact, come to you with renewed respect. More power and independence breeds more respect. The parallelism to domestic abuse is striking clear: once the abused woman develop alternatives of livelihood outside the control of her husband, he becomes more respectful to her, not more abusive! Your Whites abuse you basically because everything shows that, for now, they can do it without consequences.
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Hollywood will never change. Judging from the way the Hollywood business seems to work, it appears to be a family affair. I am more optimistic about how technology is making it easier to tell our stories. Isa Rae comes to mind.
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Semi offtopic? I never watched the oscars or whatever, but does it seem like will and jada smith’s family is getting really trash3d in the press right now?
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Abagond, can you please delete my previous comment. I wasn’t done writing it.
This whole incident rises a good point about Black people owning their own media outlets. Black American entertainers should have been trying to implement an all Black media outlet years before this. Black American actors and actresses aren’t given the same well roles and acclaim that White American actors and actresses are. The only time Black American actors are given acclaim is when they portray slaves, criminals or maids. That is why it is important for an Black owner media to be made in this country. Black actors and actresses deserve to have access to well rounded roles where their talents are recognized.
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@Uglyblackjohn
“Distribution being more of a hurdle than financing”
That is very true. Distribution, financing, staff/talent training and retention are all major obstacles. However if the Adult film industry can resolve those issues and operate independently so can African Americans, eventually.
The two real hurdles for Black folk are believing in ourselves enough to get started and stay the course and keeping people outside of the community (plus black-skinned White Surpremacists) from destroying the industry out of sheer spite.
What would it do to the whole notion of White Supremacy for a Black owned and operated film industry to grow and thrive in its midst?
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@ Afrofem
I’d say that the Adult Industry is really still really part of “Hollywood.” Sure they place the production over the hill in the SanFernando Valley, but it’s just a kind of back door of the same industry where the overflow of “beautiful people” are channeled. Those who will not be used on the top-tier. There are only so many people that can work in the “Art” side of the industry, and Hollywood draws hundreds of thousands of good looking people each year, desperate to make a name for themselves, and often very naive. I don’t look at them as a truly separate industry for that reason. A lot lot the money behind the money comes from the same places.
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@ Mack Lyons
who said: “Gads, this sounds like the collective of Black America’s suffering from spousal abuse.”
—
I agree! Years ago, I wrote an short article called, “Blacks Are Like An Abused Woman” and when you see the parallels between an abused woman and her abuser, it is crystal clear we are in the grips of a SEVERE abuse syndrome that has never been treated.
There are other psychological syndromes that describe our collective mentality (and I suggest all google it if you’re unfamiliar with the condition) :
1. The Stockholm Syndrome (where captives literally start to identify and sympathize with their captors/abusers)
2. Learned Helplessness (where people literally become helpless to fight back)
All of which I discussed in my book, ‘Black Love is a Revolutionary Act’
Once you break a person (or even an animal) down psychologically and they cannot escape their mistreatment, their behavior can become anti-self, anti-survival, delusional, and even psychotic
Our poor mental health (a term Dr. Frances Cress Welsing used, bless her soul) is due to the severe psychological and physical abuse we suffered under the system of white supremacy for the last 500 years, which included the most barbaric form of chattel slavery where white slave owners destroyed EVERYTHING that made us a “people” (language, culture, religion, food, history, etc).
Because there is no other way to explain our behavior of loving and supporting our white abusers more than we love or support our black selves or each other. Nothing else makes sense.
And it’s WELL past time we start telling the TRUTH about our collective condition so we can start to heal ourselves while we still have time to do it.
(sorry if I got off topic, I was responding to another poster)
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I wanted to add the most difficult person to cure in that dynamic is the ABUSER,
because he or she has no TRUE remorse for their sociopathic behavior, has no genuine compassion for their victim, knows what they’re doing is wrong but doesn’t care, will usually BLAME THE VICTIM for their own bad behavior, and will often resort to murdering their victim in a fit of unjustifiable rage.
Does any of the above sound familiar?
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@King
You are correct about where the Adult film industry gets its financing and much of its talent. Those parts of the Adult Film business are tied to Hollywood.
I feel that a Black owned and operated Film industry can be constructed by starting small and seeking financing directly from the African American community in various forms such as:
Corporations that offer shares
Direct consumer funding similar to Community Supported Agriculture http://www.justfood.org/csa
Black Venture Capital from affluent African Americans
Joint ventures with the Nigerian, Ghanaian and Kenyan film industries
Self funding
Crowd Sourcing (e.g. Indie Go-Go)
A film industry is more than good looking people on screen. For every person shown on screen in a fully developed film industry there are literally scores of support staff and technical workers off screen making family level wages. Black Americans desperately needs those types of jobs to help stabilize our community.
To me, building such an industry will be quite difficult and certainly long term (30 years or more) but it is not impossible. I feel the rewards would be worth the hard slog.
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@Trojan Pam
“I wanted to add the most difficult person to cure in that dynamic is the ABUSER,
because he or she has no TRUE remorse for their sociopathic behavior, has no genuine compassion for their victim, knows what they’re doing is wrong but doesn’t care, will usually BLAME THE VICTIM for their own bad behavior, and will often resort to murdering their victim in a fit of unjustifiable rage.”
You nailed it!
The most dangerous time for the abused party is when they begin to break free of the abuser. What is often not talked about is how dependent the Abuser is on the Abused, psychologically, emotionally and often physically.
Abusers will go beserk because the entire structure of their world would collapse without the Abused.
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@ King
who said (and I think it bears repeating) , :
“Hollywood is also not geared only at America. They have been making most of their profits in international markets now for years. They aim messages at the world, not just the Americas. Hollywood is not ONLY about money. It has to make money overall of course, but they will spend money to send certain messages that they feel are important.
Taken in that light, what Hollywood does and who Hollywood promotes becomes more important on the world stage.”
—
AMEN
Now think about the message being sent in showing black males as thugs and nonexistent fathers, and black females (if they’re attractive as white men’s whores, and black children as always poor, uneducated (and ineducable), violent, and “ghetto”, and dark-skinned & female = fat and unloved and unattractive (inferior), and black males wearing dresses and wigs and acting like buffoons and homosexuals,
and the only “decent” blacks on the screen have absolutely NOTHING to do with other black people..(can you hear me Morgan Freeman?).
Imagine if this is the main imagery of a people? What does that say about the system’s plans for their future survival?
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@ Afrofem
Excellent point.
And we have seen the very violent responses from white society WHENEVER black people show any signs of breaking free or becoming independent
1. Reconstruction era
2. the Black Codes
3. Black Wall Street
4. Marcus Garvey
5 the Black Panthers (or any TRUE black revolutionary organization that doesn’t seek submission and integration
6. African revolutionaries
7. assassinated/murdered Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who tried to break away from the U.S. dollar, start an African world bank
and the list goes on and on and on
That is why I caution all the well-meaning posters who suggest we “do our own thing” within a system of white supremacy without taking into account that all the forces will be marshaled against the “black slaves” waking up from their abusive stupor and seeking to separate themselves from their abusers.
This system will do whatever is necessary to STOP any form of black independence that allows us to take control of our images and redirect our consumer dollars. Not saying we shouldn’t try but are we as a people really committed to creating and supporting what we say we want?
That is another reason why the system pushes sexual intercourse between blacks and whites and uplfits the bi-racial byproduct as a superior and more desirable one
to keep us from breaking free psychologically
can’t we see what is happening?
(am I off topic? Not sure anymore )
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Afroman @Uglyblackjohn, That is very true. Distribution, financing, staff/talent training and retention are all major obstacles. However if the Adult film industry can resolve those issues and operate independently so can African Americans, eventually.
Linda says,
It can be done, it was done before.
Don Cornelius created and produced Soul Train, which was the only black-owned TV show at the time (1971). Cornelius got sponsorship from a black-owned company, the Johnson Company (Afro-Sheen products), which helped Soul Train go into syndication.
(side note: Dick Clark created a show called “Soul Unlimited in 1973 in order to compete with Soul Train. Cornelius and Jesse Jackson went after him and got Soul Unlimited cancelled)
As for creating, producing, distribution.. look no further than Tyler Perry.
He did everything outside of Hollywood and they came knocking on his door, once they saw he was making millions without them.
I’ve heard some black people say they don’t like him because of the Madea character…. and they may be right to dislike the Madea movies
but all that needs to be pushed aside since the formula that Tyler Perry used to create his billion dollar company, apparently works
and Tyler did it all without white Hollywood or white America
and he didn’t have to sell out when he decided to broaden his market, (unlike the Johnson Company who turned around and sold to white-owned Proctor and Gamble)
and of course, there is Oprah with Harpo Studios, even though she did it within the framework of Hollywood.
there are black/brown people who know how to get it done Tom Joyner, TV One (Cathy Hughes) , the Africa Channel (Paula Madison, the Williams family)
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abagond, you are killing me with the moderation’s for no reason
my next comment will make almost no sense since the 1st comment can’t be seen.
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the only serious issue that the black American community and consumers face,
is that when black-owned companies become multi-million or billion dollar companies, they sell out to white companies to increase their market share and profits…Tom Joyner just did it
Tom sold a majority share of his company to Reach Media, and now there are rumors that he will be forced out of his own morning show by Reach
http://www.eurweb.com/2015/12/report-tom-joyner-being-forced-out-of-own-radio-show-russ-parr-to-take-over/
2 major players in the natural hair market just did it:
black owned company, Sundial Brands, who created Shea Moisture hair products and Nubian Heritage skin products — sold 47% to Mitt Romney’s company, Bain Capital (white owned venture capital firm)
http://atlantablackstar.com/2015/09/25/ceo-shea-moisture-calls-mitt-romney-ownership-rumors-ridiculous/
Carol’s Daughter started out black owned. The owner Lisa Price sold shares to a private venture capital firm, who held majority shares; then in 2014, they turned around and sold the whole company to L’Oreal (large white owned company)
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Pumpkin
my heart sank as well. I like some of the Shea Moisture products, so I was really disappointed to hear the news
I’m still on the fence about dropping them because I already dropped Carol’s daughter
Carol’s daughter hurt me the most because I was supporting them from inception, I do what I can to support black/brown owned businesses, so watching her lose control was painful.
I’ve been using mostly natural things in my hair prior to coming to USA (black castor oil, aloe, etc) and I was very happy to see the shift in the last 15 years — women once again embracing their natural chemical-free hair and learning how to take care of it.
The “natural hair” community has created a multi-million dollar market by itself, without white corporate assistance, and of course, now all the white sharks are circling.
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correction:
“I’m still on the fence about dropping them because it’s still technically “black-owned” (the owner kept 53%), and I already dropped Carol’s daughter”
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We are capable, always have been..Now we for a majority of us to look in the mirror…love and respect the reflection..and get down to business.
Thank you Abagond, Pumpkin, Afrofem,and all the rest of you.
I can take heart that some of us actually believe in US.
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[…] people are upset at the lack of non-whites being nominated for the most recent Academy Awards. Some people are upset that some people are upset at the lack of non-whites being nominated for the […]
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http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35370284
I do agree the ‘popularity contest’ of the oscars is a microcosm or iconography, pantheon, overlay, or matrix of american culture.:
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@ Pumpkin
I haven’t had a chance to read that book, but I’m sure what you say is true. Of course, almost everybody in that industry is treated rather badly in the end. Some make money, but all get used in one way or another.
The thing is that Hollywood in not all that different. Both actors and actresses have to sleep with gatekeepers in the industry. They often get passed around from person to person. Young people are pressured to go along with it if they want to make it. A lot of them are simply turned out to the porn industry once they have made the rounds. The Movie Studios are the head of the snake and the porn industry is the other end of the digestive tract.
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yes??
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@munubantu
Just a couple of brief remarks:
I generally agree with that, but that was often the case during Jim Crow segregation.
Actually, during Jim Crow, in some regions of the South, and cities of the North, sometimes “3rd race” people filled that void, eg, Jews, Asians, Arabs. In some respects, it still occurs. So we have to take a firm look on how that could be changed so that blacks in the US can re-establish some parallel institutions (besides, say, churches).
Re: stuff like libraries, since public libraries are funded with government money, a different kind of strategy must be used for that.
That also still leaves public security (police, fire, national defense) and other publicly funded goods and services unaddressed.
Sorry, but no. The economics of US Chinatowns depends almost entirely on trade with white people. Some subsidiary business (eg, banks or credit unions, lawyers, real estate, accountants, medical practitioners, Asian-specific goods or restaurants, etc.) do cater primarily to Asian customers, but by far and large, the money that flows into Chinatowns comes from white people. Maybe even half the businesses in Chinatown serve mostly white people directly. The rest are for clientele who either operate businesses serving whites, sometimes blacks (eg, laundries and restaurants, stores, professionals OUTSIDE Chinatown) or in white-owned businesses (eg, investment banks, hospitals, etc.)
Is the Chinatown model the one you advocate for black businesses? Most US Chinatowns are a way station for people who are not fully assimilated into US society to have access to services. What is the incentive for a black person to travel to “African-American” town to obtain goods and services otherwise available near their homes? At least it would have to offer some access to culture not available near them.
10000% agree with this. Why is it perceived that only Asians, Jews, and perhaps Latinos can forge those connections? (I know the answer, but I want people to really think about it.)
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Someone wrote this as a response to the whole boycot, claiming blacks are hypocrites becuase they have so many black only things: http://newobserveronline.com/black-oscars-boycott-hypocrisy/
How would you respond?
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^ That opinion piece is so messed up.
Since when did HBCU exclude whites?
And most parallel institutions formed because people were not admitted to the white ones, or because they offer services that the white ones don’t offer (e.g., credit and insurance to businesses in black communities).
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@ Pumpkin
1. I am not mad at you, but lately you seem to be misunderstanding me, like on the Hollywood “diversity” thing. So “somewhat exasperated” might be a better way to put it.
2. Yes, I know about Whitewashed Black beauty standards:
Hollywood is certainly part of it but hardly the only part.
3. Besides intersectionality, what five posts would you most like to see on this blog (by either me or you)?
4.I admit that sexism is a blind spot of mine that needs work.
5. True, if the Oscars had only Black male nominees, I probably would not be crying foul. But, to be fair, I doubt I would be crying foul either if there were only Black female nominees.
6. What words of mine made you cry? You can tell me by email if you want. If you have told me before, then please refresh my memory.
I will do a Black women’s history month. It is long overdue.
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@Jacob
I believe in most cases those black only things have been created as a response to exclusion and segregation by white folks. What do you do when your children are not wanted in institutions, your artists, actors and musicians are not recognized or given airtime? What do you do when you are excluded from all platforms where your voice can be heard? Do you just wait until white people get over the ideology of “whiteness” or do you create your own safe spaces and recognize your own. It is black people who are the minority not the whites. A few black people being recognized for their skills does not threaten white visibility. That would be my answer to that ignorant post written by a pea head racist.
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@ Jacob
Think of an old Southern town that survived on cotton mills. In the late 1950s the last of the mills moved north to locations closer to the newly completed interstate and the town become abandoned.
Decades later an all-White high school class decided to do an anthropology assignment there. They would comb through the ruins of the town in order to learn more about what was happening there during that time period. They would do this by examining artifacts.
So at the end of the day the high school kids came to some astounding conclusions. Blacks in the 1950s must have been VERY powerful and extremely prejudiced against Whites! The kids reasoned this based on all the special entrances treatment that Black people clearly received. Signs were everywhere.
“Colored Entrance in the Back”
“Colored Water Fountain”
“Coloreds Served Here”
Because they had no understanding of the history, the very symbols of White oppression seemed to them to be favorable treatment of Blacks. And because they themselves where White, they never even considered that it would be the Whites who were the ones at fault.
This is exactly what is going on when Whites look at the BET Awards as some kind of sign of Black prejudice and White exclusion. It’s a combination of a lack of historical context and a low I.Q.
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@Jacob
It seems this “hypocrisy” cry is making the rounds again. A significant part of my facebook feed has been filled with this sentiment in the form of memes and Stacey Dash links, likes and shares. I’ve been trying to respond in an educational tone, trying to explain, to the best of my ability, why those things are necessary… how it is unfair to cry hypocrisy because White this vs Black that is not a valid comparison… how crying foul at BET is ignorant since it exists to line the pockets of rich White guys and would disappear in a heartbeat if it no longer filled a void in the market created by lack of diversity everywhere else.
I’ve also tried to point out that the knee jerk act of sharing and liking these sentiments is simply a covert way of trying to tell Black people that they don’t deserve a place within the predominantly White entertainment industry and by proxy in White dominated society.
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@ Trojan Pam, “They even decide that a black person with a white parent is more deserving of a movie role or TV commercial or a job than a black person with two black parents. Haven’t you noticed the trend of casting mainly biracial people as the new and improved “blacks?” to the exclusion of brown and dark skinned black people?.”
Lol, Blacks fought slavery but still uphold the one drop rule. I don’t care how Black a person looks, if they have a non-Black parent, they are not Black. We can acknowledge that people are mistreated because of how they look, but they are not Black. That is how so many “pro-Black” people who have children outside their race, can claim their children are “Black.” And then those children go on to speak about Black issues claiming to be Black i.e. the Ebony cover a few months back.
Now wonder Rachel Dolezal felt she could claim Black. People can share their thoughts, but should be real about who they are. I don’t care how much Alicia Keys or Amandla Stenberg say they are Black, or how. Obama is going to claim Black cause his generation drummed that rule into his head. When Taye Diggs claimed his son was bi-racial, everyone yelled, “self-hate.” If he wanted a Black son, he would have impregnated a Black woman. The one-drop rule is foolish. My rant is done, lol.
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@ Pumpkin
Thank you for everything you said. No, you’re not being too sensitive.
Also, thank you for reminding me of “Daughters of the Dust.” One of the best movies I’ve ever seen and it’s been too long since I last watched it.
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@ Lord of Mirkwood
“Also some movies about the abolitionist movement. Perhaps a biopic of William Lloyd Garrison?”
Excuse me — your solution to this problem is yet another movie about yet another white man????
If you want an abolitionist movie, why not a biopic of Frederick Douglass? It would be by far the more interesting and compelling life story.
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@King
“Because they had no understanding of the history, the very symbols of White oppression seemed to them to be favorable treatment of Blacks. And because they themselves where White, they never even considered that it would be the Whites who were the ones at fault.”
Loved your analogy! It’s a good way of looking at the examples of Euro-silliness that I see everyday such as “…you have BET!” LOL!!!
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@Solitaire @Pumpkin
Me three…”Daughters of the Dust” is sheer poetry. A deep story, beautiful cinematography and the viewpoint of a little Black girl (very rare in American film) made this an unforgettable experience.
Thank you both for the reminder.
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Exactly. This is the type of hypocrisy that is utterly destroying empathetic relations between black men and women.
Someone needs to post a link to those posts so that they may be properly critiqued and deconstructed.
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@ Pumpkin
I admire your courage in speaking YOUR TRUTH regardless even if you think it might offend someone.
and I agree 1,000% that there is a lack of empathy for black females in the black and the white community.
whenever I hear black people talk about “saving black boys”
My first thought is:
what about the black girls?
They live in the same neighborhoods, go to the same inferior schools, are often victims of violence and rape and incest, are made to feel inferior due to hair and skin color and features, and are demeaned, abused, beaten, and sometimes murdered by law enforcement.
Black girls are the future mothers of the black nation. Are we so blind we do not understand their importance to our survival and an essential element to saving black boys?
That’s why I absolutely refuse to subscribe to any movement or ‘black’ slogan speak about saving our children that does NOT include black girls.
What especially troubles me is the lack of concern or empathy black females have for each other. Yes, I know it’s because we have INTERNALIZED the anti-black-female attitudes that permeate this sick culture, both black and white, but this is something we as black females need to examine within ourselves. Why do we dislike each other? What forces are acting upon us to make us scorn our mirror images?
I am also very much aware of the white supremacist media propaganda that is programming black males to dislike and dismiss black females as inferior and irrelevant. If you watch most movies and commercials and TV shows that feature that lone wolf black male it’s as though black females do not exist
and in those rare instances where we have a speaking role we are usually shown as the enemy of the black male or someone of no significance
That is why I caution people to be very careful about what you allow your children to watch and listen to.
Either there is justice for all or justice for none. That’s the bottom line.
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@ Trojan Pam
“Either there is justice for all or justice for none. That’s the bottom line.”
^THIS
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http://variety.com/2016/film/awards/oscars-diversity-academy-emergency-meeting-1201685630/
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I have come to the following conclusion about this year’s Oscars,
I believe the (white) people who control the awards expected an outcry from their slave population regarding our exclusion. I believe the entire “event” was STAGED, based on the following premise(s):
1, How do you get people to value something that has little or no value?
Deny it to them
2. How do you get people to believe their outrage is legitimate and keep them locked into the “stardom of token blacks?
Have one of their black puppet stars (on your payroll) PUBLICLY protest the injustice so black people will think something WORTHLESS is worthy of our attention.
(Jada Pinkett is locked into this corrupt Hollywood cult as much as any black person can be AKA she is beholden to that system. Is she really willing to deal with the financial repercussions for herself and her husband, Will?
This will be easy to judge in the coming months. If they are punished, then I might be incorrect. If it is business as usual, then the obvious should be obvious to all … hopefully)
3. How do you calm the savage beasts once you’ve riled them up?
Throw the black dogs a bone.
“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has approved a series of major changes, in terms of voting and recruitment, also adding three new seats to the 51-person board — all part of a goal to double the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020. The changes were approved by the board Thursday night in an emergency meeting.”
How many times will we fall for the abused woman trick. Break the chains from our mind. We cannot trust the “good intentions” of those who have shown over and over and over again–that they have NONE.
Let’s focus on REAL issues and stop responding whenever the DOG whistle is blown. We have to get smarter and either learn how to play chess
OR get the H off the chessboard and leave from the table.
Just my two cents.
(using your quote is no reflection on your post, King)
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@ King ^^^
The L.A. Times article today said the screen actors guild has been discussing these changes “for months” lol
(Imagines a committee of white people all plotting against each as they try to figure who gets cut)
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Trojan Pam wrote: “whenever I hear black people talk about “saving black boys”
My first thought is:
what about the black girls?
They live in the same neighborhoods, go to the same inferior schools, are often victims of violence and rape and incest, are made to feel inferior due to hair and skin color and features, and are demeaned, abused, beaten, and sometimes murdered by law enforcement.
Black girls are the future mothers of the black nation. Are we so blind we do not understand their importance to our survival and an essential element to saving black boys? Blah,blah, blah”
How many black girls have been shot by the police in comparison to black boys? Which murder of a black female has gone unprotested in contrast to that of a black male? Your whining about nothing, it reflects your hostility to the male sex, nothing more. Misandry is as stupid as misogyny.
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@ gro jo
Thanks for proving my point.
(I love it when I don’t have to work too hard)
I’m curious. Are you white?
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@ Trojan Pam
If satanforce’s post was satirical, which is my assumption, that’s two men now who have responded to women on this thread (you and Pumpkin) with pushback, deflection, and minimization.
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@ Solitaire
gro jo;s comment was so over the top I can’t help but think it was designed to create more hostility and start some sort of flame war between black males and females, which is why I asked if he (or she) was a white person.
Because nowhere in my previous response did I say I didn’t care about black boys NOR did I say we should ONLY talk about black girls, I simply said black girls should be INCLUDED in the discussions.
Now, what kind of fools would black females have to be to disagree with that?
In fact, what kind of fools would black males who have daughters and sisters and nieces and granddaughters have to be to disagree with ALSO looking out for our girl children?
But, I’m not getting into any tit for tat with gro jo.
After all the rocks that have been thrown upside my head over the years, I have developed a very thick skin
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“Thanks for proving my point.
(I love it when I don’t have to work too hard)
I’m curious. Are you white?”
You don’t have a point to make, because the stuff you write is nonsense. Back your assertions up with facts, then I’ll concede that you aren’t just ranting. I find your “feminist” libels boring, hypocritical and based on lies.
My challenge to you is pretty straightforward, show that the murder of black women have been ignored and they have not been protested.
Am I white? Given the calumnies you write about black males, I’m the one who should be asking you that question. We aren’t perfect but I don’t recognize myself, my friends and male relatives in your lies.
If you don’t “work too hard” it’s because you’re too lazy to substantiate your claims.
Solitaire, how is it “deflection, and minimization”? You are absolutely correct that my comment is “pushback”. Feel free to jump in and substantiate Trojan Pam’s claims.
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@ Pumpkin
I agree. They’re using a time-tested strategy
Divide and conquer the black male and black female. There are other reasons. Envy and covertness of black sexuality and reproductive powers. That’s why the white media REFUSES to show black people loving and kissing and hugging each other.
In fact, the ONLY people allowed to have a sex life or love life are white people. No blacks, browns, reds, or yellows, need apply UNLESS they’re having sex with white people.
I have seen this sick theme over and over again in movies, and TV programs.
So, you have to ask, what kind of people are threatened by the idea of non-white people loving each other? How sick and insecure and envious would they have to be?
That’s why IR sex and marriage is being pushed so hard and those who engage in it are rewarded. (You might be surprised by the stories I’ve heard)
We have so much power in our hands. If only we used it to help liberate ourselves instead of gratifying our oppressors.
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@ gro jo
Instead of succumbing to the overwhelming temptation to put you on ignore, all I can say to your hysterical rant is
You are entitled to your opinion.
Have a good evening.
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“…I simply said black girls should be INCLUDED in the discussions.” A lie.
You claimed that blacks had no empathy for one another: “What especially troubles me is the lack of concern or empathy black females have for each other. Yes, I know it’s because we have INTERNALIZED the anti-black-female attitudes that permeate this sick culture, both black and white, but this is something we as black females need to examine within ourselves.” Where’s your evidence for such bold assertions? If what you say is true, how do you square it with the fact that you are black and female? Are you the sole black person who empathizes with black girls? What about all those black parents who, in their millions, do what’s necessary to keep a roof over their children’s heads and food in their bellies? Maybe you should have given a thought to them before writing your nonsense.
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Trojan Pam
Very wise decision to put him on ignore. The guy has a habit of straw manning any discussion he gets into.
You said one thing and he made up that you said another. It is typical.
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Can’t defend your assertions can you? You’ve fallen in love with your weird view of black people. you are shocked to have your claims challenged, sorry, it was bound to happen someday.
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@ gro jo
“How many black girls have been shot by the police in comparison to black boys? Which murder of a black female has gone unprotested in contrast to that of a black male?”
Deflection onto only one specific issue of the many faced by African Americans, plus choosing an issue that deflects attention off of black girls/women and onto black boys/men. Minimizes the issues faced by African American women with the implication that because they don’t get shot by police as often as African American men, they have less to complain/worry about overall.
“Your whining about nothing”
Minimization: Should be self-evident from your wording alone.
“it reflects your hostility to the male sex”
Deflection by claiming an emotion or attitude on her part that she didn’t actually express, once again diverting attention to males.
“nothing more.”
Minimization: self-evident in the wording.
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@Solitaire
Thank You!!
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” on Sun 24 Jan 2016 at 03:31:09
sharinalr
Trojan Pam
Very wise decision to put him on ignore. The guy has a habit of straw manning any discussion he gets into.
You said one thing and he made up that you said another. It is typical.”
As usual my darling, you are having trouble making sense of the written word. Let me help you. Trojan Pam didn’t say she’d put me on ignore, she decided not to reply to my questions. As usual, I’d love to read you confused claims on this subject.
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@gro jo
I make very good sense of the written word. So much so that it annoys you that you can’t convince me to be manipulated by your every effort to change the meaning of written words for your benefit.
🙂
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I just here with my popcorn waiting to see how gro jo will manipulate his was put of being blasted by solitaire.
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Solitaire, deflection is the attempt to make the issue of police brutality against black people into some kind of competition for who’s the biggest victim, and not being able to back your assertions. Minimization is reducing the real oppression of blacks, male and female, into a weird rant about not feeling loved. Millions of black people continue to procreate without your or Trojan Pam’s permission. They simply follow their natural inclinations. As a white woman married to an Asian guy whence did you acquire your expertise on the internal life of blacks?
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“I just here with my popcorn waiting to see how gro jo will manipulate his was put of being blasted by solitaire.”
I will always strive to amuse you my dear.
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@sharinalr: Left you a comment on the Daniel Holtzclaw thread.
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Boycotting the Oscars is not the solution. It comes across as bitter. Tyrese is not important, so his opinions means nothing,
The root cause is behind the scenes in Hollywood, among the gatekeepers (writers, producers, studio executives, casting agents, etc). The gatekeepers also extend to the publishing industry (literary agents, editors, etc), since most films are based on books. These people determine whose stories get told, and who is worthy of certain roles.
The main culprits (according to these gatekeepers) is finance and evil racist Asians (see the Sony email about not hiring Denzel Washington).
The truth is, these gatekeepers are mainly old white males and they have a singular taste, hence most movies are about white males. Theyère trying to convince us that only stories with white males are sellableéprofitable.
The burden of race means that nonwhite people are held to a racial standard. Movies with black person does poorly at the box office, itès blamed on race. Movies with white person does poorly, no blame except for maybe the individual actor…maybe.
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@ sharinalr
Given our dire situation in this country, who has time for such foolishness?
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Hollywood refused to fund Will Smithès The Last Pharoah, about Taharqa, even when Smith was a the peak of his box office success.
They have no problem funding The Gods of Egypt, with Gerard Butler.
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@ Solitaire
I try not to engage in dialogues that are going nowhere or where a poster’s main point is to hurl bile at whatever target is readily available
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@ gro jo
“deflection is the attempt to make the issue of police brutality against black people into some kind of competition for who’s the biggest victim”
And you, not Trojan Pam, are the person who attempted to make it into a competition. Her comments weren’t even limited to the issue of police brutality, nor did she ever state that black women were victimized by the police more often than black men. Perhaps you should tend to your own reading comprehension instead of lambasting sharinalr’s.
“and not being able to back your assertions.”
Abagond has discussed this argumentative tactic in the past, only in the frame of racism. You’re using it now in the frame of sexism. You are trying to put Trojan Pam on the defensive when nothing she said requires defense.
“Minimization is reducing the real oppression of blacks, male and female, into a weird rant about not feeling loved.”
I saw nothing in what Trojan Pam wrote about “not being loved.” She wrote about wanting equal attention, consideration, and respect for her gender.
“As a white woman married to an Asian guy whence did you acquire your expertise on the internal life of blacks?”
My response to you was a dissection of your argumentative tactics. It in no way touched on or claimed to have any expertise on the internal life of blacks.
You, sir, are a troll. You are dragging my personal life into this discussion in order to make me emotional and defensive. You thrive on chaos. I have no intention of feeding you.
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@ Trojan Pam
Agreed. I have nothing more to say to him.
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If pointing out the hypocrisies of feminists like you and Trojan Pam make me a troll then I readily cop to it.
“I saw nothing in what Trojan Pam wrote about “not being loved.””
You are right that’s my interpretation of the following comment “They … are often victims of violence and rape and incest, are made to feel inferior due to hair and skin color and features, and are demeaned, abused, beaten, and sometimes murdered by law enforcement.”
This is just the kinds of calumnies pushed by a bunch of black feminist works such as the color purple by Alice Walker for the amusement of white feminists like you.
It’s not white men being accused of incest here. Being an expert on black lives by virtue of being married to an Asian you feel you have the right to comment on such things. If bringing up your race and marriage upsets you, why should I not be offended by being accused of rape and incest?
Glad to read you’ll ignore me, I plan to do the same to you.
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I see the world as a series hierarchies layered upon each other.
The current racial hierarchy has white women at the top and Black women at the bottom because that’s how white supremacy organizes society in the U.S.
White feminism is part of the reason for this and I believe it helps maintain the hierarchy in favor of white females at the expense of black females even though white feminists claim to share in the same kind of “oppression”.
Other factors are stereotypes that have been internalized by the Black community and these originated directly from white racism.
Stereotypes for Black men are that they are lazy, players, like white women, been to jail and aren’t good providers for their kids. Black women are seen as too fat or too masculine. They are seen as too sexual or not attractive. That Black women are “angry”, have “daddy issues” and have unreasonable expectations when it comes to finding a husband.
If you google stereotypes for white men or women what pops up are stereo types about white people. White people are seen as a couple or as a unit. White supremacy breaks down POC into individual stereotypes yet maintains its individualism as the norm, the standard by which society judges things.
In advertising, film ect IR relationships are shown as a way to send the message of “diversity” and “tolerance” yet it maintains white content to keep a white audience as they are the primary viewers. As Trojan Pam pointed out this dismisses the Black family unit and maintains white supremacy. It doesn’t help when Tyler Perry makes movies about Black families built around stereo types white people like to laugh at.
What I’m getting from Gro jo is that these stereo types are bunk and that their are plenty of healthy Black families out their. He just antagonizes because he never saw an argument he didn’t like. And he has the patience to continue the argument for weeks on end. You might as well pitch a tent.
One of the issues Pumpkin writes about is that Black females are disrespected in society and I see that as well.
This blog has done plenty to disprove all of these racist stereo types including the idea that all Black men want to date white females.
I recall Abagond did a post about the different things that divide the Black community. I don’t remember the name of it or whether it dealt with Black male/female relationships.
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ICE CUBE’S perspective on the 2016 Oscars and how we feels about Straight Out of Compton not being nominated.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3LGAgM32_E)
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@michaeljon barker: Great comments.
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@ michaeljonbarker
The post is:
(https://abagond.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/the-7-layers-of-division-in-black-america/)
and the 7th layer was exactly about the man vs. woman divide inside Black America.
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Well I too am glad that garbage Straight Outta Compton was snubbed. Ice Cube and all the real life characters were misogynist pigs.
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I don’t know..
I had a treatment optioned back when I was in high school but I never signed and returned the offer.
I had a group of prison guards in my club after hours tonight to discuss who should be supported in our local sheriff’s election. The talk turned to boycotting the Oscars and most thought it was a good idea. ‘Emmeffers’, y’all work for the Prison Industrial Complex and your job has more of a negative impact on Black communities than any other. Boycott YOUR job, nikka.’ I said. ”Then if you want to be a metic – live that life and shut the eff up.’, I concluded. Our county clerk and a state-rep just fell out laughing. ‘Y’all want to talk ish about what others should be doing but y’all won’t sacrifice ish.’, I continued. Some deacons and politicians rolled through before church and heard the heated exchange. ( I’ve just gotten home and it’s a little after eight am so you know we had a heated discussion.) ‘All y’all emmeffers want to place the onus of freedom on others but you all want to take credit… get the eff outta’ my club and take your weak azzes to church..’.
I’m currently in the middle of a battle between Black pastors, business owners, politicians and white people in power. My clubs are Black-owned (land and buildings), Black-run, supported by Blacks and we give money to Black charities and organizations. The white development in our downtown area offered me a whole block (Their city funded project is failing) but I like being an autonomous Black business. I told our city manager and chamber president, ‘We don’t need you – you need US.’, (our town is 48% Black and 48% white).
All this to say… Eff Hollywood. Get your own.
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Viola Davis had something to say about Hollywood and it’s lack of diversity and the disproportion when it comes to being paid. “A white woman in Hollywood makes more than all the A-list black actresses in Hollywood. She said she wouldn’t be attending as she would be on vacation. This fact is enough for black folks to get the hell out of Hollywood. So if I understand this Halle Berry although she is paid well doesn’t get the same money as Julia Roberts. Jennifer Lawrence makes more than Lupita, Kerri, Taraji. Yeah, black folks need to get off their knees and stop begging the damn white folks and do their own thing. I was watching my Webisodes and there are tons of independent aspiring black filmmakers. If the Africans have Nollywood then black Americans need to follow suit.
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@King:
Unbelievable the racist replies that article you cited evoked! The clowns haven’t got a clue.
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^ I KNOW!! Right? I thought the exact same thing!!
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Okay. So I’m married to a white man. I did not do so because I thought it was going to get me some place or because I wanted the status. I had it in my mind that I wanted to marry a black man for many reasons. But, when I met my husband, the thought came to me- “he is the one.” It felt like we were supposed to be together in a spiritual sense. But I had a certain amount of distrust for him and did a lot of testing.
That being said, I am no apologist for white America. The longer I am in this marriage, the more up close and personal I see white supremacy for what it is I was also practically a child when I met my husband. I do not say that my choice was the folly of a child, but I did not think as much about what the deal was in the world, being a sheltered young woman just out of my mother’s house. But the reality is, white people are NOT favorable to interracial marriage. Trust me. They are okay if your interracial marriage is another manifestation of your acquiescence to white supremacy. But the worst thing to be is to be in an interracial marriage while resisting white supremacy. It can be done. And when it is, white folks will rally every resource available-including spiritual means- to control and curtail you. Because it;s not just economics, it’s the collective ego of an entire group of people with issues so deep and subterraneous, we are only scratching at the surface of the motivations that have led to institutions like slavery and our current neo-colonial system.
So here are my thoughts on the Oscars and the state of black people.
Black people have to be hidden about creating businesses and success. As we can see, rising up and doing well will lead to retaliation. I think we have to treat the recovery of Black America as a covert operation. I am serious.
I was at work the other day, dealing with a vicious demon who I had to call out to my supervisors and saw her stare at me and the ONLY other black female at my job with this strange hatred. Because she saw two black people together. Insane and bizarre, but these demons (and she looks like one) have issues.
@Pumpkin
I hear and feel your pain and righteous thought. If you watch the movie MacBeth, and look and think closely and carefully, you will see some interesting things about the deep seeded, possibly subconscious fear of the Black Mother- the Mater. The Black Matter which is the real Origin of the Universe. The witches in this version of Macbeth have TRIBAL markings, Lady MacBeth, looks like a mixed race black woman at first, her hair is in braids, and she wears all black. It is not until she achieves a kind of guilty pseudo redemption does she begin to look like the archetypal white female, virgin mary archetype The resentment towards us is some sort of psychologial, resentment towards the very fact that man is alive in the world, and resents his very birth and existence. Apply some Jungian psychology. If you watch the movie Lucy, you will see white men trying to wrest the origins of humanity out of the womb of the black female and place squarely within the loins of a white woman played by Scarlett Johansen.
Mater in Latin is Mother. Matter is what we used to define everything in existence. And thus there is a resentment for Everything In Existence which white man, despite his attempts, can never dominate and control. This is why he resents the Black Mother- because she brought him into a” wretched” world he can neither contain or control. We are the source of human life on this planet and the black Matrix, Matter, the Black Cosmos is the source of all reality. And feeling dwarfed by a large black cosmos, and being unable to control his birth, the white man lashes out constantly at the Black Mother and the Black Matter. And following him are some Black Men who have lost their way and understanding as well.
I say this while being married to a white man, because my marriage was not pursued as a rung on the ladder of hierarchy, but a spiritual quest with someone looking to be happy and loved. And possibly looking to return to his origins, to his oneness with the rest of the world.
That was a bit of metaphor and poetry. Practically speaking, being in the eye f the storm of white supremacy. I think there needs to be a plan to quietly revolutionize our children. Make them invincibly capable at school. Teach them the truth but also teach them to know whatever academic stuff is out there. Tear up the standardized tests in every ghetto. Read their books- and ours. Be systematic. That’s the start. Do it on the down low. Give them no grounds.
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@ Herneith
could you post some examples of racist replies so we (including the clowns) might be enlightened? Thank you.
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@ Herneith
I withdraw the question. I’m not on this blog to fight with anyone. We all have a right to our opinions and other people can agree or disagree. I just wish we could dispense with the name-calling.
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Trojan Pam
“Given our dire situation in this country, who has time for such foolishness?”—Sometimes it can be proper entertainment, but in this case it is better left alone. It says a lot when the mere mention of black women too causes a person to go mad. If we mention black men struggles, then all is well but the one chance of mentioning black women in effort to be included then all hell breaks loose.
If the black community falls apart you have black men out here blaming black women for it. Yet they forget that when one of them gets shot it is black women on the front lines. Black women should be included because we are in the struggle too. Not just included we black men need extra support.
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@shainalr: Preach sister Amen.💯👏🏿👍🏿
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@ sharinalr
I have noticed the same thing. Isn’t it interesting that the word “black feminist” elicits the same hostility as “black militants?” And how both reactions are designed to shame and silence the victims?
I am not a “feminist.” I do not follow the white women’s movement. Their struggle is to end sexism (not racism). My struggle is to end BOTH. I know the difference between the two ideologies.
That’s why so many black females are afraid to talk about the misogyny (hatred of females) in the black community, the same way many blacks are afraid to be honest about racism with white people. They are afraid to antagonize those whose approval they so desperately seek.
Well, I’m not afraid anymore because I have NOTHING to lose. Those who are antagonized by me saying black female children are JUST AS IMPORTANT as black male children, didn’t give a damn about black females anywhere so the loss where they’re concerned is
ZERO
Why would I want to align myself with ANYONE who ignores my mistreatment and makes me feel guilty for talking about it?
Black males who truly seek a just society, who do not hide their insecurities behind a cloak of FALSE MALE SUPERIORITY COMPLEX won’t be antagonized by black females opposing our mistreatment.
The funny thing is, it was black men who schooled me about misogyny. A lot of what I learned came from what black men TOLD me. It took me years to accept it because I didn’t want to believe something so disheartening.
This superiority complex (based on GENITALS) is the flip side of the FALSE WHITE SUPERIORITY COMPLEX (based on skin color) that many or most white people have.
Both have done tremendous damage to the self esteem of all the people on this planet–male and female, non-white and white people There is no better way to destroy your own self-esteem than to try to benefit by damaging someone else.
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@agentangel888
You made some great points. Thank you.
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@Mel
“The truth is, these gatekeepers are mainly old white males and they have a singular taste, hence most movies are about white males. Theyère trying to convince us that only stories with white males are sellableéprofitable.”
Thank you for breaking the bones and exposing the marrow of the dilemma.
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@Trojan Pam:
I was referring to white supremacist responses evoked in the article King posted:
http://variety.com/2016/film/awards/oscars-diversity-academy-emergency-meeting-1201685630/
They are indeed clowns and I’m putting it mildly. The comments garnered by this article are text- book white supremacy.
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After the KJamie Foxx win in 2004 and the Forest Whitaker-win in 2006, I thought we would be past this discussion. It is depressing to see this is not the case.
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It is depressing to see that you think 2 wins — which occurred 10 and 12 years ago — means there is no longer any problem.
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@ Kiwi
And also Jeff Elberfeld is seeing this as entirely a discussion about African American actors. Why should the wins by Foxx and Whitaker have any mollifying effect on Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latin@s who also continue to be overlooked by the Academy?
I’m waiting for Jeff to say it’s depressing this blog even continued to exist after Obama was elected president. Because post-racist USA or some bunk like that.
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@Jeff Elberfeld
“After the Jamie Foxx win in 2004 and the Forest Whitaker-win in 2006, I thought we would be past this discussion. ”
Ah, no, we were past that discussion way before that. Way back in 1940, Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1939). That just goes to show that black women had already overcome all racial and gender barriers over 76 years ago. In fact, we didn’t even need to have a civil rights movement as the barriers had already been broken decades earlier.
Even before, that, the academy awarded a best actress Oscar for the role of a Chinese woman O-lan in The Good Earth (1937). Asian roles were awarded Oscars almost 80 years ago. Look how progressive that was! It shows that Hollywood could even create magic even during the Chinese Exclusion Act! And the German actress that did that role only died just over a year ago. IT was obviously a brilliant and wise decision to pass up Anna May Wong for that role!
Haing S. Ngor won an Oscar for the Killing Fields (1984). Who said that we didn’t have Asian men recognized for their performance! and that was over 30 years ago.
And both James Wong Howe and Ang Lee won TWICE each. How could anyone claim in their right men that Asian men do not get recognized!
This is all, just so, so PAST TENSE.Why are we having this discussion at all?
*** OK, sarcasm off.
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@ Herneith
Thanks for clearing that up.
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Cool. Nice to see young Black minds are at work. We need more of it though.
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I see I wrote the truth and nothing but the truth, but not the whole truth.
My apologies.
Let’s try again, and see if I can do better:
After the Jamie Foxx win in 2004 and the Forest Whitaker-win in 2006, I was enthusiastic and thought we would be past this discussion. Now I see I was too soon with my enthusiasm, back in 2006. It is depressing.
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Or:
After the Jamie Foxx win in 2004 and the Forest Whitaker-win in 2006, I was enthusiastic and thought we would be past this discussion. Now, seeing the 2015 and 2016 nominations, I see I was too soon with my enthusiasm, back in 2006. It is depressing.
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@ Jeff Elberfeld
Ah, you meant that you thought those wins signaled the beginning of a permanent increase in the diversity of nominees and winners?
Then I apologize for misunderstanding you and misrepresenting your remarks and your opinions.
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Forgive me, I’m not actually contributing to this post…
I’ve just been meaning to appreciate abagond for these posts. I’ve been subscribed for a little while and I love receiving these short bursts of information on a wide array of topics. I feel you allow me to always be in the know and up to date. So, a big big thank you!
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I guess this time next year some will be mad that Mel Gibson and George Lucas will be on stage thanking people for the Best Picture Oscar for’ The Birth of a Nation’.
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So now a film about Nat Turner gets the green light. It’s called Birth of A Nation. Odd title seeing how that garbage by D.W. Griffin about those beast the KKK all those decades ago had the same title. This must be the sanitized version of Nat Turner because in reality there was murder of white women and children and lots of carnage so I don’t see the powers that be releasing that narrative.
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According to some of the articles I have read on this movie, “a nice white woman teaches him to read’. It must be ‘tame’ as you say as it set a record for being sold to some movie company. Apparently there were quite a few vying for it:
http://nypost.com/2016/01/26/excellent-birth-of-a-nation-is-already-a-2017-oscar-contender/
If palatable to whites, I am not interested in seeing it.
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@Herneith @Mary Burrell
“If palatable to whites, I am not interested in seeing it.”
You will be in good company.
The name itself is an insult. D.W. Griffith’s film, The Birth Of A Nation, was an inflammatory propaganda piece that set the standard for racist films for decades to come.
To link Nat Turner’s Rebellion to that racist piece of garbage is proof that the film lauded by the New York Post is just another film that focuses on the White Gaze not Black Reality.
I will vote with my dollars on this one.
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@afrofem:
If it was true to the history, it wouldn’t have set records at Sundance. There would be an uproar with the ‘critics’ claiming the film was intentionally inflammatory just as they do with the Black Lives Matter. There is a pattern here.
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I would like get all of your opinions on Bill Maher’s comments earlier in the week.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/22/bill-maher-the-oscars-diversity-problem-is-racist-asians-fault.html
I dunno about this one. I mean, there might be some truth to it since Hollywood makes a lot of money from foreign markets and it’s a largely white, dare I say racist. I don’t doubt there is some level of anti-black racism that is at play. When you read the hacked Sony emails, you get the sense that Hollywood execs know there is a racial dynamic they exploit to make more money. The question becomes whether is this the cause or the effect?
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^ I think that is a real cop-out.
I don’t believe that is much a factor at all. Certainly not an excuse. Many in Asia even will want to emulate Obama or Morgan Freeman when they learn English.
Also, movies like Rush Hour do well, with both Asians and Blacks in leading roles.
If the main factor in marketing to Asia were the case, why do we see even fewer Asian-Americans in US movies? Why do we NEVER see an Asian man in a leading romantic role? I think Asian audiences would love to see a handsome Asian man kiss a white woman, or possibly a sexy black or latina woman on the large screen, but it simply never happens.
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Will Smith and Jada are attacking white supremacy in the Oscars but they are promoting it through their company.
Will Smith started “Overbrook Entertainment” a company which has made most of his films since 1999
So you’d think they must be riding for black writers ? You’d think they must tryna open doors for us ?
Happen. Not. Gonna.
I always wondered why Will Smith was looking so uneasy in his interviews about the Oscars.
The company has made around 20 movies and only two of the screen writers were black.
Gina Prince-Bythewood for Love & Basketball (2000) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
And Tina Gordon Chism who wrote ATL (2006)
His other screen writers for his movies ?
Annie (2014) wriiten by
Will Gluck
Aline Brosh McKenna
After Earth (2013) written by
Gary Whitta
The Karate Kid (2010) written by
Christopher Murphey
Wild Wild West (1999) written by
Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman
S. S. Wilson
Brent Maddock
Seven Pounds (2008) Written By
Grant Nieporte
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) written by
Steven Conrad
I, Robot (2004) written by
Jeff Vintar
Akiva Goldsman
Hancock (2008) written by
Vincent Ngo
Vince Gilligan
I Am Legend (2007) written by
Mark Protosevich
Hitch (2005/I) written By
Kevin Bisch
Saving Face (2004) written By
Alice Wu
This Means War (2012)
Timonthy Dowling
Simon Kinberg
And then you have the final insult of all
Ali (2001) written By
Michael Mann
Eric Roth
Stephen J. Rivele
Christopher Wilkinson
I mean. Can you believe that Will Smith allowed an all white team to write the story for Muhammad Ali ?
Even at the time I though his film ‘Ali’ was poor to make it worse it’s not as if his white writers are writing him great films for him.
As far I’m concerned.Smith and Jada are full of it
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@ TheHipHopRecords
How sickening.
Denzel Washington is at it too, using a White screenwriter for August Wilson’s “Fences”:
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2016/01/why-didnt-denzel-washington-hire-a-black-writer-to-adapt-august-wilsons-fences-for-film/
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The problem is not that Black celebs hire White writers. The problem is that they seem to hire 90% White writers! And then you need to have a look at the film crew, the editors, etc. etc. Does their hiring of those follow the same pattern? Hmmm.
And why aren’t they DEVELOPING minority talent? If you said that they had a lot of Whites working for them, but they were developing many young minorities and using the occasion to train a new generation of minority writers and directors, at least you could see that their hears and minds were in the right place.
Today, it cost a LOT less to make a movie than it ever did before. You can use a $1500 DSLR camera or a $3000 Blackmagic Cinema Camera. You can literally edit it on a good laptop, you can lease the Adobe Premier CC program to do the editing for $10 a month. There are other expenses, like decent lenses, lights, sound,e and other necessary equipment. But even hobbyists can afford to do it these days.
The problem is that many minority kids would still never be able to afford it, even as cheap as it is, compared to the hundreds of thousands it would have cost in years past. This is where people like the Smiths, Denzel, and Oprah could really help. Give minority high schoolers the opportunity to have access to some of these things and see who rises above the crowd. You will certainly find SOME talent that is worth developing. The investment would be small (in the hundreds of thousands) and much of that could even be written off.
But I have never heard of this kind of ‘give back’ to the community regarding the development of minorities toward the film industry. It makes me wonder what they are thinking?
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I am not a fan of Tyler Perry’s work but i will say this he hires black people and gives them jobs. He created his wealth independent from white Hollywood. That is an impressive fete in my opinion.
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I am curious why Denzel didn’t honor August Wilson’s wish? He should have respected that request. I wonder if Wilson’s surviving family members have any say in the matter?
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Abagond
Now that’s surprised me about Denzel
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@ TheHipHopRecords
How many other Blacks within the Hollywood establishment would we be surprised by?
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@ TheHipHopRecords
Thanks for posting that information. I did a post a year or so ago about “The Butler” which was written by a white writer from a white point of view. (what else can a white person write from?) yet was still considered a “black movie”
Based on all I have seen over the last several years, I have come to the following conclusions:
1. That Hollywood is a satanic cult
2. That black (and white) entertainers who make it to the “top” are mired neck deep in this cult and have paid some unspeakable price for their fame
3. That entertainers are the worst possible role models for black children. Most stand for NOTHING and in fact, promote deception in the form of anti-blackness.
4. That whenever they are given a “mike” in the white supremacist media they are doing the bidding of their bosses (white supremacists) — no matter what it looks like.
5. That black people should not treat these entertainers as though they have any more significance than a movie or song that we like. Once it is over, move on to more important things. We need to stop counting their money and houses and cars and focus on real issues that keep more and more black families from putting food on the table.
6. That black entertainers have no importance in the struggles of black people and in fact, are often positioned to work against it. They would never be chosen if they had a strong love for black people and used a great deal of their money to further black causes. Their work would immediately dry up and so would the paychecks.
(Remember how quickly they pulled the plug on Arsenio’s show just for inviting Farrakhan on his show?)
7. Black entertainers are paid to trash black females and male relationships in their professional and personal lives (like having a baby with a surrogate with a white boyfriend) and to encourage further degradation of black life by making us appear like clowns, buffoons, low-lifes, and fools. Can anyone spell Waylan Brothers?
Naturally, I’m not holding them accountable for the sins of white Hollywood but I refuse to support their participation. I don’t give a D if another black person ever wins another award or Oscar ever. I would consider that real progress!
8. Our parents and grandparents wisely understood the dangers of degrading black images in the white media because they didn’t have the false props of false progress to deceive them into thinking they were “accepted” by white society.
Reality stared them in the face every day. Too bad we will have to learn that painful lesson all over again as this nation moves toward more fascism and more overt racism/white supremacy.
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Haha! You got that right!
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Actually that’s a good list!
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@ King
I expected to be slammed for calling it “a satanic cult” (whew) but there are so many video clips of celebrities–black and white–saying they literally “sold their soul to the devil” in exchange for fame and money
who should know what they did to get famous better than they do?
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But it IS a Satanic cult.
Well, I guess from their perspective it’s a Luciferian cult.” But many of them have admitted as much. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in Satan or not,
the point is that THEY do.
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SAG Awards go Black – Many Black nominees and winners.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3421758/Ladies-gentlemen-welcome-diverse-TV-SAG-Awards-make-mockery-Oscars-diversity-row-black-actors-Idris-Elba-Queen-Latifah-Viola-Davis-Uzo-Aduba-prove-triumphant.html
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@ King King
who said: “It doesn’t matter whether you believe in Satan or not,
the point is that THEY do.”
—
EXACTLY
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What gets me is that the Oscars don’t represent the public’s opinion: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjvv4zqhtTKAhUJVz4KHaPfAKUQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fcodeswitch%2F2015%2F02%2F28%2F389259335%2Fdiversity-sells-but-hollywood-remains-overwhelmingly-white-male&usg=AFQjCNGKt_gZKoQvMBxdZrS8bjOf-GQVEg
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re: King
But their fan base is mostly white. So are their sponsors. Can they afford to do something that might offend them?
Still I do not see why, with all their money, they could not do at least one production every now and then that is not dependent on a white fan base and white sponsors / investors or having a white saviour theme.
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@ jefe
But why would the White public object to the Smiths, Denzel, Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, or Mindy Kaling, simply providing equipment and training for minority young people interested in careers in film & TV? I can’t see why the general public would have a problem because kids in South Central and East LA were taking film classes in high school. Why would they?
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I think the white general public does indeed object to that, just as they would object to Obama doing anything that might benefit black people.
They cannot be perceived by white people as giving blacks any kind of “handout”. They have to be symbols to white people of blacks who have overcome racial barriers, and have become a hero to both blacks and whites, a beacon of colour-blindness.
My opinion: They have already made their millions off of white people. Doing something occasionally that might benefit black people should not damage their image to white people too much. Even if it does, it is not going to disrupt their lives too much at this stage.
Still, they cannot be perceived as doing anything for blacks that they do not also do for whites. Remember “All Lives Matter”.
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@ jefe
But how could it be seen as a “handout” when it would be minority celebrities buying equipment and software for minority students? It’s not like its coming out of tax money or something.
I could maybe see some resistance from the White Hollywood establishment, and the mostly White entertainment trade unions, but it’s hard to see why the average moviegoer would object to the idea of educating minorities to work in the entertainment field. If anything, this would lessen the need for handouts.
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israeli news source!
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/oliver-stone-jewish-control-of-the-media-is-preventing-free-holocaust-debate-1.304108
just goes to show some people make it their personal pulpit, now that’s entertainment! *not*
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i feel bad even saying that like? especially since i have 3 jewish boys, but those writers of the ‘black’ movies cited above are almost all jewish based on the names
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sensitivity training for v8driver!!!
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Relax people, it’s all the fault of the Chinese!
(http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/966615.shtml)
How about a minute of hate for the Chinese for mistreating the lovely Lou Jing!
(http://african-chineseguy.blogspot.com/2009/09/lou-jing-sad-story-of-black-chinese.html)
Note to the literal minded, sarcasm intended.
So, what’s the lesson here? People are the same even in stupidity.
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Looks like the SAG awards are trying to make up for the black out at the Oscars. Hmm……
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This is just one of the symptoms (or, rather, examples) of a bigger problem (racism). The Oscars are not the point but I am glad the whole thing is gaining media coverage/attention, because it may be one of those small steps that ultimately lead to something bigger. (Maybe? I’m not holding my breath though).
That being said, I can’t help thinking that the whole controversy will benefit the Oscars more than anyone else – a bit like a free advertising for the ceremony or something. Which is bad but not surprising.
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@King
I know it makes absolutely no sense, but the white people who are opposed to see any “help” going to black people are upset when anyone does it (even wealthy or powerful black people). Have you ever listed to what actual white people, esp. those who sympathize with those factions that “want their country back”?
I don’t even think the government looks favourably on that.
Still, I say the Smiths, Denzel, Oprah should rise above that white opposition and do the right, if only every now and then.
What is your explanation for their seeming lack of action?
Why do the Smiths chose to launch a motion to boycott the Oscars instead of promoting productions that promote the development of the very thing that the Oscars have been keeping a lid on? What is your explanation?
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Well, maybe I should bring up productions like The Karate Kid (2010) remake that the Smiths helped to produce. (Called “The Kung Fu Dream” in China).
It took place in China using a bilingual English / Mandarin dialogue and there were very few white people present in the movie, and certainly no big white names.
The China version was edited to remove bullying scenes and kissing scenes.
I suppose that we can say that they did do such a film, but still whites held most of the strings with the writing and the production. Going forward, we can compare what should be done to attempts already made.
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well you just need to start with community cable tv and kickstarter/gofundme etc. it can be done
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Halle Berry on being the last woman of colour to win an Oscar for Best Actress:
http://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/2016/02/03/halle-berry-looks-back-on-2002-oscars-speech-with-serious-sadnes.html
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And that old frog Charlotte Rampling had the nerve to say she thought the boycott of the Oscars was racist against white people. Later the old bat back peddled and said her words were taken out of context. Pffft…..
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Maybe it’s just me, but I saw Monsters Ball and I didn’t think Halle’s acting was that superb by any stretch. I wasn’t awful but not the best I have seen. I too believe her winning an Academy Award back 15 years ago had a lot to do with that raw sex scene with Billy Bob Thorton. And if that’s what it takes for a black actress an award, then we have got a loooooooong way to go before we see change.
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@Danny: I totally agree I left the movie theater thinking what a horrible movie and mad because I wasted time watching that mess. Because when Oscar time rolled around I just didn’t think she was that great. She did excellent work in the Dorothy Dandridge movie. They just wanted to see her naked.
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Did you ever consider that maybe this year the Academy just didn’t think the performances by black actors were as good as five other performances in each respective categories and they simply didn’t nominate them based on that, and it’s not in fact a racist institutional conspiracy or horrific wrongdoing?
I agree that Hollywood is woefully underrepresentative of telling the stories of people of color, and that there is a massive and fundamental problem on that level. I think if more films of high merit about people of color were being made, then the oscar noms would be less white. But while as you mentioned there were great films about people of color made this year that were deserving of noms, there were many great films in general that were deserving of noms and got snubbed, that’s what happens every year when you have such an exclusive awards slot. I think the nominations this year were pretty fair, and that boycotting the academy every time it fails to fulfill some kind of racial quota is wrong (and furthermore, extremely selfish in the case of people like the Smiths who are only doing this because they personally lost and have been silent about this ostensible problem in the many years since it’s been occurring while they’ve been in the industry).
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The live stream for the #JusticeForFlint concert:
http://www.maestro.io/revolt
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I watched Chris Rock beginning montage and he was pretty spot on. He made a great point in his opening monologue saying during the 50’s and 60’s we were too busy trying to keep from getting lynched and killed and if Sidney Poiter didn’t get nominated that year nobody cared because we were trying to stay alive, nobody care about the best cinematography. In other words what Chris was trying to say black folks didn’t give a damn. Chris even made fun of Will and Jada. I didn’t watch the whole show because i was waiting for my favorite show The Walking Dead.
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*opening monologue* not montage.^^^^
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And then Stacy Dash made an awkward appearance trying to make a joke that feel flat about black history month. It was definitely a shaking my head moment that caused me to roll my eyes. She doesn’t have the good sense to just shut up and disappear.
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*fell flat* ^^^^
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And to do something that I should have done earlier:
@Solitaire
Ah, you meant that you thought those wins signaled the beginning of a permanent increase in the diversity of nominees and winners?
Indeed.
Then I apologize for misunderstanding you and misrepresenting your remarks and your opinions.
It is okay. After rereading my comment, I see I had been misrepresenting my own point, thus I cannot blame you for the misunderstanding.
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yous watched that crap?
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I watched BINGO instead! I went to the casino and won 250.00CDN on the 1 cent machine with 20 dollars CDN!
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It is interesting to notice that no commenter seemed to notice the insidious racist jokes that Chris Rock at the Oscars made right after his spiel about the need for more diversity in Hollywood.
His jokes and the one by Sacha Baron Cohen did manage to make the news headlines in both the English and Chinese press in HK and Taiwan. That is when I decided to visit press sources in the USA and UK to get a fuller picture.
Chris Rock is one of the top comedians in the USA. But it is obvious that he, like Colbert, can drop racist bombs just as easy as the next one, while picking the same “go to” target for those bombs.
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anthony-berteaux/dear-chris-rock-your-asia_b_9346654.html)
(http://blog.angryasianman.com/2016/02/on-hollywoods-biggest-night-asians-are.html)
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King said: It makes me wonder what they are thinking?
A speculation:
People like Oprah are too dramatic. She’d rather build schools in “Africa”. That’s how you make GRAND changes, right! Only a true villain would critique that, right? *Groan*
What you’re suggesting is so practical King. You’re suggestion basically (in dry terms) results to a very targeted kind of economic stimulus among black youth (who care to go into movie production). It would be a sound kind of stimulus initiative/investment so long as the talent is actually really there amongst these youth…
but… It’s not as dramatic “Building schools in ‘Africa’!!!”
What are ‘they’ thinking? They’re thinking about dramatic interventions of economic clout (they’re own). They’re not thinking about small investments that spur production and set off a “virtuous cycle”.
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*but…It’s not as dramatic as “Building…
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http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/22/oscars-2016-charlotte-rampling-diversity-row-racist-to-white-people
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Just ran across this article in the Economist
How racially skewed are the Oscars?
http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/01/film-and-race
After articles like these came out shortly after the nominations, but way before the Oscars award ceremony, it just shows how much a travesty the “diversity” and “inclusion” rhetoric really is. Even more disparaging, it seems that most blacks do not really want more actual diversity and inclusion than most whites do.
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“What about Will Smith and his performance in “Concussion” ? That was an Oscar worthy performance and he got snubbed. ”
I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment. Smith did a beautiful job portraying a dedicated black scientist searching for the truth. Dr. Omalu should be better known. How come nobody whined about Smith being too “light” to play Dr. Omalu?
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The Academy finally issued an apology after an open letter signed by 25 Academy members was issued, although I would say their apology is a “white” apology, saying that it
They do not outright admit to having done anything.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3494285/Academy-FINALLY-apologizes-weeks-later-Chris-Rock-jokes-offended-Asians-tasteless-offensive-skits.htm
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@jefe
Thank you for posting that link to the Daily Mail article about Chris Rock’s behavior at the Academy Awards.
The Daily Mail can be quite sensationalistic. However, comparing their rendering of the facts with other media outlets showed just how ugly Chris Rocks “jokes” and other remarks were on stage.
Rock had the opportunity to take the moral high ground and blew it with stereotypical depictions of people of Asian descent.
A friend and I had a face to face discussion about stereotypes using C. Rock as an example. My contention was that positive stereotypes are pretty harmless. After all, wouldn’t any group of people want to be known as intelligent, thrifty and well behaved. At least those stereotypes are not the ones I’ve had to contend with all of my life such as, stupid, lazy and violent.
My friend countered that all stereotypes were harmful because they are a way to dehumanize other people. Stereotypes, he continued, are a way to ignore the individuality, the beauty, the ugliness, the greatness and pettiness of others. In short, stereotypes can cloud your view of the full (and complex) humanity of others.
I tend to ignore pop culture because it is so empty. Reading the DM account of that event’s faux pas by Rock was pretty disturbing. His style of humor nearly always comes at someone else’s expense. He’s angered me a great deal over the years and I tend to ignore him. His trotting out of Asian stereotypes was one of many lows in his career. Poor taste and bad timing.
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Updated (February 26th 2017): Tonight are the Oscars for 2017. Unlike the last two years, plenty of Blacks have been nominated:
Best Actor: Denzel Washington for “Fences”
Best Actress: Ruth Negga in “Loving”
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight”
Best Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris in “Moonlight”
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer in “Hidden Figures”
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis in “Fences”
and in non-acting categories:
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins for “Moonlight”
Best Film Editing: Joi McMillon for “Moonlight”
Best Documentary Feature: Ava DuVernay for “13th”
Best Documentary Feature: Roger Ross Williams for “Life, Animated”
Best Documentary Feature: Raoul Peck, Hébert Peck and Rémi Grellety for “I Am Not Your Negro.”
Best Cinematography: Bradford Young for “Arrival”
Best of luck!
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Does “O.J.: Made in America” count? It has a black director/producer and about a black person.
Has any list of nominations and winners been compiled for “brown” (Asian, Latino, Native, Muslim)? or maybe a full POC list (including black) somewhere?
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@ jefe
Yes, my mistake, Ezra Edelman too, who directed “OJ: Made in America”.
Winners:
Best Picture: “Moonlight”
Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight”
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis in “Fences”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney for “Moonlight”
Best Documentary Feature: Ezra Edelman for “OJ: Made in America”
The most Black winners ever.
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Any interpretation update for the 2018 nominees?
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For the umteenth year, Latinos and Asians are absent from the Oscars. I am not surprised that few Native Americans are nominated, but there are more Latinos in the USA than blacks and almost twice as many cinemagoers.
Oscars nominations 2018: Not so white, but Latinos and Asians are missing
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2018/01/23/oscars-2018-diversity/1055923001/
News flash! The Oscars are still so white. Just take a look at the most excluded group
https://us.cnn.com/2018/03/02/politics/oscars-hispanic-asian-representation-trnd/index.html
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April Reign is a Black woman. She and people she organizes with are more than willing to stand in solidarity for two groups that rarely support Black folk in any field of endeavor.
Interesting.
Would we hear anything from Latinx Americans and Asian Americans if the shoe was on the other foot?
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