Re: The Portrayal of Blacks in Popular Media

No, my remarks are not of the "y'all ain't the only ones" variety for whether or not blacks were more likely to be beaten by cops, or lynched, or discriminated against in the workplace or public accomodation. My remarks refer specifically to media representations of people's lives. It is both unfair and unrealistic of you to extrapolate from a comment on media representations what my attitudes to the historical experience of blacks is. The comment about the Native American thread was gratuitous and insulting. In fact, i've avoided such discussions because inevitably, the discussion of the history of Amerindians is more surreal and distorted than that of any other group in the country. Whether negative or positive, about 99% of what i've seen fobbed off as history with regard to Amerindians was pure horse poop . . .

Jeezalum crow, where are we........

My original remarks were about unrealistic depictions of blacks and others of color in popular media - mostly about blacks 'cause I'm black. It didn't start out being about me, and I regret it turning into anything personal.

I don't believe I made the first crack, but no matter. The thread got pretty sidetracked somehow. I think its inevitable. I think its impossible for a black man to raise a question about racial inequality without stirring up a kind of ire in certain white men. It quickly seems to become about the one raising the question. In this thread, my reasoning is bad, my inferences are wrong, my breath stinks, etc.

Prove me wrong. Address your next post to the question of whether the exclusion of more realistic depictions of people of color is at all by design, or completely inadvertant, by the hollywood 'powers that be'.

I've nothing to prove to you. I didn't advance your thesis, so there is no burden of proof on me. As for whether or not there is an exclusion of more realistic depictions of people of color by the media, that's not yet demonstrated. Whether or not that were true, the thesis advanced that the media do not portray any group realistically rather begs such a question.

The question still stands for anyone willing to tackle it....

You know, the way AFUZZ was set up, you could just have made this a statement, and then others could have turned up to argue it with you.

Why don't you just state your thesis, and wait to see if some other suckers show up . . . as i've already noted, this is a question of the narrow area of media portrayal, and area which is by definition concerned with "unreality."

You'll probably enjoy this more if you can find someone willing to argue that there never has been any discrimination against "people of color." But i ain't your boy, i've not made that claim.

If you wish to see a depiction of the "black man" as hero, watch the ridiculous remake of Four Feathers in which the Black Muslim is brave, upstanding, kind, loyal, and good to his mother and compare that with the original movie which was much better and did not include the "obligatory" Morgan Freeman type sidekick.

Another laugher was the film Executive Decision. When the stalwart crew of "Special Forces"? boarded the hijacked airliner, the "expert" in bomb defusion, who had suffered a spinal injury, was the black character.

I offer these examples to show that Hollywood is trying much too hard to be "politically correct" and only gains contempt from the moviegoer who knows the truth.

There ya go, Snood . . . there's yer boy, go for it . . .

Setanta- Are you familiar with the Reports that list the PhD's earned in US colleges? They are, of course, factual and objective. Do you think that they depict reality?

I think they do.

Now, if they depict reality, Hollywood has already used up ALL OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MODELS IN THE STATISTICS BELOW.


2002 Phd's

Physics and Astronomy

White Black Asians

2.504 94 200

Engineering

White Black Asians

1,392 77 248

LIfe Sciences

White Black Asians

4,336 187 439

The information is there for anyone who wishes to see it.

Go to any top flight hospital. You will find only a few African American Doctors there and many will be from Africa, not the USA

Go to any large law firm. One of the top 100 law firms. You will find few Black partners. Certainly you will not find that the firm has 12% African American partners. Why? Racism? Don't kid yourself. Law firms are interested in those people who can do the job--they don't care what your color is.

Therefore, the depiction of Blacks in the movies as Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, etc. is bound to not only cause derision among the non Black viewers but even the least discerning of those viewers will wonder just why the movie makers are distorting reality.

We know, don't we, Setanta. Role Models. Political Correctness.

But it is rejected by mainstream America. Proof?

Look at the box office receipts for pictures which have black characters as the main actor.

Moribund felines do not interest me, nor do their screeds . . . don't waste your time on me Ital-Massa-Mortgato . . .

Setanta. You may try to excuse your inability to rebut my post but I will happily let it stand. If it stands without rebuttal, it triumphs.

Thank you, sir!!

Enjoy your mental masturbation . . . not my thread, nor have i any interest in your drivel . . .

Oh my!! Mental Masturbation!!!! Drivel!!!! How intemperate!!! You might come to the conclusion that the writer is annoyed> I wonder why?

Could it be that I pulled his beard???

I didn't even read your rant, you pathetic little kitty . . . so there's no annoyance here . . . when i see an Italgato post, i ignore it . . .

<Like he's doing now>

Its always a tip-off when you respond...

snood, Good topic. FYI it wasn't only blacks that were void on t.v. shows; most minorities were absent. As a child, that didn't bother me, because I didn't know it was caused by racial bigotry - it was just a fact we didn't question.

I've noticed, however, that once Asians got on to t.v. in sitcoms and news, it wasn't long before we saw many more.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's common to see blacks and Asians in all categories of news.

We've come a long way, baby. I see the cup as half full.

You are so right, Lash. What some do not understand is that if they say, in effectm, I think your posts stink--you have reached them and hit a nerve.
If they do not respond, then you are free to post your opinion without annoyances. I do not mind being the final word. It makes for closure.

snood loves it when you say that.

Cicerone- Your point is well taken. When I go to the movies and see an Asian who portrays the scientist who warns of an impending collision of the earth with a meteor, I enjoy verisimilitude.

When I see the depiction of an Asian doing a heart transplant, it makes sense.

I have read this thread through. I didn't have anything to say until now.

It is startling to me how easy it is to not notice how many whities are on TV. I am white; growing up I didn't think anything of it. To this day I don't pay too much attention. BUT: when there is a black character I notice that the person is black. God, how many times have I heard Chris Rock referred to as "that black dude". Why do we notice when someone is black but not white?!

There are gaping holes. Media does matter; and Hollywood is warped as can be.
Honestly, I feel like we should just stop feeding Hollywood. "Just don't look! Just don't look!". Put our energies into the wide range of media we have available to us and to available to create for ourselves. Hollywood is never gonna get better - 'cause it thrives on make-believe.

flushed, I must disagree a bit. We see many minority actors in movies today. Some big stars are black. Even I have a childhood friend that I see in many movies and tv sitcoms. Even Sony owns a movie-making company.