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Thu 12 Oct, 2006 04:29 am
<bump>
...I think this one makes people think about stuff they might not wanna think about.
Snood, the video played for me.
Call me sentimental, it brought tears to my eyes. Any time to see children and young girls struggling to love themselves for who they are, it should make us stop and pay attention.
The children with the babies was very sharp, though. That is not good.
Unfortunately, this is a strong problem with 'brown' people here, too. I am talking about First Nation peoples. We don't even know what to call ourselves anymore. Floating between cultures and identities, where the prevailing media image is WHITE, a lot of the kids pay. It is getting better, I would like to think, but it hasn't just 'magically gone away'.
A significant portion of my family are 'brown'. I have pale skin. Don't know how that happened. It's sad to say that even in my own family I can see this. Growing up, phrases like "what do you think I am? black?" (meaning: You are not my master. I am not below you.) and "flushd will have lots of boys after her. She's got beautiful pale skin. *cuz* will have to settle for a buck. (bc she has darker skin)" were common.
Makes me sick to see how it has affected some of my cousins. Hurts even worse to look out in the wider community to meet girls of all backgrounds, cultures, and skin colours questioning their worth and beauty.
For the longest time I didn't even want to be associated with that part of my heritage. I'm ashamed to that. It's true though.
Important topic. I know you started it in regards to 'black' people, and I'm sure it will quickly stick in that direction (USA/politics/race), but while I can I wanted to say that it affects everyone when one group of people is glorified over others.
peace and thanks for hearing me out
Wow. I'm glad to get to know some things about you a little better, flushd. Thanks.
Hi snood,
This is one that's interesting to read but no response comes to mind right away. Is there a question? If so, what is it?
"Do you think racism still exists in America?" Damn straight. "Do you think it's bad?" Uh-huh. "Do you think color-blind casting is a good or a bad thing?" Depends. The (black woman) who started/ runs "Grey's Anatomy" auditioned actors of all races for each part and hired the best one -- that's cool. There was some major recent movie that I can't remember that had a (maybe the) main role played by a black actor, though it was written for a white one. That's cool. If it's a representation of a real person, though, it seems silly -- my main reaction is that it's Brangelina being dumb.
Good to read your account, flushd, thanks. I very much agree with your conclusion about one group of people being glorified over others -- it's been shown over and over again that oppressed minorities of whatever type (black, Deaf, gay, etc., etc.) tend to internalize that oppression.
<video isn't working for me>
I have the same problem as Sozobe: Is there a question you're asking, Snood? I mean, beyond the obvious facts that racism is still here, and that some children fear it might be their fault that others discriminate against them?
Oh, this is weird!
While I was trying to find out who I was thinking of re: black actor in a role written for a white guy (can anyone help? sorry to be so vague) I found this:
Quote: Halle Berry is Top of the Class
Source: Variety
October 5, 2006
Halle Berry has signed on to star in Class Act for DreamWorks Pictures, and Doug Atchison has come on board to write and direct the true life tale, reports Variety.
Berry will play Tierney Cahill, a teacher from Reno, Nev., who took a challenge from her sixth-grade students to run for Congress in the 2000 elections on the condition that they would help run her campaign. The single mother ultimately lost her bid to an incumbent, but she ended up winning 35% of the popular vote.
The casting is a unique move for Hollywood, in that Cahill is a white woman. The production felt it was more important to find the right actress to play the role rather than the right white actress.
Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas is producing for the studio with Underground Films. The goal is to start the film in May or June.
http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=16820
So while Angelina would be playing a role more obviously suited to Halle, Halle would be playing a role more obviously suited to Angelina.
I usually do pose a question when I raise an issue, but I just chose not to this time. I think sometimes without realizing it, I may fish for certain responses by the way the question is worded, and other times people read things into questions that aren't there. I'm more than happy just to get people's responses just from the issue being raised.
I don't care about so-called "colorblind" casting for ficticious roles; if the characters portrayed are written without any particular ethnic references, more power to the casting directors and producers. In fact I can think of a couple of movies I enjoyed a lot with Denzel in them that I later found was written with a white guy in mind, but later altered to fit Denzel. Children would never know what color the person was "supposed" to be, so there would be no strange double messages sent.
It's the whole idea of casting a white person in a role of a historical or real life figure who is non-white that I have difficulty with. And that's the stuff I think has potential to cause confusion in impressionable minds. I'm reminded of the story of how Bruce Lee conceived of the original idea for the Kung Fu TV series, with himself in mind to play the role of Chaing-Kai Caine. The studio told him that they didn't want to go with someone "so Chinese" in the role, so they went with David Carridine - a white man made up to look asian.
sozobe wrote:Oh, this is weird!
While I was trying to find out who I was thinking of re: black actor in a role written for a white guy (can anyone help? sorry to be so vague) I found this:
Quote: Halle Berry is Top of the Class
Source: Variety
October 5, 2006
Halle Berry has signed on to star in Class Act for DreamWorks Pictures, and Doug Atchison has come on board to write and direct the true life tale, reports Variety.
Berry will play Tierney Cahill, a teacher from Reno, Nev., who took a challenge from her sixth-grade students to run for Congress in the 2000 elections on the condition that they would help run her campaign. The single mother ultimately lost her bid to an incumbent, but she ended up winning 35% of the popular vote.
The casting is a unique move for Hollywood, in that Cahill is a white woman. The production felt it was more important to find the right actress to play the role rather than the right white actress.
Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas is producing for the studio with Underground Films. The goal is to start the film in May or June.
http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=16820
So while Angelina would be playing a role more obviously suited to Halle, Halle would be playing a role more obviously suited to Angelina.
Yes, this is weird. And, I'd venture, a first. Anyone else know of a black being cast as a real life white figure?
snood wrote:It's the whole idea of casting a white person in a role of a historical or real life figure who is non-white that I have difficulty with.
Why? Do you have similar misgivings about people who cross-dress between genders, or who join online-communities under usernames of the opposite sex?
snood wrote:Yes, this is weird. And, I'd venture, a first. Anyone else know of a black being cast as a real life white figure?
Eddy Murphy, in "Prince of Zamunda", played a white guy in the barber shop downstairs. Does that count?
I agree about Kung Fu, when it first came on I was confused even as a kid. David Carridine did such a great job with that character though, he still makes good money off of it.
Another thing movies did was associate black with bad and white with good by the color of the hats in westerns. I don't think it was a racist thing, they only had two colors to work with and had to distinguish the characters. I'm not saying this is why little Susie says the black baby is the bad one, but it might have something to do with it since you're dealing with make believe, like the movies.
Thomas wrote:snood wrote:It's the whole idea of casting a white person in a role of a historical or real life figure who is non-white that I have difficulty with.
Why? Do you have similar misgivings about people who cross-dress between genders, or who join online-communities under usernames of the opposite sex?
No, but I think I see your point. Maybe I can't relate because I'm not in one of the represented groups you named.
snood wrote:Yes, this is weird. And, I'd venture, a first. Anyone else know of a black being cast as a real life white figure?
Eddy Murphy, in "Prince of Zamunda", played a white guy in the barber shop downstairs. Does that count?
No, he was a fictional character. I mean, if a little black kid has a hero or role model who is black, or someone he looks up to in history or the present who is black (and positive black role models are scarce), I think it could cause some problems in the impression it leaves, if those characters are portrayed using white people.
EDIT -sorry I wasn't fast enough....
Thomas wrote:snood wrote:It's the whole idea of casting a white person in a role of a historical or real life figure who is non-white that I have difficulty with.
Why? Do you have similar misgivings about people who cross-dress between genders, or who join online-communities under usernames of the opposite sex?
No, but I think I see your point. Maybe I can't relate because I'm not in one of the represented groups you named.
snood wrote:Yes, this is weird. And, I'd venture, a first. Anyone else know of a black being cast as a real life white figure?
Eddy Murphy, in "Prince of Zamunda", played a white guy in the barber shop downstairs. Does that count?
No, he was a fictional character. The name of the movie was "Coming to America". I mean, if a little black kid has a hero or role model who is black, or someone he looks up to in history or the present who is black (and positive black role models are scarce), I think it could cause some problems in the impression it leaves, if those characters are portrayed using white people.
snood wrote:No, but I think I see your point. Maybe I can't relate because I'm not in one of the represented groups you named.
You're neither male nor female?
No I am a higher, transcendent being (or maybe just high)!!!
Both Kofi Annan and Brad Pitt are public figures and their faces are known to millions. It would be a stretch to have Brad Pitt to play Kofi Annan as people would not believe it. However, if Kofi Annan was an unknown it could be done as the case of Halle Berry playing the white teacher who is not known. Besides it is a movie and people want to look at someone beautiful so Halle Berry being a beauty is a cinch.
I think Kofi would be perfect to play Bill Clinton.
"Hi, I am either Kofi or Bill, depending upon what the meaning of "am" is."
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