Race and Controversy in Film

Controversies in film that center around the subject of race are continuously growing in popularity. As we discussed in class, 12 Years a Slave is receiving just as much attention for Academy Award buzz as Django Unchained did last year (and there are certainly many more films in a similar category). Despite the harshness of the racism presented in both films (Django consists of repeated uses of the ‘N’ word and graphic violence), these films become critically acclaimed and praised for their realistic portrayals of dark times.

I came across an article titled “Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave: Two Takes on America’s Dark Past” that ultimately ends with the idea that some stories may possibly be too harsh to be put into film. From an outsider perspective, perhaps the reason for society’s “approval” of the content of these films pertains to the cycle of news, which is very unfortunate. Stereotypes and racist attitudes have not been alleviated over the years and we are constantly bombarded with stories of horrible hate crimes in the news. In one way, these films are raising awareness of how bad things used to be and in another way, these movies are creating a difficult viewing experience that only remind us of terrible societal actions that have not yet been resolved. It is almost as if the content of the news is what sets the groundwork for film. I know that everything begins with the people in society, but constantly seeing racial conflicts in the news is not reassuring that resolutions are possible. One can almost infer that current films involving controversy pertaining to race are reflexive of content viewed in the news. 

Rap Vs Screamo

I really liked the reading by Carrie B Fried, Who's Afraid of Rap: Differential Reactions to Music Lyrics, because she makes a lot of really valid points that I most certainly had thought about before reading this article for class.  Her argument centered around the public outcry against violent lyrics in rap songs.  I thought it was really interesting that she compared rap lyrics with country lyrics.  I never thought of country music as particularly violent until I read this for class. I agree that there is a subtle racism occurring against rap music. The "media" portrays young Black males as violent figures and this is transferred onto rap.  My question is though, why music with violent lyrics made by young White males gets a pass by society? In high school, and I hate to admit this, I was one of those little scene queens full of teen angst (why I ask myself, why).  I would listen to a type of music known as screamo and in all honesty it has way more violent lyrics than most rap songs.  Violence in rap songs is centered around gang rivalries and "popping caps" in people, but the violence in screamo music is incredibly more graphic and quite frankly disturbing at times.  A song that really exemplifies this is, "Welcome to Sludge City" by Annotations of an Autopsy. This songs lyrics, if you look them up, are insanely graphic and violent and yet there has been no public outcry against it. Warning if you listen to it, there are a lot of swears and horrible lyrics.( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy_lgSzen_w ) Maybe the difference is that you can't understand what they're saying half the time? The way that Black males are framed within the media cause Black males who produce rap to be seen with racial bias.

Regardless of race, parents should really be aware of what their children are listening to. They shouldn't assume that a rap record is "bad" for their child just because the man on the cover is wearing gold chains and saggy pants.  They should look into the content of all of the music that their child is consuming regardless of who produces it or what genre it falls into.

Music Videos

In Rana A. Emerson's reading, "Where My Girls At?" Negotiating Black Womanhood in Music Videos, she explains that Black women in music videos tend to be hyper sexualized though some videos do portray Black women with a strong sense of empowerment and independence.  When I read this article, a certain song and music video came to my mind.  Niki Minaj and Ciara's song "I'm out" is the perfect example of hyper sexualization while still maintaining empowerment and independence. The song's focus is on a break up and how that now after the man is out of the picture the women are better off.  Though the song speaks of empowerment and independence, all of the women, including the two artists, are scantily clad and dancing provocatively.  What kind of message is this sending? That yeah, as women we don't need a man but we still need to shake what the good Lord gave us in order to get back at them? Either way, when I'm in a certain mood I find the song empowering and when I look at it through my student eyes I'm appalled at how the women are portrayed. What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-TTNdyIMAE

Online spaces and race

Being in this class has taught me a lot about the relationship between society and how minorities "are" within the society, and overall I think that I have learned a great deal. But one of the things that really interested me was the concept of how people speak about race within online spaces. I agree that the internet is a wonderful place, full of information that we can now obtain with just a click of a button. However with that sense of anonymity, people feel like they have a good amount of "power" on the internet because they know that if they say (most) things, whether it be on a forum, a blog, or the comments section on Youtube, that they will get away with it, as well as having the satisfaction of making everyone upset (if that was their goal). Being a forum moderator for a popular gaming website, I do think that having moderators or "Gatekeepers" is a good thing to have in certain situations because of how topics can stay somewhat "on topic" without people getting harsh with each other and saying nasty comments to each other, but I think that the gatekeepers within the online spaces can be just as corrupt as the rest of them, and can contribute to subjecting the other participants to groupthink, making it worse as people will think negative thoughts because of the group. What do you guys think of this?

A bigger problem

In the article “Where My Girls At? Negotiating Black Womanhood in Music Videos. Emerson highlights that there are stereotypical presentations of Black women in the videos provided. There are two types of presentation for women which are sexist and independent. The author examined many videos to see what the portrayals of Black women are. Some of the stereotypical identities Black women were portrayed as in modern videos were the same as how Black women were portrayed during or right after the time of slavery. This is essential because there is this idea of how Black women should be portrayed in society, so they can “look” a certain way.

I linked this article to how Black men are portrayed in videos as well. Although this focused on Black women, there is strong negative connotations for Black males as well. For my final presentation I am focusing on how Black music artist live up to these stereotypical ideas of how Black men are in society.we find it common now a days, in videos to see women as sex symbols and men living lavishing lives chasing “sexy” women. There are few reasons as to why it is important to further question what this mainstream example means for us.

As scholars, it is important to discuss how these hidden forms of racism can bring more negativity than positivity in society. We are more open to discussing discourse via internet. However, it is important to highlight that during the time of slavery Black discussions were usually discussed in hidden places like salons. Now, with open discussion we see a more complex environment where people are more open to discussing the difference between what Black and White is.

For example, in class we discuss a lot of discourse online because of people’s perspective on what Black and White is.  One topic that is relates to this was Miss America winning 2013. This article ( (http://bit.ly/1duqM9r) on Miss America 2013. People questioned if she was Arab, Latina, or Indian, or Muslim. This is essential to understand, because after seeing many tweets asking the same question, it can be emphasized that online discourse can create commonality between people.

Instead of learning more about her via other online sources many people felt the need to tweet similar comments and create the same mind set, therefore linking America to an individual’s being white in order to win.

In another example, in the movie Hunger Games an article (http://bit.ly/GO1eUh) discusses how individuals tweeted and questioned how a Black girl played a character in the hunger games, although in the book no race was specified for the female character. People were angry that the “nice, good” characters are Black.

This is important when learning about discourse online, because as we see discourse creates commonality between people’s mind set, where individuals start questioning the same kind thing, instead of looking at the big picture. This pertains to the idea of how Black males and female re portrayed in mainstream music videos because it highlights that people are more concerned with differentiating differences between people instead of questioning what are causing these factors to become such as big problem online. I would like to emphasize that if people are accepting of how Black males and females are portrayed than it would become more of a struggle for individuals to accept a different perspective that they might not be used to, which in this case is understanding that there are many good portrayals in media for minorities.

If people do not question how Black women are portrayed in media and how Black males are portrayed and do not question the mainstream ideas that are replicated through the use of music videos, movies, and much more there would still be the wrong type of discourse present, where individuals are more curious as to what justifies where minorities should be placed in media and less questions as to what factors contribute to this commonality, where many individuals try to separate people based on their race instead  of looking at individuality.

A question that I am curious about are do you see commonality in many individuals when reading comments online? Do you think this stops people from actually questioning what the real problem in our society is? 

Whiteness and Blackness is not just an issue in the U.S.

During the term the issue of racism in America has been a central theme. I think it is important to note that racism does not only exist in the U.S. but also in places such as Latin America. Argentina is known for not having an issue with racism, but that is not totally the truth. The problems might not openly rely on race to discriminate but be based on an individuals class status through a certain system. Similar to the U.S., whiteness is viewed as superior while the darker you are the more inferior you are. The working class or poor are usually those who are indigenous or just darker skinned. The privileged white individuals live in better areas and obtain better jobs. Argentina has a different way of dealing with racism by not having a vocabulary word specifically for this type of problem allowing people to believe they are living in a racist free environment. It is seen as something normal. 

To be Argentinean means to be european or white leaving the indigenous people left out and feeling like "others". On the Ministry of Foreign Relations official website they gave ethno-racial statistics that Argentina is made up of: 85% white, 10% mestizos, and 5%aborigines and others (Sutton, 110). The author of this article mentions that there are no sources for this data. He questions where they came up with this information. It is interesting to think if they did purposely give a high percentage of white population due to the high emphasis on whiteness. The article even mentions that indigenous people born in Argentina are placed in a black or foreign category. But people in these groups don't even really know what to call themselves because there is no vocabulary word to describe what is going on in Argentina. 

I believe it is interesting to compare and contrast Argentina and the U.S. when dealing with race since Argentina is known for having no racial issues. Has anyone heard anything else about Argentina that might be surprising?

Sutton, B. (2008). Contesting racism: democratic citizenship, human rights, and antiracist politics in Argentina. Latin American Perspective, (35)6. 

Why are "Racial Themed Films" so Appealing?

Racial movies are described as simply films that are related to a certain race. Bamboozled and Django Unchained are considered to fall under this category of race themed films. These are also films that are widely watched by Caucasian viewers. Why do these movies about slavery and African American stereotypes do so well in the box office when it portrays the suffering and torture of African Americans? Sut Jhally’s article about The Cosby Show mentions that people like to watch these types of films because it shows that these issues are from the past and no longer need to be worried about and instead we can watch and be thankful that we are in a better place now. If that is the case then why are films such as The Best Man Holiday and other films with mostly an all African American cast considered movies for black people? Why don’t people want to watch an African American family or two African Americans fall in love? This is very interesting because films about racial issues are popular, but romantic uplifting black comedies are not.

It’s a problem of racism. People have a problem watching successful African Americans because it is out of their norm. Instead it is normal to feel bad for the African Americans and continue to do so by watching white movies that portray exactly that.

Can you find differences when it comes to the mainstream romantic comedy and a romantic comedy with an all black cast? Most likely not. 

Open Discussions about Race

The Internet has become a place where online users are able to interact and give feedback making it a shared experience. Since social media platforms such as Twitter have become very widely used, exchanging ideas in a virtual setting has become extremely common. People no longer have to express their thoughts and ideas in person and feel it will hurt their image. The virtual world instead, allows for individuals to somewhat hide behind a screen and express whatever is on their mind. It becomes an ethical issue when topics of religion, race, politics, etc. are mentioned freely and are not thought out in an ethical manner. Social media platforms are infamously known for the arguments that arise back and forth between users when sensitive issues are brought up. 

Race is a great example of topics that are brought up throughout different social media platforms, in both a negative and positive light. When these arguments are brought to the users attention it can either inform them about issues that they may not have known before and allow them to express their beliefs in a civil manner or bring about misleading or false information that might even hurt the specific races reputation. This type of negative impact can be called Racial Formation Theory, which means that race is always changing. Now, race changing is not the issue, the way it changes is. When individuals post about their certain beliefs about a race it can misconstrue someone else’s ideas. The Internet allows others to help shift our thoughts and can become an issue. We sometime believe things that do not have back up or evidence.

If you use social media platforms regularly do you come across these types of discussions or arguments? Do you think these arguments or statements can cause change among the readers’ initial beliefs or thoughts? How can it be negative or positive? 

Biracial Superstar Halle Berry

Last week we discussed biracial superstar Halle Berry. She identifies as black and has done so throughout her career, politically and personally. Her mixed race is something that America and Hollywood have a fascination with. The ways in which our society is captivated by the presence of mixed race women and men is comparable to how our society has a strong desire for the “other.” Those who are exotic, a mystery, and different from the white race are stopped and looked at to admire their beauty. People are curious about them because they are the “other” which is great, but their “otherness” also brings them a lot of scrutiny.

In Sika Alaine Dagbovie’s “Star-Light, Star- Bright, Star Damn Near White: Mixed-Race Superstars," I read that celebrities who are biracial or multiracial are commodified in the Hollywood culture even though some have made it a point to identity with their race. Halle Berry was the first African American actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress in 2002 and in her acceptance speech for that award she said, "This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless, faceless woman of colour who now has a chance tonight because this door has opened." This is the moment where she was recognized and acknowledge as a black actress. Even though Halle made a stance regarding her race, Hollywood still chooses to represent her differently in films where she is often casted in roles portraying the stereotypes of mulatta women.

If Halle did not identity herself as an African American woman would she still receive the same amount of attention for her beauty? Why does Hollywood portray Halle as the tragic mulatta when she identifies as an African American?

Why there are "Race Movies"

Per our discussion on The Best Man Holliday, our professor posed a really intriguing question that has been puzzling me for the past couple of days, and that is why movies like Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave, and even The Butler have been framed as being movies for all audiences (Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, etc), and have been very hyped up by the media stating that people of all audiences needs to see these movies, while movies like The Best Man Holliday, Tyler Perry's movies, and the like, even though those movies can be labeled as comedies, are now being labeled as "Black Comedies," or "Race Themed" movies. Then I thought of the way the first types of movies were being put out there by the media, with Django being promoted by Quentin Tarantino, it was framed as almost looking like a cowboy movie with the emphis of being "fictional," even though we know some of the things that happened in that movie actually happened in history. Looking at 12 Years, and The Butler, both of those movies were very much promoted by Oprah, who is a big media figure for all audiences (meaning they watched those movies because again, she speaks to all types of audiences, so it's not looked at like a "race movie," but a movie that everyone can look at. While the other kinds of movies are not being exposed like that to all audiences, but only to Black people, which is why people would say that it's a "race themed movie,"

Portrayal of Race in Film

Sika Alaine Dagbovie’s “Star-Light, Star Bright, Star Damn Near White: Mixed-Race Superstars” and our discussion on the piece raised awareness to how often stereotypes and misconceptions of race are present in film. The assumptions that society makes regarding race and ethnicity of famous actors and actresses seems to directly reflect the messages of fictionalized characters in film. When we discussed this piece in class, I immediately thought of the 2004 film, Crash. Anyone that has seen the film knows that it has a theme of racial tensions in Los Angeles over a 48 hour period as characters collide with one another through various interactions, positive and negative; but there is one specific example in the film that directly relates to our discussion of this piece.

Terrence Howard gives an excellent performance as a television producer. One scene in particular features a cameo from Tony Danza that also features a discussion regarding race in entertainment. As Howard wraps a shoot, Danza says that they need another take because Jamal is sounding “a lot less black.” Danza continues to discuss his disapproval of the dialogue in the television show and remarks that Jamal sounds like he is “seeing a speech coach.” This seems to offend Howard’s character but he willingly orders one more take after hearing the criticism.

This scene provides an example about how society’s perceptions and formulated stereotypes regarding race are present in film. In addition to the clip, the comment section is also very interesting as there is discussion regarding race as a social construct. The comments are not about the film but rather the discomfort and disapproval for the message in the scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsPWAw4kitQ

Kanye West and Cultural Rhetorics in Online Spaces

In Brock's article "Who Do You Think You Are," he discusses how the internet encourages interactions between people. This in turn though creates certain stereotypes and marginalization online. Brock also discusses the meaning of the phrase "showing your behind", which means that one member of a certain community has done something that represents or embarrasses all members of that community or group of people. One person who has become infamous for "showing your behind" is Kanye West. The article discusses Kanye's improvisational speech during the Hurricane Katrina relief video, but it also reminds me of the recent Twitter fight between Kanye and Jimmy Kimmel.

After Kimmel made a joke about Kanye on his show, Kanye took to Twitter to vent his frustration. Then he proceeded to go on Kimmel's show and talk about how he is such a creative genius and if he didn't say that he'd be lying to himself and to the world. He also talked about how he doesn't care about the media and the unspoken rules in Hollywood that you're not supposed to speak your mind. I think in the case of the Katrine incident, Kanye was not "showing your behind", because that was a very serious and emotional time where he felt personally effected and hurt. In the case of the Kimmel fight, I feel as though it was a little more embarrassing for him because he wasn't really speaking and when he did, nonsense (for lack of better words) came out. Though he personally embarrassed himself, I don't think he persay embarrassed the entire black community. I don't think one person's actions should dictate how we view the rest of the group, this is the main way stereotypes are formed and acted upon.

The Best Man Holiday

After discussing in class USA Today's tweet about the new movie The Best Man Holiday, I decided to do a little research and see what other critics and reviews had to say about the film. On rogerebert.com, the very first line of the review written by Odie Henderson is as follows:


"The Best Man Holiday" has the potential to become a staple of Christmastime movie watching in the 'hood."


I could not believe that such a respected and well-known movie review blog would write such a blatantly ignorant and, quite frankly, racist line on a professional blog. I was a bit taken aback, seeing as how this is the first website that popped up on Google when I typed in "The Best Man Holiday reviews". As expected, people commented on this line and were not happy:

"The opening line of this article blew it for me... why does such a great movie only have the potential to become a staple of Christmastime movie watching in the "hood"... really?? The hood? You critics will once again be proven wrong this weekend and the weeks to come when this movie shows it crosses all racial lines with the money it brings in. Please stop it with the racial overtones for such fantastic film." -from Adrienne McGee

I would not consider this movie "race-themed", and I'm not even sure that could be considered a common theme in movies. I guess the only movie that we've discussed that I would even remotely consider "race-themed" is Bamboozled, simply because the topic of race is overtly talked about and dealt with in the film. In The Best Man Holiday, though I have only seen a trailer, looks to be about friends getting together over the holidays. This is a movie that appeals to everyone and has common themes of friendship and family, and I suspect a little comedy and drama. That seems like a stretch to call it a "race-themed" movie just because the cast just so happens to be all black. Not only that, but the wording that critics are using is completely ignorant and insensitive and makes it seem odd that movies have an all black cast. The media has the power to change how we see things, and in this case they are feeding in to our societies underlying stereotypes.

What About Lily Allen?

Lily Allen released a new music video earlier this month, and the only thing I can think is, "where's all her negative attention?" I don't like Miley Cyrus, and I do think she deserved the backlash she got from her interactions with the black backup dancers during her VMA performance and "We Can't Stop" video. But c'mon guys, what about Lily Allen? Where's her heat?

In her video for "Hard Out Here," which blatantly mocks Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," Allen has black backup dancers twerking, wearing thongs, and dancing on a Bentley. These women are wearing fewer clothes than those in Miley's video and are doused in champagne as they rub themselves and twerk. Why is this ok? Because black women twerk and such in rap and hip hop videos?

Can you imagine if Rihanna or Nicki Minaj released a video with white women wearing next to nothing as they twerk with champagne poured on them? FOX News would certainly freak out, but I'm sure so would the rest of white society. It's absolutely disgusting that it's only ok for white people to do this. Sure Miley got some heat, and hopefully Lily Allen will too, but that only encouraged people to watch the video and download the song. After all, "We Can't Stop" currently has over 2,281,000 downloads.

Does The Cosby Show really defy stereotypes?

Although I never really watched The Cosby Show, I enjoyed reading Jhally's "White Responses: The Emergence of "Enlightened Racism." One of the goals of the program was to show that black people can be just like white people. Well pardon my language, but no shit. I understand that some people are just never going to see it that way, and no amount of television portraying a wealthy, white-like black family is going to change their mind. But more importantly, I'm starting to wonder just how "white" the Huxtable's were made out to be.

Because I've never seen an entire episode of the show, this post is based entirely off the following BuzzFeed article: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexnaidus/life-lessons-you-learned-from-the-cosby-show.

When I say I wonder just how "white" they were, I mean that there's clearly some inclusion of black stereotypes within the show. Whether this was done to remind viewers that the family really isn't white, I don't know. Perhaps it was done to personify the characters' backgrounds more? Whatever the case may be, even this BuzzFeed article about "life lessons" from The Cosby Show clearly include some stereotypes.

2. The Quote: One of the most common stereotypes of black people is that they speak "differently." The Huxtable's certainly don't - they sound like any other white person living in New York. But this GIF where the mother ends her sentence with "girl" is stereotypically a black "thing" to say. So was this done to remind viewers that she is black, or was it included to bring more dimension to the character?

3 and 4. Dancing: You don't see people suddenly dancing on Modern Family, but you sure do on The Cosby Show. Clearly no one in this scene is acting the part of a minstrel, but I think a "dance break" certainly relates back to that.

16. It's great that their daughter went to Princeton. Another common stereotype is that blacks are uneducated, so this certainly defies that. However, there's also that stereotype which assumes all black people are poor. This also defies that - $80,000 is a heck of a lot of money. But the mom saying "I want it now," isn't something you would see a white mother saying.

Georgite Tsiabas Take on: Enlighten Racism: The Cosby show, Audiences, and the Myth of the American Dream

        “ Enlighten racism: the Cosby Show, Audiences, and the Myth of The American Dream” will definitely challenge your expectations. Author Sut Jhally explores the Cosby show and the attitudes and concerns of both white & black audiences regarding it. The main point i suppose is to the show is that it presented a guilt-free experience for white America; they could see a professional black family and believe that racism was over and any African American family could accomplish what the Huxatables achieved. But of course, that's not true for the vast majority of black families who are workers  in non-professional jobs or unemployed; they're struggling, trying desperately not to drown when the strong current is running against them.
        It came across from my perspective after reading a section of the book for this class that the author believes that white audiences are relieved to see such a nice black family; it alleviates their racially marked worries about crime and the rage of the poor and mistreated. Not only does it lessen their fear, it makes them forget their responsibility to eliminate discrimination and prejudice. The idea that racism no longer limits the lives of black people in America is absolutely wrong. Check out the statistics on unemployment, high school graduation and college graduation, homeownership, income levels, and incarceration rates: the racial inequality is undeniable.

         I felt as though this reading reinforces the criticism that, despite the show's great popularity and positive influences, it promotes the dangerous myth that blacks who don't ``make it'' have only themselves to blame. What I learned from this reading is that viewers involve themselves deeply with the show and often see it as reality. White viewers can identify with and accept TV's Huxtable family as ``nice'' blacks; African American viewers appreciate the show's lack of racial stereotyping. However the author and others could argue that most images broadcast in recent years--hide and distort how most blacks live, thus relieving white viewers of responsibility for such inequalities.  In my opinion neither African Americans nor whites think clearly about class, thus society can’t think how race can intertwine with class.

- Georgia Tsiabas 

Georgia Tsiabas take on Bell Hooks; Eating the other: Desire and Resistance

Bell hooks article entitled eating the other: desire and resistance, exploits this idea of other for the individual. The curiosity, or let alone, the intense attention of white people towards the black culture, is very much emphasized in “Eating the Other: Desire or resistance.” Hooks mentioned in her essay that white men like the feeling of crossing over to another race because of certain primitive fantasies. One of the most important and highlighted examples she wrote was having sexual intercourse with “the other”. She said that this experience makes the white person feel more in touch with the world. The reason is simply because the encounter is unusual. To elaborate, Hooks said that the primitive race is more sensual. This is because, historically, they struggled more than the white men. Being black presents a notion of being sexually liberated since they are seen to be more at peace with their bodies. While the black are seen as loose, white men are seen more as stiff people .Another thing that was mentioned in the text was that “the other” is turned into a commodity. It becomes somewhat thrilling to experience what they’re experiencing. There’s more drama when you experience another race. Because of this, we see how that idea is integrated into media. “There is a looming interest when it comes to race. People are curious of the other and are interested into finding out what it’s like being part of “the other”. This is what makes their integration into media and in a way, becoming a commodity, successful. Even the experience of having sex with another race can be something that is turned into a commodity. It can happen that even sex with another race is something one goes through in order to say that he had already experienced “the other” (hooks, 1992).

A great example to identify with what hooks reveal can be seen within the music video by The Offspring, called pretty fly for a white guy. the concept of being cool is trying to pass as a black guy. In order to get women, he tries to pretend like he’s black. The nature of his actions is rooted to the fact that black men are better in getting women.  In the current culture, black people are usually perceived as better lover with bigger packages. They have the better and smoother moves. In relation to that image, this thought can also be applied to music. There is something more exciting when it comes to hip and R&B. What comes to mind, whenever this genre is mentioned, is either gang violence or smooth music to get the girl. Sex is a popular theme in this genre’s music videos.

**** One of the things I was wondering was: how does one know when white culture is appropriating black culture because it is honoring and praising black culture, or because it is trying to exploit or "eat" black culture?

- Georgia Tsiabas

Double Bubble Second Post for the Day - "Race" is a new genre of film?

The Best Man: Holiday is a film about a group of friends who get together to celebrate the Christmas season.  Hi-jinx, drama, romance, and all types of things occur and everyone has a grand ol' time (at least that's what I gathered from the trailer).  Sounds like a pretty standard, high budget, Hollywood film.  Yet, Holiday has been dubbed a "race" film rather than say a RomCom (romantic comedy) which it most certainly seemed to be.  The reason it was considered a "race" film you ask?  Well it just so happens that the main cast is made up of primarily black actors/actresses.  Sound a bit ridiculous to you too?  If not, let me try and explain why.  Shaun of the Dead, one of my all time favorite movies, is about a group of people living in London trying to survive a zombie apocalypse.  The cast is made up almost entirely of white actors and actresses.  Do you know what genre Shaun of the Dead is considered?  Comedy.  But wait, if Best Man Holiday is a race film cause the case is mainly black, then shouldn't Shaun of the Dead be considered one if the cast is mainly white?  Unfortunately it doesn't work like that.  You see, a mainly white cast is, at least according to our society, "normal" and what we've come to expect from big budget films because that's what we've been exposed to.  So when something like Holiday comes along, it's different and strange and as human beings we must categorize it as such.  Now I haven't seen the movie, and I probably never will, but after watching the trailer I can safely assume that it doesn't address the issue of race in a way that would justify it being called a race themed movie.  There seems to be this very annoying, very prevalent double standard that our society encourages when it comes to race.  I distinctly remember and article I read a few years back when Peyton Hillis, former running back for the Denver Broncos, was the subject of "reverse racism".  Hillis, a white man from Arkansas, plays a position in football that is, for the most part, mainly played by black athletes.  He claims that in his time in Denver he was the told that he would not be playing running back because he was white.  It was dubbed as "reverse racism".  I'm sorry, but to me, "reverse racism" doesn't even exist.  We didn't need to dub it anything other than racism, cause that's exactly what it was.  You know what "reverse racism" is to me?  It's acceptance.  "Reverse racism" should be the opposite of racism, it shouldn't even take race into consideration.  And yet, because it was a white man being discriminated against it was given a new name.  Why does Best Man Holiday have to be pegged as a race movie just because the cast is mainly black?  Why is what happened to Peyton Hillis considered "reverse racism" instead of just racism?  These are thing that exist because of this double standard, and honestly, something needs to change.  I don't know what and I don't know how but I can't be the only one who's getting a bit sick of this.

the interweb

Ahhh the internet, one of the seven wonders of the world...wait it isn't?  Well, it certainly should be!  It's definitely more impressive than the pyramids, at least if you ask me.  Why is that you say?  Well the internet is this magical place where you can be what you want to be, free of judgement, regardless of race and no matter what you're into you'll find a group of people who share similar interests and likes.  Or...can you?  Maybe the internet isn't as happy-go-lucky as we think.  As a self proclaimed "internet professional" I can tell you that the discrimination and the discussion of race on the internet are interesting to say the least.

As a frequent visitor and poster on Reddit, a content sharing site with quasi-anonymity (everyone goes by user names rather than real names) I have seen many discussions about race.  The one that sticks in my mind the most was a video that was recently posted that featured a news report on New York teens partaking in a new "game" called Knock-out.  Basically, the teens would run up to unsuspecting strangers and punch them as hard as they could in an attempt to knock the unconscious.  Unfortunately all of the teens featured in the video happened to be black.  This, of course, sparked some rather hateful remarks in the comments section.  Suddenly a video that's intention was to raise awareness about these crimes turned into a discussion about race and discrimination against blacks.  That's the thing about the internet, and especially sites like Reddit where you're hidden behind a username, it only takes one person to make one comment about race and the whole thread blows up.  Couple that with the added security and safety of the quasi-anonymity and people begin to say some of the most disgusting things you'll ever see.  And yet that's the great thing about the internet.  Everyone has the same rights to say what they want.  The right that is used to have formal discussions of race and discrimination where thing are actually accomplished is the same right that is used to post these extremely judgmental and hurtful comments.  That's not to say I support what these people do, cause that's not the case at all (I think closed minds should come with closed mouths), however I do fully support the idea of the freedom of speech on the internet.

The internet is an interesting place, and I feel we still don't know enough about it to consider ourselves experts on it.  I believe that as the internet begins to change and evolve so too will the people who use it.  I like to think that as the upcoming generations get old enough to have proper conversations of race we'll begin to see less and less of the hate and discrimination that we see online today.  We've already started to see a change in acceptance across all levels, none more recent than the signing of the gay marriage bill in Illinois just this Wednesday.  That being said, I don't believe we will ever rid the internet of intolerant and racist people because, well, that's just how the internet is.

Red and yellow, black and white, we've all got freedom of speech...right?

These last few articles that we've read on the online upheaval that followed such events as Kanye's appeal after Katrina, Reverend Lowery's infamous prayer and "Real Thugs" commenting about "The Wire" have been, hands down, some of my favorite.

I was particularly fascinated by the reaction to Reverend Lowery's imaginative contribution to President Obama's inauguration ceremony. Now, I didn't know when I read the transcript the Lowery was white. I probably knew at the time, but it hadn't clicked when I read it. And that in itself was interesting, but let's take another look at the part that really set people off:

"Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get [in] back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen! Say Amen! And Amen!" (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Personally, I had a little trouble seeing what all the fuss was about. 

First of all, Lowery addressed a lot of racial issues (except for the "yellow" being "mellow" bit, I have no idea what he was on about there) like poverty, social and racial equality and political rights, ethics and justice, to name a few. I'm not sure if it was Lowery's intention to link most of those issues back to white people "embracing what is right", but that seems to be the popular interpretation.

I just really enjoyed getting a glimpse of the conflict that surrounded this speech. Is there really an appropriate time to address racial issues (or an inappropriate one, for that matter)? According to the majority, a disaster relief commercial and national events on live tv seem to be taboo platforms to address racial. 

And yet, one could argue that any space considered "public" would incur the same criticism. With the advent of the Word Wide Web, our perception of public space and spheres have been overturned and we don't have a bedroom door to point at and say "here is your private space". This is not a middle school sex talk. No matter how uncomfortable we may feel in discussing controversial subjects, we have to realize that almost all space is public space and that we can't just hide behind excuses anymore. Forums, chats, blogs, as well as broadcast events and face-to-face conversations, they have all become equal platforms for debate and we can't ignore that any longer.

So the question still remains, are we going to continue to protest that challenging, discussing, even insulting race is something that should be done in "private", where "private" is no longer an option? Are we really trying to keep the conversation kosher or are we covering up some potentially world-changing debates in exchange for awkward silence?

Race in a an Online Space

In his essay The Wire:  Deconstructing Race on the Internet, Brock analyzed the posts and comments published on a blog and separated the comments that were not specifically about the show such as impact of race of the show, the characters, the creators, race, law, and crime (p. 347).  He therefore evaluated comments that were left that were not necessarily a response to the show that the blog was discussing but instead focused on issues such as race. Examples of these online spaces where people discuss issues like these are evident everywhere in the internet.  

Incidentally I recently came across an online space, where users where discussing the issue of race.  (Spoiler alert:  if you watch the show Person of Interest but are not caught up, do not keep reading!)

Scrolling online, I happened to bump into an article headline which revealed that Detective Carter (Taraji P. Henson) from Person of Interest was killed off. Coincidentally this show happens to be  one of the shows that I recently coded, and I therefore had to click on it because I found it ironic.    

I couldn't help but notice that as I stated in a previous blog post, there was only one primary or supporting African-American character compared to several white ones.  Captain Carter happened to be that one character--hence the irony.  It appeared to be that I was not the only that noticed this detail.  

One user was unhappy about this decision,  'Esimon' stated "sorry but I didn't like the fact that you killed the alonely [sic] women of color I wiill [sic] not be watch and most of the people that I work with said the same."

Another user,  'Kitty,' responded "Sorry, but that’s a racist comment. Sorry you feel that you can’t watch a show just because they killed the only black character off. Racist comment. If you chose the life of a police officer, chances are, you could possibly die. That’s the way it is. Black, white, Mexican, Asian, whatever your race is, if you are a police officer, it is highly probable that you will die."

Kitty's reply to Esimon is an example of an attempt to claim reverse racism.But to claim that feeling upset because the only black character in a show dies is  ‘reverse racism’ diminishes the real experiences that many minority groups really do encounter racism. There is no system of oppression in America that actively works to subjugate and oppress white people. Minority groups do not have the institutionalized power to actively oppress whites in every facet of their life, nor would their racism be upheld and supported by government, media, education, housing practices in contrary to other groups.  

To read the article and the rest of the comments (which also discuss race), click here. 

I want to know--do you believe that reverse racism exists?  

Stuck in the Middle

For my last blog post I am going to discuss something that is a bit personal but related to what Bell Hooks was writing about marginalization.  I grew up in a racially and culturally mixed family.  My father was born in the U.S. (1^st generation) and my mom was born in Mexico, which I guess would make my siblings and I 1.5^th generation born.  My mother’s family still adheres to a traditional Mexican culture but is currently undergoing changes because of the family members born in the U.S. who have adopted a more Americanized culture to a certain degree.  On the other hand my father’s family is American who are racially hispanic.

My parents are both educated people with advanced degrees who worked closely with the Latino community in Chicago.  My dad ran a mental health and social services agency in Pilsen for many years and my mom was the principle of a majority Latino CPS grammar school.  As I got older I learned about the many hardships that they faced through their lives both personally, and professionally.  For many years they fought against a prejudice system that neglected and overlooked the needs of the Latino community. 

I on the other hand never faced that prejudice until I got to high school.  I went to a mixed race grammar school for nine years and made friends with people of many different backgrounds and I thought that that type of acceptance would follow me into High School.  It didn’t.  When I went to a predominantly white high school I was marginalized and treated as different because even though I was Latino I didn’t “behave” like a Latino.  I made a few friends who were white but it was made clear that I was not like them by the way they interacted with me and talked with me.  They thought that I was some kind of genius because I got better grades than them so I became this “smart Mexican”, which I found insulting because they were basically insinuating that Mexicans are normally stupid.  When I left I went to a high school in the city that was predominantly minorities and even though I made a lot more friends and enjoyed it more than my previous high school I was still marginalized by the other Latinos and minorities because I again didn’t “act” like a Latino.  I remember one time being asked why I acted so white, and at the time it was a question that was very frustrating because I didn’t know how to answer it.

The Bell Hooks reading reminded me of this because even though I was forcibly marginalized I was still able to gain some insight into the hardships that comes with being the other.  The questions I found myself asking were always what and why.  What does it mean to act Latino?  What does it mean to act white?  Why should I act like either?  What is wrong with the way I act?  Why can't I just be Emiliano?  Rather than change who I was to accommodate a stereotype I became very critical of the institutions around me. In High School I was the other of the other, and over time I have come to accept that not because it is a label that was placed upon me but because I liked it. I was different, I didn’t fall in line with these preconceived notions and that was my way of showing resistance.  I was always on the outside looking in from both angles and from that I am able to be both critical and understanding.

I have found college to be a much more accepting encouraging environment for the types of discussions we have in 458 because it is an institution of higher learning.  The insight and knowledge gained as a communications major I believe has given me the tools to continue living a life that breaks people’s expectations of what a Latino is.  I may continue to be marginalized but because I have been exposed to so many different types of peoples and beliefs  I am better prepared to deal with those issues and dissolve them over time.  I take pride in being Latino, but that pride does not come from a preconceived notion. 

So my last questions for you all I guess is have you ever been marginalized and how did you deal with it?