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.
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