True but those images are all controlled by white men who are making fun at themselves from all the movies that you named. Our community continues to allow others to control our images, language, and to profit from that with out question. From Bob Johnson to Michael Bay. If we find it unacceptable and we should not support them financially they will get the message. So again all an opinion and I haven't seen the movie. But I didn't enjoy the first one at all so I will pass on this one.
To me this has been a horrible summer movie season. On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 1:42 PM, Augustus Augustus<jazzynupe_...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Mike, > > to go further with what Sin just wrote, like i said, i watched the movie and > totally enjoyed it. it was a good 2 1/2 hours of pure escapism. the > anthropomorphism that i talked about earlier never crossed into my mind. i > have seen movies that poked fun at white people too. 'Delta Farce' was > hilarious to me. making fun of 'rednecks'. 'Superbad' making fun of white > geeks. stoner movie 'Pineapple Express (which i thought sucked, but a few > funny lines)' poked fun at stoner white guys. 'step brothers' poking fun at > white people. remember how we all laughed at Ricky Bobby? we see all types > picked at, so yes, sometimes you have to look pass the obvious. now, before > Sin jumps on me, i am not making an apology 4 the characters, but i do > believe the people are looking too hard at something. john turturo (who is > in the movie) even makes fun of his self when she pulls off his pants and > have on a S7 jock strap. we (the people in the theater) howled at that > scene! > but again, just my opinion. > > Fate. > --- On Thu, 6/25/09, sincere1906 <sincere1...@gmail.com> wrote: > > From: sincere1906 <sincere1...@gmail.com> > Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 11:44 AM > > Mike, > > And as you can guess, there is already uproar over the mere mention of > racism or at the least racial insensitivity and stereotyping. The game > usually works like this: black people (or other people who have faced > oppression) point out they find something degrading in a film, tv show, etc. > The maker of the film balks, asserting with righteous indignation that it's > absolutely nonsense. With an air of white privilege he/she will assert they > have no bias, and then turn the tables on those who are pointing out the > perceived racial slight. > > Most of America, ever eager to dismiss black or "other" grievances, will > usually chime in. Those complaining about racial insensitivity will be told > to "get over it." They'll be told it's all in their heads and that *they* > are the racist ones being preoccupied with race. A few famous black > apologists will be rolled out to say the black community should be worried > about kids with low hanging pants (the scourge of the afrotocracy! ) or the > like instead of a mere movie. Some will even come forth and say, "sure it's > a stereotype-- but it's also true, so that makes it alright!" Oh and the > Bill Cosby acolytes will naturally blame the rappers--who it seems invented > a time machine, went back two centuries, and created all known black > stereotypes- -forcing unwilling white masses to adopt them. > > So the powerful media mogul/company will be cast as the victim, and the > usually oppressed grouping and the few vocal advocates will then be cast as > the villains--trying to ruin everyone's fun. It's the old "switcheroo" --and > its quite old. > > In 1906 when black new yorkers complained about the Bronx Zoo putting an > African "pygmy" in a cage and displaying him as a type of ape, major NY > papers dismissed them as overly sensitive complainers. When Birth of a > Nation hit the screens and was decried by black advocates as racism, they > were also told they were just overreacting. Woodrow Wilson said he didn't > understand the uproar over the film, and that the only thing regretable > about it was that it was all "true." > > And this theme has rolled on and on and on--from Vaudeville minstrels right > down to our present day "jive-talking" and "gold-toothed" autobots. > Sometimes, as in the case of Don Imus or Michael Richards, the complainers > get a minor or temporary victory--but they must also endure alot of scorn, > being cast as "troublemakers" or "not having a sense of humor," etc. > > There are two powerful forces at play here--both the usual white dismissal > of black or "other" concerns as not really consequential but instead part of > some emotional reaction; and secondly the persistent view of black > culture/people as the entertaining figures in the white imagination. > > Of note, it's never always that cut-n-dry of course--as the first person who > I heard call these two figures "Amos n Andy offensive stereotypes, " was a > white movie reviewer. More power to him... > > Sin / Black Galactus > > --- In scifino...@yahoogro ups.com, Mike Street <streetforce1@ ...> wrote: >> >> I wasn't that jazzed up to see this cause I hated the first film. This >> makes me never want to see it cause when I saw Star Wars/Jar Jar Banks >> I was totally outraged. Until we control our own images these type of >> things will continue to happen. >> >> On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 11:36 PM, sincere1906< sincere1906@ ...> wrote: >> > >> > >> > Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues >> > Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues >> > >> > By SANDY COHEN >> > >> > LOS ANGELES – Harmless comic characters or racist robots? The buzz over >> > the >> > summer blockbuster "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" only grew >> > Wednesday >> > as some said two jive-talking Chevy characters were racial caricatures. >> > >> > Skids and Mudflap, twin robots disguised as compact hatchbacks, >> > constantly >> > brawl and bicker in rap-inspired street slang. They're forced to >> > acknowledge >> > that they can't read. One has a gold tooth. >> > >> > As good guys, they fight alongside the Autobots and are intended to >> > provide >> > comic relief. But their traits raise the specter of stereotypes most >> > notably >> > seen when Jar Jar Binks, the clumsy, broken-English speaking alien from >> > "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," was criticized as a >> > caricature. >> > >> > One fan called the Transformers twins "Jar Jar Bots" in a blog post >> > online. >> > >> > Todd Herrold, who watched the movie in New York City, called the >> > characters >> > "outrageous. " >> > >> > "It's one thing when robot cars are racial stereotypes, " he said, "but >> > the >> > movie also had a bucktoothed black guy who is briefly in one scene who's >> > also a stereotype." >> > >> > "They're like the fools," said 18-year-old Nicholas Govede, also of New >> > York >> > City. "The comic relief in a degrading way." >> > >> > Not all fans were offended. Twin brothers Jason and William Garcia, 18, >> > who >> > saw the movie in Miami, said they related to the characters — not their >> > illiteracy, but their bickering. >> > >> > "They were hilarious," Jason said. "Every movie has their standout >> > character, and I think they were the ones for this movie." >> > >> > In Atlanta, Rico Lawson said people were reading too much into the >> > characters. "It was actually funny," said Lawson, 25, who saw the movie >> > with >> > his girlfriend in Atlanta. >> > >> > That was the aim, director Michael Bay said in an interview. >> > >> > "It's done in fun," he said. "I don't know if it's stereotypes — they >> > are >> > robots, by the way. These are the voice actors. This is kind of the >> > direction they were taking the characters and we went with it." >> > >> > Bay said the twins' parts "were kind of written but not really written, >> > so >> > the voice actors is when we started to really kind of come up with their >> > characters." >> > >> > Actor Reno Wilson, who is black, voices Mudflap. Tom Kenny, the white >> > actor >> > behind SpongeBob SquarePants, voices Skids. >> > >> > Wilson said Wednesday that he never imagined viewers might consider the >> > twins to be racial caricatures. When he took the role, he was told that >> > the >> > alien robots learned about human culture through the Web and that the >> > twins >> > were "wannabe gangster types." >> > >> > "It's an alien who uploaded information from the Internet and put >> > together >> > the conglomeration and formed this cadence, way of speaking and body >> > language that was accumulated over X amount of years of information and >> > that's what came out," the 40-year-old actor said. "If he had uploaded >> > country music, he would have come out like that." >> > >> > It's not fair to assume the characters are black, he said. >> > >> > "It could easily be a Transformer that uploaded Kevin Federline data," >> > Wilson said. "They were just like posers to me." >> > >> > Kenny did not respond to an interview request Wednesday. >> > >> > "I purely did it for kids," the director said. "Young kids love these >> > robots, because it makes it more accessible to them." >> > >> > Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman said they followed Bay's >> > lead >> > in creating the twins. Still, the characters aren't integral to the >> > story, >> > and when the action gets serious, they disappear entirely, notes Tasha >> > Robinson, associate entertainment editor at The Onion. >> > >> > "They don't really have any positive effect on the film," she said. >> > "They >> > only exist to talk in bad ebonics, beat each other up and talk about how >> > stupid each other is." >> > >> > Hollywood has a track record of using negative stereotypes of black >> > characters for comic relief, said Todd Boyd, a professor of popular >> > culture >> > at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, who >> > has >> > not seen the "Transformers" sequel. >> > >> > "There's a history of people getting laughs at the expense of >> > African-Americans and African-American culture," Boyd said. "These >> > images >> > are not completely divorced from history even though it's a new movie >> > and >> > even though they're robots and not humans." >> > >> > American cinema also has a tendency to deal with race indirectly, said >> > Allyson Nadia Field, an assistant professor of cinema and media studies >> > at >> > the University of California, Los Angeles. >> > >> > "There's a persistent dehumanization of African-Americans throughout >> > Hollywood that displaces issues of race onto non-human entities," said >> > Field, who also hasn't seen the film. "It's not about skin color or >> > robot >> > color. It's about how their actions and language are coded racially." >> > >> > If these characters weren't animated and instead played by real black >> > actors, "then you might have to admit that it's racist," Robinson said. >> > "But >> > stick it into a robot's mouth, and it's just a robot, it's OK." >> > >> > But if they're alien robots, she continued, "why do they talk like bad >> > black >> > stereotypes? " >> > >> > Bay brushes off any whiff of controversy. >> > >> > "Listen, you're going to have your naysayers on anything," he said. >> > "It's >> > like is everything going to be melba toast? It takes all forms and >> > shapes >> > and sizes." >> > >> > ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- ------- >> > >> > My two cents-- I haven't seen the movie. As a person who loved >> > Transformers >> > as a kid (from Soundwave's menacing voice to Starscreams whiny-ness), I >> > wasn't all that impressed with the first movie. I didn't dislike it, but >> > there was too much silliness for me to enjoy it beyond the very nice >> > special >> > effects. On a note of race, a few things in the first movie made me >> > "uncomfortable" --the banter between Bernie Mac and the main character >> > (he >> > calls an elderly black woman a b*tch and she flips him the bird); >> > Anthony >> > Anderson's character was annoyingly stereotypical, and that whole scene >> > out >> > of COPS where his overweight friend ends up being tackled into a pool >> > just >> > seemed over the top. By the time I heard Jazz's voice (which sounded >> > like he >> > was about to sell me a Colt 45) I decided this was one of those summer >> > blockbusters where black folks were going to be the butt of jokes, minus >> > the >> > big black buck Tyrese. Wondering what this movie would have in store, I >> > just >> > read a review of it two days ago in which a reviewer (white) commented >> > to >> > look out for the "Amos n Andy" autobots. A friend of mine who is a >> > professor >> > of black images in media (of all things) saw the movie at a 12:00am >> > showing >> > last night, and confirmed for me earlier that the Amos n Andy bit was no >> > exaggeration. What I find interesting here is that Bay both says he is >> > surprised there's controversy, and then "brushes off" people's concerns. >> > Oh >> > to be white, male and privileged.. . >> > >> > Sin >> > >> > >> >> >> >> -- >> ____ >> Get Social: >> Facebook: http://facebook. greasyguide. com >> >> Twitter: http://www.twitter. com/streetforce1 >> >> My Sites: >> >> Now72.com - GreasyGuide. com - HarlemFoodie. com >> > > > -- ____ Get Social: Facebook: http://facebook.greasyguide.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/streetforce1 My Sites: Now72.com - GreasyGuide.com - HarlemFoodie.com ------------------------------------ Post your SciFiNoir Profile at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/app/peoplemap2/entry/add?fmvn=mapYahoo! 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