Funny I had a similar experience. They were putting together a forum website and requested pics from the members. There was quite a stir when they found out I was black, but they were mostly European and Asian so I don't think they had too much experience with blacks or yanks for that matter. I was not only the only black, but I was also the only Yank until a latina joined some time later.
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Martin Baxter" <truthseeker...@...> wrote: > > Everywhere I've ever posted, I'm presumed to be White until I announce that > I'm of color. One group even demanded that I post an image of myself, along > with objects chosen at random, as proof. > > > > > ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- > Subject : [scifinoir2] Re: Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues > Date : Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:11:24 -0000 > From : "votomguy" <votom...@...> > To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > As a gamer and an anime fan, I often find myself in forums or chat groups where I'm the only black guy in the group. I often keep quiet about being black at first (so they can see that all black people aren't the way that they think). They are often surprised that I'm not what they expected. Of course, I'm not sure that this is because I'm a Yank or because I'm black or both. > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Mike Street wrote: > > > > I don't think its hate at all. It is the systematic characterization > > of African-American culture in mainstream media. If it was a Jewish > > reference that their community found derogatory no one would question > > their rights to protest. And also the reason that if you go over seas > > most people think we are all rappers, hoes, and sell drugs. > > > > > > On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 10:10 AM, Augustus > > Augustus wrote: > > > > > > > > > Martin, > > > > > > before u dismiss this one too, u need 2 see it. i have been reading all > > > over the net about this and i honestly did not notice it during the movie. > > > sure, i saw the 2 bots, but it never cease 2 amaze me how people will > > > always > > > revert 2 anthropomorphism. the movie was fun. one of those nice summer > > > escapes that i was able 2 sit and enjoy for 2 1/2 hours with nothing but > > > explosions, robots, cars (and some nice concept one's too), plans and > > > humans. throw in some humor from both robots and humans and it was fun. > > > so > > > i really wish people would stop all the hate. i just wanted 2 see what > > > people were saying and i went 2 a couple of websites just 2 see and got > > > into > > > a couple (o.k. 5) typo's with some really simple minded people. i always > > > find it funny how racist people can be on the net when they are hiding in > > > obscurity. s i told them, it's one thing 2 call me out my name when u are > > > wherever, but forget me being a Marine. i gave them my name and location > > > and told them, whenever they are ready, let's get it on. sad 2 say, no > > > takers. > > > > > > Fate. > > > --- On Thu, 6/25/09, Martin Baxter wrote: > > > > > > From: Martin Baxter > > > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues > > > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > > Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 8:46 AM > > > > > > That's another one on the banned-for-life list. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- > > > Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race > > > issues > > > Date : Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:04:50 -0400 > > > From : Mike Street > > > To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > > > > > 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 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 > > > > > > > > > ------------ --------- --------- ------ > > > > > > Post your SciFiNoir Profile at > > > http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/scifinoir2 /app/peoplemap2/ entry/add? > > > fmvn=mapYahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > ____ > > Get Social: > > Facebook: http://facebook.greasyguide.com > > > > Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/streetforce1 > > > > My Sites: > > > > Now72.com - GreasyGuide.com - HarlemFoodie.com > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds >
