Early Hollywood Depictions Find Their Way Into Modern Film and No One Seems to Care
* This article is originally posted at The Chancellor’s New Clothes by Learners Inherit the Earth and used here with permission.
I have been teaching three summer school courses focusing on the Origins of Black-American Stereotypes and Their Use in Modern Society. My students laughed at me as I explained hidden racial stereotypes in movies Like “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” and “Shrek.” They were upset to find that the movies and TV shows that they watch almost daily are subliminally teaching them to hate and oppresses themselves through the use of subliminally hidden racial stereotypes. It is, of course, a topic that as a Black Woman, I am passionate about and, as you can imagine, I am passionate in my teaching of the subject.
So, imagine my disgust when I came home to prepare the next edition of The Carnival of Education, only to be bombarded by commercials and trailers for a movie called “Tropic Thunder” in which Robert Downey Jr. dons “blackface” in a comedic role. To say the least, my jaw hit the ground, however, at first I had not realized that a Black actor was not playing this “Black” character. I even chuckled at the trailer until my husband told me that the actor was in fact, Downey. Apparently, Robert Downey Jr plays an actor whose claim to fame is that he was transformed into a Black man for a role (see picture above).
The absurdity does not stop here. I could not find a SINGLE article condemning Ben Stiller for writing and directing the movie. In fact, all of the write-ups that I saw hail the movie as a “Comedic Success” even calling Downey’s portrayal as accurate. Wow. (I will not link to these reviews because I cannot even accidentally support this movie).
This is what America has become? We are so desensitized to racism and prejudice that we cannot recognize it when it is smacking us right in the face. Bin Stiller should be ashamed because had this been a movie in which a Black man was made up to be Jewish, he would have been livid. The Jewish community would have been outraged.
So, where are the usually vocal pseudo-Civil Right’s Leaders like Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, and the Nation of Islam? Dammit, I would even settle for an outcry from Chris Rock, Oprah Winfrey or Bill Cosby. Nevertheless, there has been nothing. When Ted Danson wore blackface to a Friar’s Club Roast, there was a collective gasp of disgust from everyone. But now, nothing.
This is an article that provides lots of food for thought. I have to tell you upfront that I disagree with you about the character in the film. This is comedy and I don’t find it offensive at all. The pure absurdity of an actor “becoming black” in and of itself is enough to make me laugh. The actor has an operation – he doesn’t don make-up he becomes a black man.
I don’t know about you but I seriously doubt that any white man in America would willfully chose to become black.
Eddie Murphy has played white men in some of his films but unlike this one he actually was wearing “white face.” I just don’t liken Ben Stiller’s movie to the ones of the past but I have only seen trailers who knows what I will think once I actually see the movie (on Netflix).
All of the other images I do find offensive. The model looks like one of those Mammy dolls from back in the day.
I remember the Beneton ad I know that was outcry about that one.
And the “satirical” New Yorker cover was just in bad taste and not satirical at all in my opinion.
Thank you for posting this and opening up the dialogue about black images in America, I do think it is high time for us to have this discussion.
Mekhis Moms last blog post..What is that sound?
Thank you so much for commenting. I understand what you are saying about the movie being comedy and about the “character” having surgery to become a black man, but I think this could have been done using a black actor instead of a white actor who wears black makeup. I see nothing wrong with the premise of the movie. I just have a problem with the way it was done. Truthfully, I never felt comfortable with Eddie Murphy wearing “white face” nor with the Wayans Brothers doing the film “White Chicks” because I think it opens up the flood gates for things to just get worse. Where do we draw the line? When do we say, “OK, this is too much”?
I firmly believe that we are becoming to accepting of things that have horrendous implication for the future of this country.,
Thanks again for you comment.