* 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… Continue reading →