"Years ago, Hollywood had standards, which they hated. And then Hollywood decided to eliminate standards in the name of 'artistic freedom.' Have movies gotten better? Not really."
If you're a POC, you may or not agree with that statement in terms of Hollywood's treatment of POC, however, Reyes has a point. As writer John Farr states:
"...though in revenue and distribution terms Hollywood continues to dominate the global film market, the most original, intelligent, and enduring movies today are being made outside this country.
"...As a consequence, they are working that much harder to keep our offspring hooked on a steady stream of comic book and computer game adaptations, brought to the big screen with lots of quick cuts, deafening noise, and whiz-bang special effects."
How so not fortuitous is it then, that POC are starting to appear increasingly (not that much, not very well, and not demographically accurate...so don't get excited) in an age where film quality has tanked? And whom do you think will be blamed for the demise in film quality (since according to Farr, the Golden Age in Hollywood was from 1930-1960....a notably unfriendly period for POC, mind you)?
I hate to go all retro on you guys, but...it's time for some old-fashioned, consistent, no-nonsense boycotting.
But Ankhesen, I don't see how a simply not paying for the products will help.
Tell that to the music industry.
In the meantime, Hollywood has made it clear that it's all about the money and not about the the substance. So...don't give it your money. You don't have to see a film opening night. You can check IMDB to find out who's in the film first. If there aren't a significant number of POC in the main cast, just pass. If there are, wait and read multiple reviews to find out how they're written before you run off and give Hollywood your money. Inform your friends and relatives of color around the world about dodging a film which misrepresents any POC. Explain to your more prejudiced relatives--and we've all got a few--that POC will not see progress if we don't stick together on these matters.
But Ankhesen, I have mostly white friends/a white significant other. How do I explain why I won't go see a film with them?
That's easy: you don't. If these people who supposedly care about you don't already understand, then they're actually part of your problem. True friends try to understand each others' reality, not just stick to whichever version's more comfortable and convenient for them.
But Ankhesen, my friends already agree the plot is bullshit, and that the casting is racist--they just want to kick back and enjoy the music/clothing/special effects/dance routines!
Don't fall for the "Avatar Defense"--all it does is make you shut up and tolerate an "-ism" which devalues you...but not your white friends for some cosmic reason. Anyone pulling this on you is not a good friend. This is a person who's deliberately ignoring your reality as a person of color and derailing your social concerns, once again, for their own comfort and convenience.
And don't swallow the "Oh...I didn't know" milksop either--ignorance is no excuse, and no, it's not your job to educate them.
But Ankhesen, what about my kids? Aren't they too young to learn about race? Should I boycott things for them as well?
Ah, the Princess & Frog Defense...how lovely to see you!
Not.
Kids are too young to learn about race? Tell that to all the children of color right now who--by the ages of 4,5, and 6--have already heard something snarky from their white classmates about their hair, skin, eye shape, nose shape, lip shape, or accent--and whatever other fucked up shit "Mommy/Daddy says".
A critic wryly queried about Princess Tiana's transformation into a frog, "Is it possible the filmmakers — even if unconsciously — were worried that white adult ticket-buyers were more likely to take their kids to a movie about a frog than to one about a black girl?"
(By the way, read the first comment on this review of Princess & the Frog. 1) Notice the idiot author writes: "You don't see this sort of issue from Natives or Asians", and 2) note all the derailing from other commenters).
But Ankhesen, what about actors of color? How do we support them if we're boycotting films where they're the token POC or are overall negatively portrayed?
If they're the token or they're negatively portrayed, then they're not in the movie for our benefit. And if their portrayal is not to our benefit, then we don't owe them a goddamn thing. Granted, we should encourage POC actors to portray homosexuals or be a part of healthy, balanced, interracial couples (not just BM/WW or WM/AW--heaven knows those combos have already been overdone). However, if they can't find such roles our actors have two options:
1) Take whatever roles they can get and make whatever money they can without our financial and moral support.
2) Try to express themselves through alternate forms of art--plays, musicals, literature, spoken word, painting, sculpting, dance, etc.--where they can work with like-minded artists, have more say over creative content, and connect with their audiences more closely.
But Ankhesen, what if Hollywood starts making films which properly portray multiple POC in the casts and White America won't go to see them?
Like, I said, Hollywood's after a "real money" audience, i.e. a worldwide audience.
Guess who makes up most of the world?
I hate to go all retro on you guys, but...it's time for some old-fashioned, consistent, no-nonsense boycotting.
But Ankhesen, I don't see how a simply not paying for the products will help.
Tell that to the music industry.
In the meantime, Hollywood has made it clear that it's all about the money and not about the the substance. So...don't give it your money. You don't have to see a film opening night. You can check IMDB to find out who's in the film first. If there aren't a significant number of POC in the main cast, just pass. If there are, wait and read multiple reviews to find out how they're written before you run off and give Hollywood your money. Inform your friends and relatives of color around the world about dodging a film which misrepresents any POC. Explain to your more prejudiced relatives--and we've all got a few--that POC will not see progress if we don't stick together on these matters.
But Ankhesen, I have mostly white friends/a white significant other. How do I explain why I won't go see a film with them?
That's easy: you don't. If these people who supposedly care about you don't already understand, then they're actually part of your problem. True friends try to understand each others' reality, not just stick to whichever version's more comfortable and convenient for them.
But Ankhesen, my friends already agree the plot is bullshit, and that the casting is racist--they just want to kick back and enjoy the music/clothing/special effects/dance routines!
Don't fall for the "Avatar Defense"--all it does is make you shut up and tolerate an "-ism" which devalues you...but not your white friends for some cosmic reason. Anyone pulling this on you is not a good friend. This is a person who's deliberately ignoring your reality as a person of color and derailing your social concerns, once again, for their own comfort and convenience.
And don't swallow the "Oh...I didn't know" milksop either--ignorance is no excuse, and no, it's not your job to educate them.
But Ankhesen, what about my kids? Aren't they too young to learn about race? Should I boycott things for them as well?
Ah, the Princess & Frog Defense...how lovely to see you!
Not.
Kids are too young to learn about race? Tell that to all the children of color right now who--by the ages of 4,5, and 6--have already heard something snarky from their white classmates about their hair, skin, eye shape, nose shape, lip shape, or accent--and whatever other fucked up shit "Mommy/Daddy says".
A critic wryly queried about Princess Tiana's transformation into a frog, "Is it possible the filmmakers — even if unconsciously — were worried that white adult ticket-buyers were more likely to take their kids to a movie about a frog than to one about a black girl?"
(By the way, read the first comment on this review of Princess & the Frog. 1) Notice the idiot author writes: "You don't see this sort of issue from Natives or Asians", and 2) note all the derailing from other commenters).
But Ankhesen, what about actors of color? How do we support them if we're boycotting films where they're the token POC or are overall negatively portrayed?
If they're the token or they're negatively portrayed, then they're not in the movie for our benefit. And if their portrayal is not to our benefit, then we don't owe them a goddamn thing. Granted, we should encourage POC actors to portray homosexuals or be a part of healthy, balanced, interracial couples (not just BM/WW or WM/AW--heaven knows those combos have already been overdone). However, if they can't find such roles our actors have two options:
1) Take whatever roles they can get and make whatever money they can without our financial and moral support.
2) Try to express themselves through alternate forms of art--plays, musicals, literature, spoken word, painting, sculpting, dance, etc.--where they can work with like-minded artists, have more say over creative content, and connect with their audiences more closely.
But Ankhesen, what if Hollywood starts making films which properly portray multiple POC in the casts and White America won't go to see them?
Like, I said, Hollywood's after a "real money" audience, i.e. a worldwide audience.
Guess who makes up most of the world?
7 Comments:
Hi Ankhesen, I subscribed to your blog a few weeks ago and I've been loving it. I agree with you on boycotting movies that don't represent enough POC or stereotypes of POCs. I just wanted to let you know I disagreed with this:
"I have mostly white friends/a white significant other. How do I explain why I won't go see a film with them?
"That's easy: you don't."
I am white, and I'm trying to educate myself about racism. I agree that with a majority of white people, if they don't agree with you or go to those movies anyway, they probably shouldn't even be your friends because they don't care about racism.
But I don't think it's right to not even attempt to explain why you're not going to a movie with them. What are you going to say when they ask? "I just don't feel like it"?
Maybe "explain" is the wrong word. Just tell them why. Tell them you don't think POC are represented fairly or accurately in the movie. If they seem curious and open, explain. Maybe they have been so blinded by our racist society that they never noticed before. Maybe you will gain a new ally.
If they try to argue, or say they don't agree, you don't owe them an explanation. They don't deserve one. I guess that's one way to find out who your true friends are.
Thanks for your site. I really appreciate your writing =)
@ Iris
LOL - I figured that line was going to catch someone's eye.
The keyword, as you pointed out, is "explain."
It is an unfortunate reality that when it comes to discussing race, culture, etc. with whites, POC hate "questions." We hate "explaining". By the time we hit adolescence, we're often tapped out on "explaining." The truth is, it's not our job as individuals to explain complex issues like socialization & internalization, institutionalized racism, racial microaggressions, social conflict theory, and not to mention all the juicy little tidbits of history whites in America are usually unaware of or in denial of. In fact, most POC don't know the academia behind their experiences; they just know their experiences and they know enough to know that they suck.
So if you're white, and you want to take your friend/significant other of color to a film with a predominantly white cast, or a film in which the white guy's the messiah, etc., and your friend/SO says, "No thanks", then 1+1 should automatically equal 2 for you. If it doesn't, then you have a problem, and it's your obligation as a friend/SO to do the necessary research to solve it on your own.
And this is what often gets whites into soooooo much trouble with their POC friends/SOs--the inability to simply add 1+1 in these situations. It's not a complex idea or esoteric theory--it's common sense. More importantly, it's what will keep your relationships with POC from ending in a fiery crash or a lukewarm distance.
So if you're white and you want to know more about why your friend/SO doesn't want to see a certain film and what exactly is bothering them, then the internet and Amazon.com are your BFFs. Again, 1+1=2...race is a subject that's been hotly debated and written about for centuries. There's no shortage of information or access to that information, especially not in this age. In fact, many white scholars and activists--not just Tim Wise--have currently and historically made studying, exposing, and eliminating racism their life's work. Hell, the legendary John Brown had nothing more than his guns and his morals when he was shooting slave-owners. So when you have white people like that in existence--dating centuries back, no less--it tends to reflect very poorly on modern white people who "don't [already] know", because they have infinitely more resources and zero excuses.
Now try seeing it from the other side. When you're a POC in, say, 2010, and a white person who claims to care about you tells you "I don't know", then they're not just telling you they "don't know", but that they haven't tried to know. Oh...they've heard about race in the news, in films, and in books they read in school. They've had that exposure, but they've shied away from fully educating themselves. They probably even think that just because they're friends with/dating you, a POC, they don't have to learn anything more, when in fact they sort of, kind of have to if they care about you.
I'm with boycotting. I still have yet to see Avatar. Sadly, my eldest son saw it without me (and without my permission). He fell in love with it. I had to explain colonialism and white guilt to a 12 year-old - 'cause you know he's not going to get that lesson in school. It was a tough explanation, I must admit. But worth it, especially to a child who is half Cuban and identifies mostly with that side right now. He also learned that the island his father was born on wasn't exempt from the atrocities that come fro the thinking that brought the world Avatar.
You ever just get so tired of noticing everything that is wrong with films (like why there are 2 black kids at Hogwarts and the 2 Indian girls are, of course, exoticized "twins") that you stop watching movies all together? I'm there right now. The same goes for TV. The Disney channel is shameless. I sit there with the kids and point out every stereotype right in front of them. "Oh hey, what do ya know, another black sidekick to make the white main character look cool." "What? Another funny black child in class? Surprising! Why are the black kids never cast as the smart kid or the honest kid?" Most of the time my kids just look at me like, "How am I supposed to know?" But sometimes I hear them making sarcastic comments at the TV.
@ Vintagelux
Welcome aboard, and right there with you. If it's not ABDC, FlashForward, or Drop Dead Diva, then I don't watch TV. I've also been very picky about films; I go to theaters maybe 2-3 times in a year.
Thanks for your reply, Ankhesen. Sorry I haven't replied until now; I meant to subscribe to the comments and forgot =)
I understand and agree with your point about explaining. I read something today (can't remember where or the exact wording) that put it better than I could: the marginalized individual never has the burden to educate others about their marginalization.
I can't help but feel though, that, putting aside issues of race, a friend has an obligation to tell their friend if they have done something to upset them. A friend who is upset about something and doesn't tell you why isn't really your friend.
BUT, putting this into the larger context of race and boycotting racist movies—no, the marginalized individual is never obligated to educate or explain.
And if you are friends with a white person that has never bothered to educated themselves about race, then that person probably isn't seeing you for yourself, and probably isn't really your friend.
I think what I'm stuck on is this: I have a white friend who is 18. I grew up knowing her and her family. She is super nice person, but very naive and not a deep thinker, I guess. A while ago I pointed out to her something that something she said was racist. And it was like she saw the world in a new light. I opened her eyes to something she had never noticed before, because she had been stuck in the paradigm of the racist society she grew up in. Ever since then, she has been careful about her words, and trying to educated herself on the subject.
I understand that a POC in my position would be entirely justified in never speaking to her again after she uttered that racist statement.
But I am something of an activist in my personal life, with everyone I know. I think taking the time to explain these things can change society one person at a time. I feel like there are circumstances where it would be beneficial to society to explain.
I know you're probably really busy with your blog, but if you have the time to respond, I would love to know what your thoughts are on this. Thanks!
@ Iris,
Honey, reread what you wrote, from both comments.
I am white, and I'm trying to educate myself about racism.
I think what I'm stuck on is this: I have a white friend...I pointed out to her something that something she said was racist. And it was like she saw the world in a new light. I opened her eyes to something she had never noticed before...
Needless to say...that's not how it goes for POC. When we tell our white friends we don't dig something because we think it's racist, out comes the "you're over-reacting, over-sensitive, full of shit, making this up, being a bitch, etc." litany.
Had a POC told your friend the same thing, she would've more likely been "offended" [read: ashamed because she didn't want to be seen "that" way by a POC] and gotten defensive rather than open-eyed.
I live in Appalachia, in the beating heart of some serious whiteness. In all my years here of dating whites, being friends with whites, going to school with whites, having all-white roommates--you name it--I have yet to discuss race with a single white person who didn't immediately have a negative reaction. I have even been in the "movie situation" countless times.
That's precisely why it's so important for whites to talk with other whites about race. That's why Tim Wise has made an impression with whites which others before him could not: as he would say, he "fits the aesthetic."
To be honest, I can't think of any mainstream Hollywood movies that don't misrepresent POC.
Avatar was laughable, but at least there are many people of all colours who agree it was a sad excuse for a movie.
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