Classified X...... Yea, I hear ya Mr Van Pebles!, I hear ya! Sure enough the information disclosed in this film may have been new news to some, but It was only supporting evidence to things that I had already known. I have always been one to decipher a film and to examine it's content. When everyone else would say " it's just a film!" But it's so much more than just a film! It's reality to those of us who have seen similar instances in public establishment such as movie theaters, restaurants. We've all seen ignorance by African Americans in public, the loud obnoxious guy who's using the N word like it's his favorite word in their vocabulary. And this individual is unphased by the stares in which they receive attributed to their raunch discourse.
I can not speak of the films created in the 30's, 40's, and 50's, I have never really been a fan of the old cinema, even though I probably should indulge in such classic cinema. but the root of all good cinema is realism! When I see A guy fire a six shooter 8 times repetitively, the film looses all sense of realism from that point on. But what if I was some snot noised 17 yea old kid who never even heard the term six shooter, And seen the same thing? out of ignorance, the film still kicks ass right?
There is a problem with film makers giving the public false portrayals of real life. this statement holds truths in all forms of media, rather it be news media, music media, or film media. Unfortunately it appears that the powers that be yield the almighty media sword, and are reluctant to put such a powerful tool in the hands of those of us who want to depict a realistic version of true to life characters, as well as scenarios. Why is it this way you may ask? Well.....In life, there are winners, and their are losers. and the winners, also known as the have's intend to keep their counterparts, the have not's into constant conflict, therefore obliterating the probability of the feeble minded have not's to do something that is detrimental to change, and that is to think logically, rather than to think like an elitus and a racist, leaving those of us who see things unfamiliar to us to live in fear of the unknown. Media is the ultimate tool to control the thinking process of the feeble minded! and it is so convenient to, all in the comfort of your very own home!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Alienation As A Fulcrum To Change
As I watched Classified X and Ethnic Notions, I was moved to think that marginalization in the mass media is a form of social control. African Americans were marginalized and misrepresented by "Hollywood" in an attempt to maintain the controls of institutional racism. At the same time African Americans were being marginalized, women, people of other races and cultures, and even lower economic groups were being marginalized and misrepresented, in an effort to create conformity. The examples of "separate but equal" and a "women's place is in the home" are examples of an attempt to control a population's values. If groups are demeaned in the popular culture, films in this case, then the idea of discrimination is easier to accept.
This makes me wonder if the social change which occurred was a matter of alienation with the "powers that be" and that the change was a true democratic movement. The civil rights movement was a multiracial movement; the protests against the War in Vietnam was a multi racial movement; and the women's movement was a multiracial movement. People were able to see beyond the shadows that the mass media were promoting. The struggle of a black man was transformed into a human struggle. The mass media might marginalize African Americans and their culture, but the pictures night after night of water cannons and dogs attacking peaceful protestors changed the dynamic. People saw that whatever the predjudice between races and cultures the struggle for humanity was really a universal cause.
Did this lead us to be alienated by a culture of conformity? At least a part of the culture; youth, intellectuals and the "marginalized" began to see that the status quo was not serving their needs or their desires and "revolted." This led to a civil rights movement, an attempt at affirmative action and at least the trappings of bringing the marginalized into the discourse. Rather then a single movie, or single leader, I think this alienation aided the nation in at least attempting to fix a system which was by any account broken. The art of the marginalized assisted in promoting this change; whether a book Claude Brown's Manchild in The Promisedland or movie Van Peeble's Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song; art bridged the gap and fostered some change.
I think the Hip Hop culture and the associated music and films demonstrate how this change is an ongoing process. Parts of all races, cultures and economic groups find a voice in the message of this genre. Although founded in the alienation of discrimination, many people can relate this message to their own experiences and life. My point is that it seems we are growing past a culture which maintained institutional racism for nearly four hundred years and growing together, sometimes too slowly, towards a more honest and respectful coexistence. Twenty years ago, Don Imus' comments about the Rutger's Women's basketball team might have struck many people as funny, because the mass media had been directed towards the support of institutional racism. Instead, Imus was chastized and the nation came to realize that there was no place for that conduct in the mass media. Alienation, amongst all people, was a fulcrum to change.
James Kimball
9/13/07
This makes me wonder if the social change which occurred was a matter of alienation with the "powers that be" and that the change was a true democratic movement. The civil rights movement was a multiracial movement; the protests against the War in Vietnam was a multi racial movement; and the women's movement was a multiracial movement. People were able to see beyond the shadows that the mass media were promoting. The struggle of a black man was transformed into a human struggle. The mass media might marginalize African Americans and their culture, but the pictures night after night of water cannons and dogs attacking peaceful protestors changed the dynamic. People saw that whatever the predjudice between races and cultures the struggle for humanity was really a universal cause.
Did this lead us to be alienated by a culture of conformity? At least a part of the culture; youth, intellectuals and the "marginalized" began to see that the status quo was not serving their needs or their desires and "revolted." This led to a civil rights movement, an attempt at affirmative action and at least the trappings of bringing the marginalized into the discourse. Rather then a single movie, or single leader, I think this alienation aided the nation in at least attempting to fix a system which was by any account broken. The art of the marginalized assisted in promoting this change; whether a book Claude Brown's Manchild in The Promisedland or movie Van Peeble's Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song; art bridged the gap and fostered some change.
I think the Hip Hop culture and the associated music and films demonstrate how this change is an ongoing process. Parts of all races, cultures and economic groups find a voice in the message of this genre. Although founded in the alienation of discrimination, many people can relate this message to their own experiences and life. My point is that it seems we are growing past a culture which maintained institutional racism for nearly four hundred years and growing together, sometimes too slowly, towards a more honest and respectful coexistence. Twenty years ago, Don Imus' comments about the Rutger's Women's basketball team might have struck many people as funny, because the mass media had been directed towards the support of institutional racism. Instead, Imus was chastized and the nation came to realize that there was no place for that conduct in the mass media. Alienation, amongst all people, was a fulcrum to change.
James Kimball
9/13/07
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Our Basements, Attics, and Closets
I often feel like history is depicted, whether in class or on film, in a way that allows people to think of it as finished. In reality civil rights struggles continue and will continue for a long time. If we do not relate history to ourselves and our families we are not really learning. As a white male I have to think, was my great-great-great grandfather on the side of slavery or an abolitionist; did my ancestors own slaves or not? Were they even concerned with these issues in the first place?
While I know that my direct ancestors did not own slaves in the mid-nineteenth century, I do not know much about their lives, politics, and opinions. I assume many people don’t know their genealogy as well.
At the beginning of Ethnic Notions I began thinking about my childhood and things I grew up around. It’s amazing what we internalize through education and daily life; a cultural indoctrination. For the first thirteen years of my life I went to a babysitter because my parents didn’t trust myself and my siblings alone. Our babysitter was a middle aged white woman with a strong faith in Christianity. Much of Ethnic Notions reminded me of this because my babysitter collected pickaninnies. They were all over her house and I never really understood them. My babysitter was completely oblivious to the possibility that they could be seen as offensive…and so was I.
Both Ethnic Notions and Classified X offered small windows into Milwaukee for me. In Classified X we saw pictures of lynchings. Specifically we see a picture of a lynching in 1930, survived by Dr. James Cameron who went on to establish The Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee.
As I said before, I had been thinking about my childhood. When Ethnic Notions began I thought of a tobacco can in my basement. There is a market for everything and now the tobacco can is probably viewed as a collectible by many people. It’s a remnant of consumerist racism. The can may not have stuck out in many people’s minds, but I couldn’t help but notice since I have one sitting on a shelf in my basement. What else do we have in our basements, our attics, and our closets?
Ethnic Notions
In response to Ethnic Notions, I found myself at odds with the fact that I actually chuckled on the inside at some of that stuff, even though there is nothing funny about the negative imagery depicted in the film. However, It was really no different than watching Flavor Flav running around with a viking helmet on, bucking his eyes and making faces that could easily be associated with a bad case of constipation. All that I could think of is how so much of what whites depicted us as in the early 20th century, we actually see in African American society literally! Such as The lack of strong African American males, who actually do allow women to take reigns and lead the pack, in turn allowing women to support him, the African American male, as well as the children. I feel like the mammy stereotype type still exist today, however in different context, never the less it is still very much alive and well in African American society, the only difference is, instead of calling them mammy's, today we call strong Black Women, or independent women! One thing that is factual is that single parent homes consist mostly of Moms and their off spring, with the Mom being the majority bread winner! This is not the Case of all African American males, but the facts stated are a harsh reality, as many of us already know. It will take time for these customs, this cursed state of being to be abolished centuries of oppression do not disappear over night, but we can at least, develop a zero tolerance for coonery, and get the ball rolling!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Is Hollywood Green?
The final words from Melvin van Peebles in Classified X were a statement saying something like Hollywood is not actually driven solely by money, which is the common belief. He makes this statement because he does not see films being made for black communities that are truthful or culturally relevent. Though I agree with Peebles that this kind of film has yet to come out of Hollywood, I don't know if it is right to condemn Hollywood because of this.
Recently we have seen that there is a large audience in America willing to spend money on tickets to see films from a black perspective. The immense popularity and box-office success of Tyler Perry's work (Madea's Family Reunion, Diary of a Mad Black Woman) shows us that there is, in fact, a market for films centered on issues within America's black community. What stands out about these films, though, is their relative safeness. Perry's work is conservative by anyone's means, maintains tidy allegories and life lessons, and stresses comforting ideas of family and tradition.
Today, the market for more radical black film, such as Peeble's own work, is much smaller than the market for this kind of feel-good film. This, I believe, is why Hollywood has not invested in more daring black film, while championing something like Perry's work. Moreso, Hollywood makes films for the masses, and by making films with a specific cultural focus, they would alienate a large portion of their possible market (in this case, us white folk).
As with any film addressing culturally specific ideas, the real outlet is found in independent film. In order to make a statement about anything other than culturally accepted, safe ideas, one must find a way to market to the people willing to hear them. This means Hollywood is out of the picture immediately since, as I said, they usually go for the larger audience.
This, unfortunately, means that black communities are neglected and rarely see their own culture presented on the screen, and with the lack of screening opportunities for independent black film, many communities will never feel like their own culture is accepted. Because Hollywood is driven by money, and the investors backing the films want to make good financial decisions (i.e. funding the safe box-office bets), how do we address this problem? Though I don't think it is fair to condemn Hollywood, I don't ignore that there is a problem presented by the way the system is.
Any thoughts?
Recently we have seen that there is a large audience in America willing to spend money on tickets to see films from a black perspective. The immense popularity and box-office success of Tyler Perry's work (Madea's Family Reunion, Diary of a Mad Black Woman) shows us that there is, in fact, a market for films centered on issues within America's black community. What stands out about these films, though, is their relative safeness. Perry's work is conservative by anyone's means, maintains tidy allegories and life lessons, and stresses comforting ideas of family and tradition.
Today, the market for more radical black film, such as Peeble's own work, is much smaller than the market for this kind of feel-good film. This, I believe, is why Hollywood has not invested in more daring black film, while championing something like Perry's work. Moreso, Hollywood makes films for the masses, and by making films with a specific cultural focus, they would alienate a large portion of their possible market (in this case, us white folk).
As with any film addressing culturally specific ideas, the real outlet is found in independent film. In order to make a statement about anything other than culturally accepted, safe ideas, one must find a way to market to the people willing to hear them. This means Hollywood is out of the picture immediately since, as I said, they usually go for the larger audience.
This, unfortunately, means that black communities are neglected and rarely see their own culture presented on the screen, and with the lack of screening opportunities for independent black film, many communities will never feel like their own culture is accepted. Because Hollywood is driven by money, and the investors backing the films want to make good financial decisions (i.e. funding the safe box-office bets), how do we address this problem? Though I don't think it is fair to condemn Hollywood, I don't ignore that there is a problem presented by the way the system is.
Any thoughts?
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