Now, the way things go in this world (or at least here in the US), there are probably some out there who take offence to my using the word “Black” to describe a specific demographic of people. It’s considered racist by some (me being a honkey and all), and many would be offended.
What I want to know is, when a movie like Soul Plane gets made, where’s the anger and offence?
I mean, from the trailer, the movie looks like it’s full of nothing but every friggin’ black stereotype one could think of, yet in the theater, all I heard when the trailer comes on was laughter. I was offended by the horrible stereotyping in this film, yet noone aside from my (equally white) roomate seemed offput by this film. What’s the deal?
I actually used this onstage at a comedy show a few nights ago. I pitched to the audience my “hypothetical” great idea for a movie:
[sarcasm]
What if black people ran an airline? Ha! Ha! Black people are so funny when they think they can have real jobs. Ha! Ha!
[/sarcasm]
Now the justification, I’m sure, is probably that this is an homage or parody of the blacksploitation films of the '70’s. But it just seems self-indulgent and non-progressive. Really, shouldn’t we be past this kind of thing by now?
The humor is coming out of Hip Hop culture. Now, Hip Hop certainly has it’s place and, in popular music, it is probably the most significant innovation of the past 25 years. But, within “White” America, there is already the very limiting and narrow-minded tendency to equate all of Black Culture with Hip Hop culture. This doesn’t need to be encouraged.
The idea that a Black person in an educated, trained, professional position would be incapable of conducting him/herself in a professional respectful manner is ridiculous. Yet, this is what a distressing number of people would prefer to believe. For Black entertainers to encourage this mindset is counter-productive.
Okay, I just watched the trailer. It’s not a movie I’m going to go see because it looks dumb, but I’m not offended. Yes, it contains stereotypes, but sometimes stereotypes can be funny*. The actors in this thing seem so over the top that it’s just sad, though, not humorous.
[tangent(feel free to skip)]
I do think it’s kind of funny that you mention black stereotypes, then you seem to assume that no black dopers were offended because none of the people in the theater seemed to be. I know what you’re trying to ask, but I’m pretty easily amused (which is why I’m pretty sure that this movie is going to be really bad…I mean geez, I even liked Zoolander)
*Once I won a scholarship from a social club in my town that was made up almost entirely of older white people. The members took my parents and me out to dinner, and one of the men insisted on ordering for us. He ordered fried chicken with watermelon for dessert. Now, I don’t know if he meant anything by it but A. He was older and had most likely heard the stereotypes, and B. This is not a normal meal for people in upstate NY. Anyways, though, we thought the whole thing was hilarious, intentional or not.[/tangent]
I hear tell they’re fixin’ to make a Dukes of Hazzard movie. Maybe the theaters want to run a double feature of Dukes and Soul Plane and market it as Stereotype Night.
For me, the movie is more irritating and embarrassing than offensive. For me to be offended, I’d have to find personal insult in the movie and I don’t. But I find it tired in that it’s just another example of something that exploits the sentiment: “Black people do things differently”. Yeah, yeah, we got it the first eleventy-million times it was done!
I’m really curious what black people think about Hallmark’s “Mahogony” cards. For the most part they’re really nice, but I notice (for example) in the Father’s Day selections they have ones for “Mothers raising kids alone,” “Positive male influence in my life” (as opposed to ACTUAL father) and “to the father of my child” (as opposed to “husband” like in the “traditional” cards.) I found these to be surreal and I have to admit I was a bit taken aback when I saw them. If they had similar cards marketed to everyone I wouldn’t have a problem with it, as I’m sure people of all races probably fall into those categories, but to single out black people like that? Unsettling!
Hasn’t Spike Lee spoken out against these types of movies? Isn’t that pretty much what Bamboozled was about? If I remember correctly, he basically calls these types of movies (and tv shows) minstrel shows.
It isn’t singling us out, it’s reflecting reality. The majority of black women who are mothers can’t give their child’s father a “to my husband” card on Father’s Day, because the majority – between 60-75% – of black children are born out of wedlock in 2004 America. :rolleyes: I’m not surprised that Hallmark is capitalizing on that fact by creating cards targeted toward that very very large demographic. Now, if you wanted to talk about whether or not there’s a tacit approval of that situation happening – and whether or not the situation should be approved, tacitly or otherwise – when the nation’s leading greeting cards manufacturer markets cards to this demographic, we could, no doubt debate for hours.
Now, I haven’t seen the trailers for Soul Plane, but I understand that Snoop Dogg and Mo’Nique are in it, and that’s enough for me to say that it’s not for me. But I can easily understand how films like this get made, and I can see exactly the audience who it’s made for – people who thought Barbershop was okay, but not “edgy” enough. (Okay, they wouldn’t use the word “edgy” but the meaning would be roughly the same.) I’d imagine that the target audience for this film is teenagers and young twentysomethings, the same people for whom the “Scary Movie” series – which plays on other stereotypes to make most of its humor work – is made, just with an ethnic twist.
I saw the trailer on Tuesday. There were only 12 people in the theater…3 black teenage couples and 3 white couples, all sitting behind us. I wasn’t overly amused by the trailer, though there were some funny bits, but I was afraid to laugh, for fear that the black kids would think that we really liked laughing at stupid black stereotypes. Was I just being an overly sensitive middle-aged white woman at a Kill Bill Vol. 2 showing, or just being middle-aged?
Everytime I see a movie of this type, it ticks me off. The problem is I’m not sure of whom I should be angry. Should I take offense at the actors, for portraying these assinine characters, well no, they have to work. Though you’d think they’d try to offer advice to tone down the more blantant stereotypes. I can’t blame the studios either, they’ll market whatever crap that’ll fill theaters. If I can be angry at anyone it’s the audiences that pay to see crap like this, but how in the hell do you addresss them? I like to think that I’m sending a message the only way I can, with my wallet.
I almost started a thread about this as soon as I saw a the first commercial. The thing that bothers me the most about it, is explaining to the kids why I won’t let them watch this crap. I try to instill in my boys an intellectual curiosity. I want them to think that they can do anything they put their minds to, this movie sends the opposite kind of message.
It’s disappointing in the extreme, I’d love for my boys to see more movies featuring people that look like them, and this is just one more movie to add to the list of movies that I won’t allow them to watch. To give an example I think “Set it Off” has more redeeming qualities than this picture. Call me not offended but supremely irritated.
