Some people just have nothing better to do with their time I guess…
Yeah, I saw this, too. And it’s just as stupid as the “controversy,” equally media-manufactured, about Episode I.
I mean, sure, Temuera Morrison and Daniel Logan are both from New Zealand and are of Maori descent, and both speak with noticeable New Zealand accents (as do the clone troopers). Who cares about that? What’s important is that they looked Latino! That’s what’s really important!
You don’t think that maybe – just maybe – some of these people (like, say Martina Guzman, who made the “Latino” comment) might be seeing innocuous things through their own reality filters? Nah, couldn’t be.
I mean, if Martina Guzman thinks that the Maori look Latino, and Michael Atkinson in the Village Voice thinks they look “Asian-featured” . . . maybe they’re just inclined to see racism no matter where they look. (I suppose Maori are Asian in the way that Egyptians are black, maybe, but that’s pushing it.)
I noticed that none of the new alien races in the movie have any noticeable accents at all, as if Lucas was saying, “I dare you to find any so-called racism this time.” And they did anyway.
Of course, since the Geonosians talked with a language that included clicks and hoots, I suppose they’re supposed to be Kalahari tribesmen.
Can we get a bigger :rolleyes: smiley?
Um, okay.
It’s a MOVIE, for chrissakes!
These “academics” are engaging in a rather heated session of mental masturbation. The people on this panel are projecting themselves onto these characters, and for no other reason than to have something to be angry about. Dissecting George Lucas’s psyche for hidden biases in an obviously fictional movie is a pointless exercise in knee-jerk political correctness.
Robin
“Maori? But if he’s swarthy, he MUST be Mexican! Or middle-eastern!”
And Lucas is supposed to be the prejudiced one?
I agree that a far larger :rolleyes: is needed.
Oh for fucks sake, racism in Star Wars, witchcraft in Harry Potter, witchcraft and racism in Lord of the Rings (IIRC).
Some people really have nothing better to do with their time. If Lucas had populated the universe with white americans people would’ve complained that it’s not diverse enough.
Any major film nowadays produces this sort of nonsense, people keep seeing hidden agendas in everything. I eagerly await someone accusing SpiderMan of something devious.
Once again words fail me, if these people focused their ‘all-seeing’ eye on something important maybe they’d make a difference in the world.
SD
Dear God these people are just stupid.
“How can you tell that Jango Fett isn’t Latino?” Oh, I don’t know, maybe by the New Zealand accent.
I find it interesting that the article quotes several members of their hypersensitive eight-member panel on the one side, with only one film critic and a Lucasfilm spokesperson to present the side of rational people. Purely a manufactured controversy, which will be ignored when it turns out that no one really cares.
He did and they did. The original trilogy had one (count 'em) notable human character of color (Lando Carlassian). I’ve heard several accusations of racism based along those lines (most of them firmly tongue-in-cheek, however).
So, the second time around, there’s several prominent minority parts. The Fetts (Maori), Mace Windu (Black), Captain Panaka (Amidala’s bodyguard from Ep. I, also Black), and Amidala’s new bodyguard (Also Pacific Islander, or so I’ve heard). I’ve heard Samuel L. Jackson gush about the new diversity in interviews more than once.
Of course, if these characters are less than utterly noble, competent and shining leaders, then they must be crypto-racist messages, right? The same goes for his non-human characters. I mean, since Jar Jar was stupid, and spoke with what kind of sounded like a mock psuedo Caribbean accent, then Lucas must be saying that all Blacks are stupid.
The poor bastard just can’t win.
Anyone here think that the last episode played on racial/ethnic stereotypes, just a little?
I think so.
Having not seen this newest issue, I can’t say whether or not it’s the same-o same-o, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is.
Really…please explain…
(Here is comes…)
I, for one, found the portrayl of Yoda as green and wrinkled hideously racist.
This should hopefully set somethings straight for you **monstro **…
These people are on crack. Do they even know anything about Star Wars? Boba Fett is a character in the original trilogy, and his face (as far as I know) was never seen nor was his race implied.
Here is comes indeed.
I’m not saying the dumb-ass movie was racist, just that it played on stereotypes. I would be the first to say that stereotypes are not inherently evil. But denying that they are often present in science fiction–and that many of the characters in Phantom Menance aren’t strikingly similar to certain stereotypes–is ludicrous.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
I agree with this. I don’t particularly identify with the actor playing Jango as Asian. I haven’t seen the movie yet, so can anyone tell me if there are any Asians in AOTC? ( I don’t care about spoilers)
I remember grousing to someone about the fact that there hasn’t been one Asian in the entire Star Wars franchise AFAIK. He then pointed out that there was one Asian X-wing pilot (extra) in either SW or TESB. Wow, BFD! :rolleyes:
Poor George can’t win. 
To what stereotypes are you refering too?
If by ‘Asians’, you mean ‘South East Asians’, then yes, I believe there were.
I don’t recall a prominant rolls being portrayed, but I believe there were a few background characters. (One of the Jedi’s maybe.)
There’s a powerful argument. Anything prefaced by “it is ludicrous to deny” sets off nine bullshit sirens.
Yes, I guess that’s what I meant…Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, etc.
…and yeah, I also meant that, about not one single prominent role. That’s why I don’t know what they are bitching about, at least they (to some people) are being portrayed in a prominent role. That Kamino thing is ridiculous also. We could stretch it and say that was Asian also.
I’m sorry. I’m confused. Is this the intellectual community we’re debating about? The ones who
- say Lucas is racist
- decide that Latinos “look” a certain way
- can’t even tell when that “look” is completely off base.
Well how’s this? Thanks to the clones, Episode II’s non-white actors out-numbered white actors 99999 to 1.
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