Nappy Headed Black Child

as i dig out my bullet proof vest and kevlar helmet,

I hate Precious, i hate that they brought out Hattie McDaniel, and i hate that Monique won that award.

I really dont understand why people don't realize these movies are not separate and independent entities that exist outside of the world in which they are made. And it this context of how black people in movies are presented that makes Precious and the Monique and Hattie McDaniels so unpalatable to me.

Consider Training Day where Denzel played a corrupt murderous cop and won an Oscar
Consider Monsters Ball where Halle Berry plays an unfit emotional abusive mother who is redeemed by the white prison guard and one of the ugliest muthaf****rs of all time Billy Bob Thornton (lulz)and wins an Oscar
And then there is Precious where the Abusive unfit mother wins an Oscar.
And Hattie McDaniel who plays a Mammy a maid and wins an oscar in gone with the wind.


Do you see the Pattern yet...

But wait theres more

Consider 1994's The Air Up their where a white basketball coach saves an African tribe from a mining company by betting their land on a game of basketball in which the sun of the tribal chief is sent to go play basketball in the US. Classic White Man's Burden

Consider 2000's Bringing down the House where Queen Latifah plays the "street-wise" Magic Negro to help Steve Martin's stuck up life. Mammy 2.0

Consider 2001's Black Hawk Down where in the films portrayal of the Battle of Mogadishu no Somali people are cast and they are portrayed as brutal and bloodthirsty insane mob. As though they didnt have a reason to shoot down two helicopters that were invading their national sovereignty. Heart of Darkness syndrome.

Consider 1995's Ace Ventura When nature calls where Ace gives a white bat as a wedding gift to prevent two tribes from going to war all the while mocking their culture and rituals. White mans Burden and Heart of Darkness

Consider 1999's The Green Mile where Michael Clark Duncan plays as spike lee calls it the SUPER DUPER MAGIC NEGRO. A Man Mammy.

Consider 2009's Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen where the twins Skids and Mudflap are clearly illiterate dumb potty mouth stereotypes of black people.

i could go on for days about this. The reality is tat these movies show the context in which a movie like Precious exists. Another movie in a long tradition of casting black people stereotypical, subservient, degrading, or destructive roles and the when a black actor/actress brilliance is recognized its for playing a such a role. And I hate it. I hate it so much i would rather we not win awards or even make the movies at all if it has to be this way.

in 1930 Hattie McDaniel didnt have much of choice (and in the interests of keeping it all the way funky she was a ardent activist) . But we have choices now. We gotta do better.