Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Friday, January 11, 2013
Keepin' It Real: Django Unchained, Why the movie and the word nigger stings so bad
KEEPIN’ IT REAL: DJANGO UNCHAINED, WHY THE MOVIE AND THE WORD NIGGER STINGS SO BAD
I have to admit, as a scholar who has extensively researched the presentation of African Americans in mainstream film, after seeing Django Unchained twice, I have yet to reasonably see what all of the anger and criticism from the Black community is about. So, the term nigger was utilized in excess of one hundred times, it is a term that was specific and common as a reference to enslaved African American people during the Antebellum era. It is the most common way racist white folks referred to our Ancestors. The term represented the hate, disrespect, stereotypical ideologies, and oppression that White people, who had been given social dominance over our Ancestors-through the promotion of the fallacy of white supremacy, had for our race and our Ancestors. Therefore, to write or create a historic piece wherein the principle theme is dealing with the “reality” (hatred and ill) of such a tragic institution, and not use the terminology that was common to that time would not be authentic. So, my question is threefold. Did we expect Tarrantino to write a piece about slavery and use the term African American or some other term that did not exist during that era? Did we simply expect him to stay away from enslavement and fail to write and bring the piece to life because he is a white man? And, why such pain?
I can honestly say that I strongly believe that if a Black man had written, directed, and produced Django, I do not believe that there would be any problems or criticisms. I believe that we would have been able to embrace the movie in the spirit that it was created and would have left the theater empowered by its many powerful symbolisms. So, I wish Black people would just say what it really is, instead of attempting to find some superficial reasons why they believe the movie was a “disrespect” to the race or the Ancestors. They didn’t like the movie because a white man made it. And they are angry at the number of times the term nigger was used because a white man wrote. And the term nigger caused so much pain in the film, because white people were saying it….period. There I said it. Now we must get to the root of the pain.
The pain stems from the fact that in spite of the way in which some of our people have attempted to reassign the meaning, usage, and even the spelling of the term nigger. None of what we have attempted to do, or the means in which we have attempted to “reshape” or “redefine” the word has changed a thing. In spite of the fact that many middle class and thriving African Americans believe in this concept of a “post racial” America, and many of us allow the fact that we have a Black President to fool us into believing that racism no longer exists in America, we are shocked and hurt because this film, put racism and the term nigger into their original contexts. The film did not glamorize or romanticize the brutal institution of enslavement to make it palatable for those of us who would choose to forget the struggle of our Ancestors. The excessive usage of the term nigger spoken from white lips, reminded us of where the word came from and the disdain that it was always spoken with, diluting the fallacy that we have overcome or somehow changed its meaning by our embrace of a term that represented nothing less than our oppression, even when the Black folks said it too. And the fact that a White man created the film, is uncomfortable to us, because even he had to be in touch with the hatred and buffoonery of his people in the 21st century, which means that white folks, who we would hope forgot with us, didn’t, or would perhaps be reminded by watching this film. And just maybe this film may give them permission to say in public what Mos Def argues they say behind closed doors anyway.
Those of us who read slave narratives and truly studied the institution of enslavement, understand the fallacy of movies that glorify enslavement by: maternalizing or paternalizing the slave master/enslaved relationships, romanticizing the sexual exploitation of enslaved women, who did not have a choice to resist, as something that was desired, created some sort of status, or placed it in the context of a “love relationship,” or creating the notion that enslavement represented the saving the already civilized, educated, acculturated, spiritual people of Africa from a life of savagery and heathenism. We understand that enslavement was not this passive and docile institution where there was absolutely no resistance. We celebrate the Denmark Vesseys, the Toussaint L’Overtures, the Nat Turners, and even the John Browns, and the countless unnamed who fought, while simultaneously understanding the undermining of those who, in their effort to stay or be in the graces of the slave masters, sold out the resistance, revolutions, and escapes. But even more importantly, those of us who understand that contemporary racism still exists understand the complexity of the way in which in manifests in society and in film. And frankly, we have tired of films that always seem to only be able to make a Black hero out of our of sacrificing black bodies to save white people. So, we appreciate the truth that there were Black folks who gave their lives to save people who looked like them. We appreciate the truth, that contrary to the assertions found in the Moynihan Report (1965) , enslavement DID NOT destroy the Black family- that when able, and after Emancipation, most people’s first order of business was to reestablish family bonds or build new ones, and that there were folks who would rather kill their captors than to live in bondage.
So, let’s keep it real about why we are disturbed…we are disturbed because we weren’t ready for the “white man” to tell the story, to bring the truth to the screen, and to call us on the way in which we have either attempted to forget or minimize the brutal institution of enslavement and the racial epithets associated with it. Otherwise, we would be celebrating the fact that for a change we walked out of the theater where a Black hero killed every last slave master, mistress, and overseer…the white man sacrificed his life for Black love and gave his riches and his respect to the Black woman, and in the end the Black hero fought and conquered for nothing less than love, burned down the “big house,” and rode off into the moonlight with “HIS WIFE.” So, let’s not let the race of the messenger “throw shade” on the message. The only other thing I could ask is that the Weinstein Brothers let Black writers who have created such films in the door and finance and promote it to the mainstream in the same manner that Tarrantino’s Django was. Because while I celebrate him for bringing the film to life, I know that he was not the first person to write a great story about a “real” Black hero.
I have to admit, as a scholar who has extensively researched the presentation of African Americans in mainstream film, after seeing Django Unchained twice, I have yet to reasonably see what all of the anger and criticism from the Black community is about. So, the term nigger was utilized in excess of one hundred times, it is a term that was specific and common as a reference to enslaved African American people during the Antebellum era. It is the most common way racist white folks referred to our Ancestors. The term represented the hate, disrespect, stereotypical ideologies, and oppression that White people, who had been given social dominance over our Ancestors-through the promotion of the fallacy of white supremacy, had for our race and our Ancestors. Therefore, to write or create a historic piece wherein the principle theme is dealing with the “reality” (hatred and ill) of such a tragic institution, and not use the terminology that was common to that time would not be authentic. So, my question is threefold. Did we expect Tarrantino to write a piece about slavery and use the term African American or some other term that did not exist during that era? Did we simply expect him to stay away from enslavement and fail to write and bring the piece to life because he is a white man? And, why such pain?
I can honestly say that I strongly believe that if a Black man had written, directed, and produced Django, I do not believe that there would be any problems or criticisms. I believe that we would have been able to embrace the movie in the spirit that it was created and would have left the theater empowered by its many powerful symbolisms. So, I wish Black people would just say what it really is, instead of attempting to find some superficial reasons why they believe the movie was a “disrespect” to the race or the Ancestors. They didn’t like the movie because a white man made it. And they are angry at the number of times the term nigger was used because a white man wrote. And the term nigger caused so much pain in the film, because white people were saying it….period. There I said it. Now we must get to the root of the pain.
The pain stems from the fact that in spite of the way in which some of our people have attempted to reassign the meaning, usage, and even the spelling of the term nigger. None of what we have attempted to do, or the means in which we have attempted to “reshape” or “redefine” the word has changed a thing. In spite of the fact that many middle class and thriving African Americans believe in this concept of a “post racial” America, and many of us allow the fact that we have a Black President to fool us into believing that racism no longer exists in America, we are shocked and hurt because this film, put racism and the term nigger into their original contexts. The film did not glamorize or romanticize the brutal institution of enslavement to make it palatable for those of us who would choose to forget the struggle of our Ancestors. The excessive usage of the term nigger spoken from white lips, reminded us of where the word came from and the disdain that it was always spoken with, diluting the fallacy that we have overcome or somehow changed its meaning by our embrace of a term that represented nothing less than our oppression, even when the Black folks said it too. And the fact that a White man created the film, is uncomfortable to us, because even he had to be in touch with the hatred and buffoonery of his people in the 21st century, which means that white folks, who we would hope forgot with us, didn’t, or would perhaps be reminded by watching this film. And just maybe this film may give them permission to say in public what Mos Def argues they say behind closed doors anyway.
Those of us who read slave narratives and truly studied the institution of enslavement, understand the fallacy of movies that glorify enslavement by: maternalizing or paternalizing the slave master/enslaved relationships, romanticizing the sexual exploitation of enslaved women, who did not have a choice to resist, as something that was desired, created some sort of status, or placed it in the context of a “love relationship,” or creating the notion that enslavement represented the saving the already civilized, educated, acculturated, spiritual people of Africa from a life of savagery and heathenism. We understand that enslavement was not this passive and docile institution where there was absolutely no resistance. We celebrate the Denmark Vesseys, the Toussaint L’Overtures, the Nat Turners, and even the John Browns, and the countless unnamed who fought, while simultaneously understanding the undermining of those who, in their effort to stay or be in the graces of the slave masters, sold out the resistance, revolutions, and escapes. But even more importantly, those of us who understand that contemporary racism still exists understand the complexity of the way in which in manifests in society and in film. And frankly, we have tired of films that always seem to only be able to make a Black hero out of our of sacrificing black bodies to save white people. So, we appreciate the truth that there were Black folks who gave their lives to save people who looked like them. We appreciate the truth, that contrary to the assertions found in the Moynihan Report (1965) , enslavement DID NOT destroy the Black family- that when able, and after Emancipation, most people’s first order of business was to reestablish family bonds or build new ones, and that there were folks who would rather kill their captors than to live in bondage.
So, let’s keep it real about why we are disturbed…we are disturbed because we weren’t ready for the “white man” to tell the story, to bring the truth to the screen, and to call us on the way in which we have either attempted to forget or minimize the brutal institution of enslavement and the racial epithets associated with it. Otherwise, we would be celebrating the fact that for a change we walked out of the theater where a Black hero killed every last slave master, mistress, and overseer…the white man sacrificed his life for Black love and gave his riches and his respect to the Black woman, and in the end the Black hero fought and conquered for nothing less than love, burned down the “big house,” and rode off into the moonlight with “HIS WIFE.” So, let’s not let the race of the messenger “throw shade” on the message. The only other thing I could ask is that the Weinstein Brothers let Black writers who have created such films in the door and finance and promote it to the mainstream in the same manner that Tarrantino’s Django was. Because while I celebrate him for bringing the film to life, I know that he was not the first person to write a great story about a “real” Black hero.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Embracing The Mortality of Men: Why America So Mourns Michael Jackson
In this day and era of technology and the media, it is easy for our constant exposure to mortal beings, that is the entertainers/athletes, that we almost seem to worship like God, to make us lose focus. In the same, it is the popularity and exposure that is a part of the business of selling images to promote the product of the artist that even makes "stars" believe or act like they are above man, above their humanity, or even sometimes above God. Death always brings the mortality of man back to focus. And the larger the image of the man, the harder his/her fall or death hits the consumer- the fan.
I question the hype over Jacksons death...at the stage/point in which he died, he, as a man, was less than embraced by many-criticized for one reason or another by most. It was his music that moved us, the music that will never die. It was his image that moved us, an image that will never die. We (consumers) did not know him-never even got close to him, and I venture to say that even those closest to him, including his own father, did not know him. We did not understand him...viewing him as a pervert rather than an innocent child trapped inside of a man's body, or a Black man trying to be white, as opposed to a man who was caught in the middle of the self hate that white supremacy causes unconscious Black people, and mainstream/industry expectations of beauty, a man who was neither male or female but caught in the middle...we incriminated him rather than viewing him as a man who was obviously trying to escape the decades of emotional pain and his disenchantment with the world, by keeping himself somewhere in between conscious and unconscious- by whatever means necessary. We sucked him dry in life and continue to suck him dry in death...
As one who loves Jacksons music, I am thankful for his presence because without it there would be no ABC, PYT, Thriller or Billie Jean...but I did not know the man....I only saw and felt his pain in every interview, in every walk with the mass entourage, in every year that he missed his ability to just be "normal" because he was too busy entertaining us, in every joke told about him...I will never forget him because his music lives. That's what he gave me...But, his life was always sad. So, I am happy that his spirit is now released from his ailing and almost decomposing body, but more importantly released from the pain that every greedy man, woman, and child caused him, and released from the confines of the limitation of human greed, narcissism, and value assignment. You see to me, Michael wanted to be loved (not adored). He wanted to be able to establish the connections and relationships that would make him whole. He wanted to be protected and provided for in the way that children expect from parents. He never got that. But, he couldn't because he was isolated from real human connection. So he sought that in his role as an entertainer, trying to make meaningful the "love" of fans, which was really just a superficial love of his image not of the man...trying to make his body guards and doctors and lawyers his protectors, because his family failed to do that for him. Trying to find someone he could relate to by seeking those "on his status level." But, as an entertainer, the connection is only as strong as the product he puts out...not you. The same entity, media that makes you, can destroy you because "fans" are only connected through that cord. It is not personal...just like the loss for "fans" is not a personal one. So why do "we" mourn?
Jackson can now reclaim the childhood that he lost trying to make his father proud. He can now have sleep overs, go to see the animals, hold hands with other children without being called a pervert, and if people believe, be embraced by God and the Angels who are the TRUE and unconditional, lovers, nurturers, protectors, and providers.
And what about the rest of the stars who believe they are immortal because the media industry creates an exposure that "other" people are not privy to in their various roles and all who worship them...They are not God...They create music (great or not), play roles, play basketball or football or soccer or tennis. The media makes them accessible to you and I so that they can make money from them doing so. They bleed and die just as all humans do. So a note to them: If your purpose is self aggrandizement...get your power from the masses now, because you can not take that adulation when you leave. Michael will be buried alone. If your purpose is material wealth, enjoy it now because you can not take that chain, those Louboutins, that Gucci with you when you leave. You may be buried in them, but they will fade in your casket and will not accompany your soul when it is released. And if that is it for you and how you want to live, great...you live your purpose here and take nothing and be nothing in the spirit space that awaits us all.
When we all realize that stars are men and not Gods and we begin to appreciate them instead of worshipping them, we can begin to refocus our energy and adulation...If we worshipped God in the way that we worship mortals, we would all go to Heaven. Take them "stars" men and women as they are...men and women--strangers that "do something that we like" and then we can do a better job defining our own selves and our own mortality-by creating and living purposeful lives that our souls will carry when we leave our bodies and this earth.
I question the hype over Jacksons death...at the stage/point in which he died, he, as a man, was less than embraced by many-criticized for one reason or another by most. It was his music that moved us, the music that will never die. It was his image that moved us, an image that will never die. We (consumers) did not know him-never even got close to him, and I venture to say that even those closest to him, including his own father, did not know him. We did not understand him...viewing him as a pervert rather than an innocent child trapped inside of a man's body, or a Black man trying to be white, as opposed to a man who was caught in the middle of the self hate that white supremacy causes unconscious Black people, and mainstream/industry expectations of beauty, a man who was neither male or female but caught in the middle...we incriminated him rather than viewing him as a man who was obviously trying to escape the decades of emotional pain and his disenchantment with the world, by keeping himself somewhere in between conscious and unconscious- by whatever means necessary. We sucked him dry in life and continue to suck him dry in death...
As one who loves Jacksons music, I am thankful for his presence because without it there would be no ABC, PYT, Thriller or Billie Jean...but I did not know the man....I only saw and felt his pain in every interview, in every walk with the mass entourage, in every year that he missed his ability to just be "normal" because he was too busy entertaining us, in every joke told about him...I will never forget him because his music lives. That's what he gave me...But, his life was always sad. So, I am happy that his spirit is now released from his ailing and almost decomposing body, but more importantly released from the pain that every greedy man, woman, and child caused him, and released from the confines of the limitation of human greed, narcissism, and value assignment. You see to me, Michael wanted to be loved (not adored). He wanted to be able to establish the connections and relationships that would make him whole. He wanted to be protected and provided for in the way that children expect from parents. He never got that. But, he couldn't because he was isolated from real human connection. So he sought that in his role as an entertainer, trying to make meaningful the "love" of fans, which was really just a superficial love of his image not of the man...trying to make his body guards and doctors and lawyers his protectors, because his family failed to do that for him. Trying to find someone he could relate to by seeking those "on his status level." But, as an entertainer, the connection is only as strong as the product he puts out...not you. The same entity, media that makes you, can destroy you because "fans" are only connected through that cord. It is not personal...just like the loss for "fans" is not a personal one. So why do "we" mourn?
Jackson can now reclaim the childhood that he lost trying to make his father proud. He can now have sleep overs, go to see the animals, hold hands with other children without being called a pervert, and if people believe, be embraced by God and the Angels who are the TRUE and unconditional, lovers, nurturers, protectors, and providers.
And what about the rest of the stars who believe they are immortal because the media industry creates an exposure that "other" people are not privy to in their various roles and all who worship them...They are not God...They create music (great or not), play roles, play basketball or football or soccer or tennis. The media makes them accessible to you and I so that they can make money from them doing so. They bleed and die just as all humans do. So a note to them: If your purpose is self aggrandizement...get your power from the masses now, because you can not take that adulation when you leave. Michael will be buried alone. If your purpose is material wealth, enjoy it now because you can not take that chain, those Louboutins, that Gucci with you when you leave. You may be buried in them, but they will fade in your casket and will not accompany your soul when it is released. And if that is it for you and how you want to live, great...you live your purpose here and take nothing and be nothing in the spirit space that awaits us all.
When we all realize that stars are men and not Gods and we begin to appreciate them instead of worshipping them, we can begin to refocus our energy and adulation...If we worshipped God in the way that we worship mortals, we would all go to Heaven. Take them "stars" men and women as they are...men and women--strangers that "do something that we like" and then we can do a better job defining our own selves and our own mortality-by creating and living purposeful lives that our souls will carry when we leave our bodies and this earth.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Acting Like A Man, Feeling Like A Woman
I'm tired of all of these comedians, actors, radio personalities that have no real formal training, experience, or scientific or therapeutic foundation being the experts on human interaction. So, the disgruntled sociologist and therapist speaks on love, relationships, and sex. Here are a few excerpts from my book "Acting Like A Man, Feeling Like A Woman" my answer to Harvey's book.
"The Mantra
Ladies, place your hands over your wombs and repeat after me.
I am a Queen and my womb is my Temple. Call me Isis for I am the Goddess of Life and Fertility. I am the Earth. It is through me that The Most High has given me the most blessed ability to bring forth the most precious gift of- life. So, Life is Gods gift not my own. Therefore, my canal is “a most precious path” and my womb is the most sacred temple. It is through my sisters (of all races, ethnicities, and religion)s that this world, that humanity, continues to be. If my presence ceases to exist, then so will all “man”kind, for no “man” can be born without me. So, I will never minimize my SELF and what I mean to this Universe-nor will I allow any man to minimize me. I will embrace my Queendom and protect my temple, and he who is blessed enough to enter will have no choice but to do the same" (Spencer, 2009).
"The Mantra
Ladies, place your hands over your wombs and repeat after me.
I am a Queen and my womb is my Temple. Call me Isis for I am the Goddess of Life and Fertility. I am the Earth. It is through me that The Most High has given me the most blessed ability to bring forth the most precious gift of- life. So, Life is Gods gift not my own. Therefore, my canal is “a most precious path” and my womb is the most sacred temple. It is through my sisters (of all races, ethnicities, and religion)s that this world, that humanity, continues to be. If my presence ceases to exist, then so will all “man”kind, for no “man” can be born without me. So, I will never minimize my SELF and what I mean to this Universe-nor will I allow any man to minimize me. I will embrace my Queendom and protect my temple, and he who is blessed enough to enter will have no choice but to do the same" (Spencer, 2009).
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Soldiers
i just want to give love to my soldiers-the REAL MEN- who cherish love, and protect and provide for their families- the wives and the children they create. Those who know that real love and stability is grounded in the home- and nothing that you search for will ever be found in between some hookers thong at and a pole at the strip club.
To the NIGGERS who still don't get it???? Don't let illusion distort your vision. You can never be Rick Ross, cause Rick Ross ain't real. Don't lose what you got searching for something you can never have.
To the NIGGERS who still don't get it???? Don't let illusion distort your vision. You can never be Rick Ross, cause Rick Ross ain't real. Don't lose what you got searching for something you can never have.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Havent been here in a while. Been crazy busy trying to raise the consciousness and immersed in my students. I received an NAACP Founders Award, participated in the Education symposium at Cheyney and am looking forward to putting together some really powerful programs soon. I have to give my props to all of my babies for doing what they do, both my Cheyney babies and my VSU babies. My babies from CU came down to meet my babies from VSU to work on Black College Day. How powerful it was to see them making connections. Then my babies had a poetry reading in Social Psych on "Who Am I" man they shine. How beautiful it is to watch young ones "get it" to begin to have those "aha" moments where you can see the light of consciousness shine in their eyes. I just pray that the Most High continues to guide me and make my purpose known.
Well as for me, I am kind of in withdrawal now...no college sports...no basketball or football and waiting for outdoor track. ho hum...twiddling my thumbs.
Well as for me, I am kind of in withdrawal now...no college sports...no basketball or football and waiting for outdoor track. ho hum...twiddling my thumbs.
Monday, February 23, 2009
To My Kings in the Pen....
Walking through the jail today
sobered me. In many senses it humbled me
made me thankful for all of the decisions that
I didn't make, and the poor decisions that didn't have
such harsh consequences
I'm not going to lie, the buzzer made me feel sick
and the slam of the door shutting behind me scared me
But nothing was more intense than seeing the vast number of
beautiful Black brothers caged up like animals
happy to see the site of a Queen, happy to get
a whiff of the perfume arrays as we passed by
They craved
But they didn't crave us, we were a representaiton
of their freedom---the freedom to speak and be spoken to
the freedom to touch and be touched
the freedom to love and be loved
the freedom to make love
just----the freedom.
I don't know how many times he asked if I was ok
I guess he could see it in my face, feel it in my aura
a man shall be free unless he is duly convicted by law
then he shall be a slave--property of the state
stripped of his freedom and all that makes him a man
his ability to provide, his ability to protect, his ability to procreate
to be husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, friends
To my Kings in the pen
I couldn't tell you then,
but I love you and pray that in the quiet moments
or even in the midst of the chaos that is
that you find strength to seek meaning to your situation
and then knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
to how you are being used against your selves and against your own
and that you will find the strength and support you need to be free
in your mind
stay free in your body
and live free for the rest of your days.
sobered me. In many senses it humbled me
made me thankful for all of the decisions that
I didn't make, and the poor decisions that didn't have
such harsh consequences
I'm not going to lie, the buzzer made me feel sick
and the slam of the door shutting behind me scared me
But nothing was more intense than seeing the vast number of
beautiful Black brothers caged up like animals
happy to see the site of a Queen, happy to get
a whiff of the perfume arrays as we passed by
They craved
But they didn't crave us, we were a representaiton
of their freedom---the freedom to speak and be spoken to
the freedom to touch and be touched
the freedom to love and be loved
the freedom to make love
just----the freedom.
I don't know how many times he asked if I was ok
I guess he could see it in my face, feel it in my aura
a man shall be free unless he is duly convicted by law
then he shall be a slave--property of the state
stripped of his freedom and all that makes him a man
his ability to provide, his ability to protect, his ability to procreate
to be husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, friends
To my Kings in the pen
I couldn't tell you then,
but I love you and pray that in the quiet moments
or even in the midst of the chaos that is
that you find strength to seek meaning to your situation
and then knowledge, wisdom, and understanding
to how you are being used against your selves and against your own
and that you will find the strength and support you need to be free
in your mind
stay free in your body
and live free for the rest of your days.
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