This is why you have to love the Internet and groups like this one! You start out with a sobering conversation on black self-hatred, and ten clicks later, it's changed to "Hookers in Space"! I'm reminded of the TV movie and series "Alien Nation", in which they showed the alien hookers standing on the corner trying to attract human men. Disturbing and sadly amusing at the same time.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Daryle Lockhart" <dar...@darylelockhart.com> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 8:34:05 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Skin Color Prejudice in "Precious" Casting? That, my friend, is a book. Illustrate these "hooker inventions" in a setting that's "in the not too distant future" and it's a GREAT book. On Nov 23, 2009, at 8:24 AM, Kelwyn wrote: Lipstick is a subject that amuses me mightily since lipstick was first worn by prostitutes to advertise both their expertise and their willingness to perform oral sex. Add lipstick to the long line of hooker accouterments adopted by women at large. ~rave? --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@...> wrote: > > I think that some areas were a little more "skin sensitive" than others but > I do remember some of the controversy back then. Especially when Prince, the > Debarges were big. > > On a side topic, there was a post that I read a few months ago that asked > the question should black women wear lipstick. The author of the post > believed that dark skinned black women should never wear lipstick. There > were some other weirdness mixed into it that sounded a lot like > pseudo-religious mess, but I thought that it was interesting. > > On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:12 AM, Daryle Lockhart > <dar...@...>wrote: > > > > > > > Sadly, his casting of lighter actors works because of the time the film is > > set in. I remember New York in the 80s very well. We don't like to discuss > > this, but we were a pretty color struck society then. The popular actors > > and > > singers at the time were light. It's one of the reasons Spike Lee's School > > Daze worked. > > > > I have problems with the film but they are technical. I didn't like the way > > it was edited, for example. > > > > Also, some of the symbolism was a little heavy handed. But overall this > > movie's success is what indie film needed. > > > > > > Daryle Lockhart > > > > On Nov 23, 2009, at 2:41 AM, "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@...> wrote: > > > > > > > > I'm bothered that the director didn't change his or her perception of fat > > people until he made the film. He's no spring chicken. > > > > I think that the light skinned vs dark skinned thing is still going on but > > it is a lot more subtle. Hollywood still prefers the light skinned blacks > > as > > the good guy character. > > > > On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 5:02 PM, Keith Johnson > > <KeithBJohnson@<keithbjohn...@...> > > comcast.net> wrote: > > > >> > >> > >> > >> *"I'm prejudiced against people who are darker than me...When I was > >> young, I went to a church where the lighter-skinned you were, the closer > >> you > >> sat to the altar". --Lee Daniels, director of "Precious".* > >> > >> > >> > >> *************************************************************** > >> > >> > >> > >> I will drop a review of "Precious" in the next couple of days. Short > >> answer: I loved the film, though it's difficult to watch at times ( i will > >> say, due to all the hype, it's not as bad as I'd expected, since I was > >> prepared for a lot more graphic abuse depicted). One thing that does > >> bother > >> me about the film, now that I've heard it mentioned, is that the good > >> people > >> in it are all light-skinned. Indeed, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, and > >> Mariah > >> Carey are all biracial. The "bad" people are all dark skinned. > >> > >> > >> > >> It's interesting that director Lee Daniels admits he's had some issues on > >> the color line, as noted in the article below. Interesting discussion on > >> skin colour, that's unfortunately still relevant today, and interesting > >> that > >> in a film meant to explore the issues we all have, some of the creative > >> work > >> behind it reveals some of the same problems. > >> > >> > >> > >> ***************************************************************** > >> < > >> http://racerelations.about.com/b/2009/11/08/what-precious-means-for-race-relations.htm > >> > > >> http://racerelation > >> s.about.com/b/2009/11/08/what-precious-means-for-race-relations.htm What > >> "Precious" Means for Race Relations > >> Sunday November 8, 2009 > >> > >> The film "Precious < http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929632/ >" premiered in > >> select cities Nov. 6, and reviews are pouring in about the movie with a > >> Harlem teen whose life transforms through education. To say that the > >> circumstances of Precious Jones' life are bleak would be an > >> understatement. > >> Precious is illiterate, living with HIV and has been victimized by her > >> parents in numerous ways, including sexually. Her father has twice > >> impregnated her, and one child she's borne by him suffers from Down > >> syndrome< > >> http://downsyndrome.about.com/od/downsyndromebasics/a/downsynessen.htm >. > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> "Precious" tackles an array of issues. Because the protagonist is black, > >> however, both the media and the public have raised questions about its > >> effect on race relations. I've summed up two major questions about the > >> film > >> below: > >> > >> > >> > >> Why do white audiences eat up black films and novels that depict > >> dysfunction, poverty and abuse? > >> > >> Why are the villains in "Precious" dark-skinned and the heroes > >> light-skinned? > >> > >> > >> > >> "Precious" is based on the novel *Push*< > >> http://www.amazon.com/Push-Novel-Sapphire/dp/0679766758/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top > >> >by Sapphire. Both the film and the book have been compared to Alice > >> Walker's > >> *The Color Purple*< > >> http://www.amazon.com/Color-Purple-Musical-Tie/dp/0156031825/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257731466&sr=1-1 > >> >and Toni Morrison's > >> *The Bluest Eye*< > >> http://www.amazon.com/Bluest-Eye-Vintage-International/dp/0307278441/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257731104&sr=1-1 > >> >in that they, too, garnered praise from white critics and featured > >> emotional > >> and sexual abuse of black youth by family members. The fact that these > >> works > >> feature abuse isn't in and of itself a problem. The problem is how the > >> mainstream receives these works. I have no problem if viewers and critics > >> regard "Precious" et al. as representations of particular black families. > >> On > >> the other hand, I do object to viewers and critics who regard a film like > >> "Precious" as the only authentic black experience and a television program > >> such as "The Cosby Show < http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086687/ >" as > >> inauthentic. The fact is both of these slices of black life are authentic. > >> > >> > >> > >> I do understand, though, why some members of the black community have > >> criticized "Precious." Positive images of blacks in the media remain few > >> and > >> far between. In comedies, blacks are portrayed as buffoonish, cartoonish > >> and > >> uncouth. Films such as "Norbit < http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477051/ >," > >> "Doctor > >> Dolittle < http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118998/ >" and "Big Momma's House< > >> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208003/ >," > >> not to mention any Tyler Perry < http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1347153/ > >> >flick, mock black womanhood. And on the dramatic end, we've had stories > >> of > >> gang warfare, virulent racism and abusive or absentee parents. > >> > >> > >> > >> There's no doubt in my mind that media portrayals of people of color can > >> lead to racial stereotyping. I'm reminded of a former classmate from a > >> Mexican-American family from East L.A. Her roommate freshman year was a > >> Midwesterner who, upon seeing the gang film "Mi Vida Loca< > >> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107566/ >," > >> said that she didn't realize my classmate had lived such a hard life. My > >> friend laughed and told her that she had little in common with the "Mi > >> Vida > >> Loca" characters. > >> > >> In the case of "Precious," critics not only fear that the film will lead > >> to racial stereotyping but that it constitutes "poverty porn." This refers > >> to films that cater to privileged moviegoers who get off on taking in > >> images > >> of poor people in desperate situations. After watching such cinema, the > >> privileged feel like better people just for having seen the film but do > >> nothing to make change in the world they've witnessed on screen. > >> > >> > >> > >> In a *New York Times Magazine* interview< > >> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25precious-t.html?_r=1&emc=eta1 > >> >, > >> director Lee Daniels confessed that he worried about screening "Precious" > >> for a European audience. > >> > >> > >> > >> "To be honest, I was embarrassed to show this movie at Cannes," he said. > >> "I didn't want to exploit black people. And I wasn't sure I wanted white > >> French people to see our world." > >> > >> > >> > >> He added, however, that because the world now has a black role model in > >> Barack > >> Obama< > >> http://usliberals.about.com/od/congressionalleadership/p/SenObama.htm >, > >> a story such as "Precious" can be shared without fear of racial backlash. > >> I > >> don't agree with this, considering that Obama is likely viewed by those in > >> the U.S. and outside of it as the exception rather than the rule as far as > >> African Americans go. > >> > >> I was also eager to hear Daniels discuss how he feels about exposing > >> audiences to the thread of "colorism< > >> http://racerelations.about.com/od/understandingrac1/g/definitionofcolorism.htm > >> >" > >> that runs through "Precious." While the evil characters in the film are > >> dark-skinned, the benevolent characters are played by actors so > >> light-skinned they're not easily identifiable as black. > >> > >> > >> > >> "I'm prejudiced against people who are darker than me," Daniels remarked > >> in *New York Times Magazine*. "When I was young, I went to a church where > >> the lighter-skinned you were, the closer you sat to the altar. Anybody > >> that's heavy like Precious -- I thought they were dirty and not very > >> smart. > >> Making this movie changed my heart. I'll never look at a fat girl walking > >> down the street the same way again." > >> > >> > >> > >> I'm glad that Lee's prejudice dissipated during the course of making > >> "Precious," but that doesn't change the harmful message sent by the > >> colorism > >> in his film. In the book "Precious" is based on, a dark-skinned teacher > >> with > >> natural hair changes Precious' perceptions of dark skin from negative to > >> positive. This powerful transformation is lacking in the film because a > >> fair-skinned actress was cast to play Precious' teacher. If Daniels really > >> did become less prejudiced about size and color while making "Precious," > >> hopefully his next project will feature dark-skinned blacks of strong > >> character rather than violent, exploitative brutes with dark skin. > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > -- > > Bringing diversity to perversity for over 9 years! > > Mahogany at: > > < http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Bringing diversity to perversity for over 9 years! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ >
