Also, another point about black women running to support The Help, not only is it due to not being used to seeing the best, but it's also due to constantly being shown negatives and so it's normal. Black women look for triumph instead of feel good. And that isn't just because they're super dramatic, it's because that's always what's marketed to them. You can easily get people to transform what they like by continuously pushing something else. Especially if they don't have any choice. Eventually, they'll get USED to seeing THAT.
We liked "Boomerrang" at one point so it shows it's not just an innate desire to be shitted on.
People in charge CONDITION the rest of society. Not the other way around.
"But to be fair, it's nothing compared to films like Precious, For Colored Girls Only, and Monsters Ball."
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Well that's up for debate. One is more overt, the other covert, but it ALL does damage all the same. So EQUALLY. A police officer gunning you down(physically) and an employer denying you work(mentally havoc) does the same amount of damage to your livelihood. Pushing stereotypes, after stereotypes is very very very HARMFUL even if it's wrapped in a nice neat bow. It's these same stereotypes blacks have EMBRACED and are the COMPLAINTS of both men and women saying they can't find decent partners or just, decent, productive, human beings to live around. Again, I do NOT come from a place of "lesser of two evils". I want THEM -all- GONE!
"Overall, it's a romantic comedy. And the film does have a positive message regarding all those stereotypes."
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Why do you all refuse to take a stance even when you admit to seeing something(negative)? Overall, "The Color Purple" had a positive message of going through adversity and triumphing in the end. Ceily got freedom, an inheritance, opened up her own shop, remorse from her abusive ex(so much so he sent for her sister and children from Africa). Yet all BM can talk about is the NEGATIVE impact it had on black girls because they pushed the STEREOTYPE of the tyrannical abusive black male. How about the "positives" at the end of most of Tyler Perry films esp with the LIGHT skinned male coming to the rescue? Maybe you want to think that over a bit. I mean, should we look for the GLIMMER of positive(s) SPRINKLED over reoccurring NEGATIVES? SMH @low standards. It's so damn ingrained, people don't even realize.
"Ultimately, it's about making money."
No. It's about controlling peoples minds though perceptions brought about by depictions.
"People are going to put out what makes a profit."
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No. This is the biggest LIE going. The correct answer is people(the powers that be) are going to put up propaganda WHILE profiting from it.
"We've seen time and time again how black people don't support films that fully put us in a positive light, because black people themselves don't even believe it."
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Not entirely true. First off, many movies that do this, don't have the PROMOTIONAL MACHINE behind them or big name people cosigning them. I have to first KNOW about something in order to support it. You guys have mentioned movies like "Miracle at St Anna" and others to prove blacks don't support, I hadn't even HEARD about them. Is it lack of support or lack of being promoted like the coonish Tyler Perry films are? Tyler Perry works for the establishment. Independent people are not going to hit the mainstream and it's audience. Only die-hard fans will SEEK them out. Most people don't even know to do that until they 1.)become a certain age and 2.)are tired of foolishness.
And that's why I tell people not to buy into this, "It's about profits" because if that was the case, whites know more about blacks than they do themselves. They could make positive movies and continuously market them and you BET black people will RUN out to support them. Not only will they do it because black people are STARVED from not seeing themselves on screen, but simply because WHITE people told them to support it. Whites would NEVER do that. Because it's not in their best interest to show you in a positive light. So THAT is why they don't. It's -NOT- about what "sells" because you can promote things in a way to where it appeals to everyone but they don't want to. They also know they can get BLACKS to make concessions and GO right along with what whites want.
"Look at the movie The Help. Majority of the people defending that movie were black women and they supported it with their money. They paid to see their own race of women portrayed as pathetic maids."
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Again, this comes from not being used to the BEST and being deprived of seeing your reflection on screen. That's a direction I'm trying to steer people in but I get roadblocks thrown up like, "Well it's not as bad as(insert this overtly negative portrayl here).
They STUDY people(esp BLACK people) so much they know exactly what to do in order to get us to do their bidding(self-destruct). They even incorporate drums because it calls to us and gets us to move uncontrollably. They're messing with our pineal glands too. So much that we don't know/realize and think it's just our inherent fuck up nature that's causing us to do all these weird things.
The jezebel who decides to put her pussy on lock down The baby mamma with insecure issues The strong and independent black woman who don't need a man The interracial dating black woman
For the Men:
The mamma's boy The lying player The lazy, underachieving, dreamer The doormat (Guess who?) Mr. non-commitment; boy who doesn't want to become a man
Special Guest:
The arrogant on-point black man The happily married man (guess his race?) The physically abusive black woman
But to be fair, it's nothing compared to films like Precious, For Colored Girls Only, and Monsters Ball.
Overall, it's a romantic comedy. And the film does have a positive message regarding all those stereotypes.
Ultimately, it's about making money. People are going to put out what makes a profit. We've seen time and time again how black people don't support films that fully put us in a positive light, because black people themselves don't even believe it. Black people can't complain about the negative images the media uses, but when a black director or producer puts his/her hard earned money on the line to make a genuine black film that's positive, no black people go to the theater to support it.
Yes, black people need to control their images in the media in all its forms. The problem is, black people themselves buy into and support those negative images, then complain when someone of another race, uses those images to their advantage.
Look at the movie The Help. Majority of the people defending that movie were black women and they supported it with their money. They paid to see their own race of women portrayed as pathetic maids. And their excuse? "It was based on a book."
Black people have to get rid of the negative perceptions they have of each other, before they can work together and change anything in society at large.
"i don't know wtf is going on but i'm finding it harder and harder to hear peoples' voices. i mean i can hear it if i strain really hard and make sure the rest of the room is quiet as a tomb but sometimes i like to walk around and do shit while a vid plays in the background.
i have all my audio settings on full blast but it still sounds distant and muted." ---------------
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Good video divine!! We all need to be more aware of how powerful the mainstream media is.
Im working on my side hustle in the marketing relm, and ive been studying up on psychology of marketing and advertising and how something as simple as combining the right color schemes can trigger emotion and actions in a person. Hollywood spends millions of dollars hiring marketing/advertising firms to conduct physiological studies of peoples minds and whats drives at their emotions and actions. So nothing they do is a coincidence
Also Its about time to hear a BW say they didnt want to see precious and the help.
i don't know wtf is going on but i'm finding it harder and harder to hear peoples' voices. i mean i can hear it if i strain really hard and make sure the rest of the room is quiet as a tomb but sometimes i like to walk around and do shit while a vid plays in the background.
i have all my audio settings on full blast but it still sounds distant and muted.
I understood your point and addressed it. The fact of the matter is...as blacks, we're willing to praise mediocre/insulting work because it's a "step up" from something else that was negative. Lesser of two evils. You saying you see the stereotypes but will give it props because people are trying proves my point. And they're going to KEEP doing this until we COLLECTIVELY say NO MORE.
It's NOT crabs-in-a-barrel. Only made to seem that way when it comes to us. ALL groups are concerned over how they're depicted and will write in to producers and or boycott QUICK if anything is stereotypical to their group. It shows PRIDE. How many Italians complained about the Jersey Shore shows? Brooklyn11223? How many gays will complain about something? Jews on Mel Gibson's ass? P.E.T.A.? Women's right's groups?
Dressing it up as "making big moves in a white man's world" doesn't trump it for me. Like I said, they do a film "for" us and since we know they're few and far between, they come to us with a pimp and ho film and we're just glad black actors/actresses are employed. See, if we were a people who were used to the BEST, we'd be judging each with the ultimate best criteria. But the way they got the game now, by purposely leaving us out of the loop, we cling to ANY image we see of ourselves. Again, I don't want them doing anything for us at this point because there's always gonna be some shit. When you think of it from a war standpoint, it's necessary for their to be some shit in order for them 1.)to look better 2.)and our group to continue to take in dysfunctional messages and carry out those behaviors. I'd be remiss in my duties though if I didn't at least try to put other black women onto game(esp since they're usually the target demographic).
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