Comments

1. Ange wrote:

   I believe the “white woman chasing” is also part of the irony. I will see it, but then again I am a big fan, as he is one of the few celebrities that I have met, that is not only down to earth, but super polite and just as tall and handsome up close.

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 10:33 am ¶

2. La - msviswan wrote:

   Not only does the black/minority male shown as the self inflicted inferior, but it appears in order for him to gain respect he also have to show he is able to obtain a white female as a sign of redemption and male normality. Classic, I am not surprised, what a great signal message for young black males and females. Yet some people on this very blog actually tried to argue with me when I say the media hardly promotes black unity/love and mostly promotes black males to date white/non-black females. I really wish more black females had the means to produce their own media productions.

   Since, “Hitch” and “In pursuit of Happiness”, Smith has been getting on my disappointment radar in this department among other things. This foolishness will only take the cake. Yeah I know actors have to eat, but most you sell your soul and dignity along with the ones of others?

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 10:51 am ¶

3. kain wrote:

   i have never been a fan of smith but i think this new movie would be very interesting to watch apart from the ir, it also sounds like a good premise… contrary to popular belief about bm/wf romantic couplings, it has rarely been done, if ever, by mainstream hollywood

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 1:56 pm ¶

4. bertie wrote:

   Where did the phrase “white woman chasing” come from in regards to this film? Is Smith chasing after any and all white women in the film or does he happen to become attracted to a particular woman who he is in contact with because of his interaction with her husband? The whole “chasing” wording invokes stereotypes of black men being “white gurl crazy.” Which doesn’t seem like its a focus of the film or an aspect of the character.

   Also sadly, this film doesn’t seem like a typical script written for black audiences or with black actors in mind ( its a little to fanciful and absurdist—black themed films seem to always focus on reality–harsh hood reality or family based psuedo religious melodrama. ) This film is not about all things “hood”–but then again it does star a rapper so who knows.) I imagine the superhero wasn’t specifically written as a blackman but b/c of Smith’s talent and bankability he got the part. So all the deep meaning on black male dating preferences, racial dating politics, etc. are probably inferred by us and a symptom of our racial hangups and agendas and not really an aspect, focus, theme or message of the film.

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 3:03 pm ¶

5. ciji wrote:

   Black women are so undesirable, even our own men don’t want us.

   Didn’t you get the memo?

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 4:11 pm ¶

6. gandalf mantooth wrote:

   The bare bones plot of the film is a retelling of the old western SHANE. Smith may “fall for” Theron’s character, however there will be nothing more than longing glances between the two (just like Julia and Denzel). BTW, the plot of SHANE was also ripped for the last Superman movie, if you were paying attention. I nearly fell asleep and missed it.

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 5:16 pm ¶

7. Robert Reed wrote:

   >

   I think that the people arguing with you are correct. In the vast majority of TV shows and movies that I have seen, the black man is paired with the black woman. I mean, compare the number of sitcoms with black men paired with black women to the number of sitcoms with BM/WF comparisons. I know only one sitcom which had such a paring among the main characters, and that was the recent short-lived Whoopi Goldberg sitcom. And as for movies, I’ve seen FAR more where black men are paired with black women than with black men paired with white women. You rail against Will Smith for staring in two previous movies without a black love interest. And with the new movie, the entire count rises to three. It’s always been my opinion that Hollywood does not show IR pairings enough, even though they occur far more often in real life.

   Do you really have a problem with seeing black male, white female couples?

   And yes, there are new production outlets. But using a camcorder, free and open source movie editing software, you can now create your own movies. At a certain website that celebrates bm/wf pairings, people often complain that Hollywood does not show those pairings nearly enough, and I agree with them. However, I am quick to tell them that if they really want to see movies and television shows with it, then by using a camcorder and video editing software, they can create their own media instead of waiting for Hollywood.

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 5:19 pm ¶

8. mr guy wrote:

   Sounds interesting.I always liked superhero movies.Looking forward to it.As for the black male stereotypes(drunk homeless) or black males with white female aka IR, I’m not too sure how these issues even relate to a movie that we have not even seen a trailer of.Oh and the majority of black men like black women, and black women like black men, and some of both groups like everyone.I know I’m stating the obvious here, but it feels like you have to state the obvious every now and then.Not targeting this to anyone by the way.

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 5:47 pm ¶

9. Michelle wrote:

   SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!

   I read the script so……

   He does, in fact, chase her through out the whole film. It is actually a crucial plot point. As a matter of fact, she is the catalyst to everything that happens in the movie, and the key to the mystery that surrounds “John Hancock”. He falls in love at first sight. And there is certaintly a love scene. A big one. Not just looks and glances. It is passionate and funny and a REAL love scene.

   It was an awesome script. It was funny and sad and had a lot of twists and turns and in general, it was really rocking!

   Now, about BM/BW pairings. If you talk to anyone who is a student or critic of film, especially people who are acutely aware of Black/White politics in America, they will tell you that the lack of seeing Black on Black love, romance and passion in the movies is incredibly problematic. I really don’t see that there is an arguement in that regard. However, that does not say that conversely, BM/WF pairings are the norm, either. I think that the more important thing is that Black women are not being portrayed as sexual, vibrant, beautiful, passionate and complex human beings, who are desirable and worthy of love.

   Lastly, Will Smith is doing his part. He is responsible for many great films that just happen to star some Black people, meaning good movies, not good BLACK movies. Ray would never have been made if Ali had not been made. And of course, Will is following in the footsteps of men like Denzel Washington and Lou Gossett, Jr. and Sidney Poitier (to name a few). But he is an actor and person of excellence who, I must add, is married to a Black woman in real life and is raising Black children and being an incredible role model of what it means to be a Black man.

   Change is happening and I think that Will Smith is a part of it in his own way.

   Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 6:19 pm ¶

10. Mike wrote:

    I am curious about the plot a homeless, alcoholic superhero. That is diffrent from what hollywood puts out regularly especially when it comes to blacks. The IR angle to me seems more of a poor attempt to mainstream the movie than risk making it into a “Black Movie”.
    As Far as La:

    Yet some people on this very blog actually tried to argue with me when I say the media hardly promotes black unity/love and mostly promotes black males to date white/non-black females.
    I dont know which movies you ve been Watching but nothing is further from the truth. The numbers are in favor of black couples than against. These posers (sorry I meant posters) are the same ones advocating IR relationships between BW and Wm yet here they arte playing the black pot and kettle games. And who labeled it “white women chasing”? I know it was not the press or the producers Ms. Peterson.

    Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 6:35 pm ¶

11. La -msviswan wrote:

    ciji wrote:

    “Black women are so undesirable, even our own men don’t want us.
    Didn’t you get the memo?”

    No, that’s not true! If anything, it’s the ones that don’t love themselves. We are desirable to all types of men, but certain people in this society want us and other people to believe otherwise. There are black and non-black people that benefit from either our low morale and the imbalances of the equation.

    There are black men that LOVE and prefer black women. There are non-black men that also LOVE black women.

    Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 8:26 pm ¶

12. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    White woman chasing was used in the title of this quick post because: (1) from the plot synopsis, it appears that he is chasing this taken white woman - and bm/wf relationships are a rarity in Hollywood. I am assuming he is the one in pursuit. (2) That is what it will be perceived as anyway.

    You know, I am trying to get away from the super long posts by posting up shorter pieces, but I’m wondering if that’s going to work if I just end up clarifying things in the comments…

    ****

    Gandalf - Thanks for the backstory and the prediction.

    ****

    The black male/white female thing is one of the most fascinating components about the movie. For example, look at Hitch. I knew I remembered reading industry gossip about the disputes over the female lead. Here is the MSNBC article on it:

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7019342/

    Exerpt: “Eva Mendes was given the role opposite Smith because the moviemakers were worried about the public’s reaction if the part was given to a white or an African American actress, according to Smith. The actor is saying that it was feared that a black couple would have put off worldwide audiences whereas a white/African American combo would have offended viewers in the U.S.

    “There’s sort of an accepted myth that if you have two black actors, a male and a female, in the lead of a romantic comedy, that people around the world don’t want to see it,” Smith told the British paper, the Birmingham Post while promoting the flick overseas. “We spend $50-something million making this movie and the studio would think that was tough on their investment. So the idea of a black actor and a white actress comes up — that’ll work around the world, but it’s a problem in the U.S.”

    Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 9:21 pm ¶

13. La -msviswan wrote:

    To Robert Reed:

    On that note, do you also advocate to see more black women and white men couples on television just as equally?

    Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 9:28 pm ¶

14. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    I also referenced the black enterprise article for a reason. In reading about Smith’s movie choices, it appears that he makes very conscious decisions about what he stars in and produces - almost as if each film has the goal of breaking some kind of barrier for him personally. He talked about breaking out of the rapper mold, action hero mold, the sci-fi mold, etc…so I am wondering what he is attempting to do in this film.

    I don’t really believe in condemning anything before it is seen - but I do like to bring up potentially provocative topics in film to see how our (cynically lowered) expectations match up to the on-screen adaption.

    Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 9:33 pm ¶

15. Latoya Peterson wrote:

    (Sorry, having comment trouble, that’s why each thought is a separate comment.)

    Re: Black Women/Black Men in film.

    You know…I feel like minority love is often diminished in mainstream media. I am sitting here trying to think of films with minority leads that end up with other minority leads, and I am only drawing a few…

    [And I’m not sure all these movies qualify as mainstream…]

    *Harold and Kumar - Asian male lead, latina female lead
    *Better Luck Tomorrow - Asian male lead, Asian female lead

    ummm…drawing a blank now.

    Can anyone else help me out?

    Mainstream black films tend to have a black male lead and a black female lead, but I can’t think of too many movies outside of that.

    Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 9:41 pm ¶

16. TROUBLMan wrote:

    Im from the school that believes interacial love works against the forces of racism. Of course there should be postive images of black families on television and in the movies, but there also needs to be interacial images. In my mind both perspectives challenge stereotypes. By only promoting black relationships, wouldn’t the media be restricting the image of black.

    Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 9:44 pm ¶

17. Laya wrote:

    “The Namesake” dealt with minority/white vs. minority/minority relationships in an interesting way. Without spoiling the plot, Kal Penn’s character has a relationship with a white female, and then with a girl that his mother sets him up with who comes from the same cultural tradition, and learns that happiness is not guaranted in either situation. I highly recommend the movie (not sure if it’s on DVD yet though).

    As for the Will Smith movie: I’ll probably see it, if only because I’m a consumer of sci-fi, fantasy, and “geek” culture and I get *so tired* of how minorities can be portrayed in those genres. I’ll be looking for Will Smith to do something different that appeals to the main stream but also gives a multi-dimensional portrayal of a black man.

    On bm/bf relationships on film: if Bad Boys 2 proved anything, it’s that you can have an almost all-black film that appeals across countries and cultures. I’m sure the film did well because of the action and explosions, but in between those sequences you had a lot of what Hollywod claims doesn’t work in movies. Both Will Smith and Martin’s Lawrence’s love interests were black. The officers that end up helping the pair toward the end of the movie are Hispanic. Gabrielle Union’s character was an FBI agent and not a caricature, and Will Smith falls for her because of who she is and not just what she looks like. There was nary a gangster, gold tooth, or crackhead (that I can remember - correct me if I’m wrong). This movie, with all of these images, made money hand over fist! Yet movies that don’t comform to stereotypes of minorities don’t do well overseas??

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 12:43 am ¶

18. bertie wrote:

    Thanks for the clarification–I wasn’t sure if the white woman chasing was a character point presented by the movie producers (like his alcoholism or preference for flip flops).

    Good luck finding a “mainstream” film where the minority leads get together because the fact that a film has 2 minority leads makes the film not mainstream.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 12:54 am ¶

19. Zoe wrote:

    I agree Latoya that in films targeted at supposed “mainstream” audiences, there aren’t a lot of minority-minority romantic pairings. In “One Night Stand” you have Wesley Snipes & Ming-Na Wen as husband & wife, but then he cheats on her with Natassja Kijinski (spelling?) who is white. Does “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” count as a “mainstream” film? If so, that has Taye Diggs & Angela Bassett. Then of course there are foreign-language films that end up succeeding in the U.S. market such as “Crouching Tiger” or other films from Asia or Latin America, but I’m not sure what’s considered mainstream & what isn’t, since I tend to watch a lot of independent and foreign-language films and I also actively seek out films with fleshed-out minority characters. Regardless, however, the fact that we can list these films with minority-minority romantic pairings on our fingers drives home the point that it’s such a rarity. Interestingly, in the movie I just mentioned, “One Night Stand,” rumor has it that Ming-Na was cast as Snipes’ wife because he was worried that if it were a black actress, the black community would be offended that his character was cheating on his wife. I don’t know whether that’s really true though. Really though, I don’t recall that many films with white women-black men romantic pairings, so I think this could be interesting, unless it ends up placing the white woman on a pedestal and depicting her as some sort of prize to be obtained by the black man to prove something.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 12:57 am ¶

20. Lynn Gazis-Sax wrote:

    Yet some people on this very blog actually tried to argue with me when I say the media hardly promotes black unity/love and mostly promotes black males to date white/non-black females.

    Well, I wouldn’t argue with the “hardly promotes black unity/love” part of your claim, since it’s pretty darn hard to promote black unity/love when you’re trying to avoid having a black male lead and a black female lead in the same movie. But I don’t believe the “mostly promotes black males to date white/non-black females” part; I don’t think Hollywood especially likes black man/white woman pairings, especially not if you mean anything that goes beyond flirtation and longing glances.

    The actor is saying that it was feared that a black couple would have put off worldwide audiences

    So it’s audiences outside the US that are supposed to be the reason they avoid a black couple in a high price tag movie? I had no idea.

    I like the homeless superhero idea, and I like Will Smith, so I’d be inclined to see this one as long as the first reviews are good.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 1:45 am ¶

21. Angela wrote:

    I don’t see as many bm/ww pairings as we all like to think up their on the Silver Screen or on TV. Based on the current crop of primetime network TV shows, the only bm/ww relationships I’ve seen were between D.L. and Niki in Heroes, the Jason/Kelly pairing on The Game(but that is poking fun at the stereotype that black athletes marry white women) and Blair Underwood’s Mr. Harris with Julia Louis-Drefyus’ Christine on her sitcom. Other than that, we just saw the Burke/Christina pairing, which was a bm/aw pairing.

    I’m eager to see this movie and to be honest, I hope that Will and Charlize have a physical romantic relationship, not just the longing glances because I feel that this dehumanizes and de-sexualizes the black man. Even though I’m a black woman, I detest when a black man–or black woman–is not allowed to have as full of an emotional and physical relationship with a non-black because it designates black people as “the Other”, that a black person is NOT a human free to fall in love with someone as a HUMAN–not an exotic specimen or a fetish.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 2:16 am ¶

22. Ange wrote:

    @ciji

    I have never understood that, it has not been my experience. I think it has a lot more to do with attitude. And I KNOW it has a lot do do with how you make him feel about himself, along with being super feminine and being able to cook the perfect red snapper with nothing on but an apron and three inch heels. Just ask the men you know.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 8:05 am ¶

23. La - msviswan wrote:

    Not trying to change the subject of the post, but, I just wanted to post this for some people. Movies/sitcoms I recently/randomly watched, and can think of at the top of my head that openly show the intimacy or blatantly insinuate black male/white female pairings - oppose to the other way around.

    “Slow Burn”
    “Wondrous Oblivion”
    “Black snake moan”
    “Hair spray”
    “Unaccompanied Minors”
    “Walkin tall” (The Rock’s mother shown as white and father black).
    “Heroes” (IR super hero couple and also including the biracial female which still shows she has a black father)
    “Salon”
    “Never die alone” (DMX)
    “My brother”
    “Breakin all the rules” (Morris Chestnut)
    “And then came love”
    “House”
    “Jaimie Foxx”
    Will and Grace (rerun with- Gregory Hines)
    Grey’s Anatomy - Black doctors are shown with female Asian doctor and a white female.

    Believe me there are much more I saw just this month, but I can’t think of them at the momment. Please be fair, there is no comparison. Black males are shown with non-black females more than vice versa. I could never understand why is that so hard for some people to admit. Also, for the ones that do show black women with non-black men (apart from colorism), they almost always include a black male with a non-black female to counter it either way.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 9:17 am ¶

24. La - msviswan wrote:

    Ange wrote:
    
    “I think it has a lot more to do with attitude. And I KNOW it has a lot do do with how you make him feel about himself, along with being super feminine and being able to cook the perfect red snapper with nothing on but an apron and three inch heels. Just ask the men you know.”

    Actually. for the black male and black female relations, it’s much more complex than you stated. Mostly due to present issues and historical dynamics, which goes beyond just simply explaining it on this blog topic.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 9:27 am ¶

25. bdsista wrote:

    If you look at the lists of hollywood films that have a black male lead, it almost NEVER shows healthy black love. As for television, ER, Scrubs, most law firm or police sitcoms feature interracial couples if there is a black lead character as well as soap operas. Taking nothing away from those happy IR couples, it is a problem for black female to be regarded as the least desirable and statistics are showing that black females have the lowest marriage rate of all females of all races. It’s great that men of other races appreciate black women, but you need to show up! I have many friends now almost fifty years old who are attractive, professional women, who have never married, will never have children (unless they adopt), who are still waiting for the right man and yes, they are online and go out and travel and are places where they can meet people. I was lucky, I married at 40 to a biracial (black and Japanese) man, whom I am now divorced from. (not related to race). But I think that it stands to reason that women in the 40 and up range for many reasons prefer black men. Mostly because in the eras we grew up in (60s-70s), white men were not interested in black women. Are we open to IR relationships? yes, but it would be nice if we could see the kind of love our parents and grandparents had on the screen as well.
    oh and here is an interesting article by Arthur Hu from the Asian male perspective.
    http://www.arthurhu.com/97/06/aismen.txt

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 9:44 am ¶

26. Kenny wrote:

    There is no question that Hollywood is more comfortable showing IR with White males and women of colo,r despite the fact that the reality is the opposite. Look at daytime tv for starters! Look at Halle Berry’s movies or Whoopi Goldberg’s,Thandie Newton. How can anybody deny this? Brandy , Monica, Aaliyah,Whitney Houston and Beyonce all made their film debuts opposite non Black men. Do you think Jessica Simpson will be starring with a Black love interest anytime soon? Stop the denial.I haven’t seen the new Jamie Foxx/ Jennifer Garner film and I would bet one million dollars that there is no ramonce between them in the film.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 10:48 am ¶

27. Kenny wrote:

    romance not ramonce oops!

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 10:49 am ¶

28. Zoe wrote:

    Bringing this discussion to the small screen, I wonder how race and relationships will play out on Shonda Rhimes’s latest TV venture, “Private Practice.” Taye Diggs & Audra McDonald, both of whom are African American, play a divorcing (already divorced?) couple. Based on Shonda’s fondness for having every character sleep with everyone else, I expect we’ll see both Audra and Taye getting it on with their white co-workers. I’ve seen some sneak previews of the show, and in spite of the two characters’ estrangement, they do have one of the most compelling relationships on the show, so I’m very curious where Shonda’s going with this. (the fact that all their co-workers in a *medical facility* in *L.A.* are all *white*, however, really bothers me…I say shame on Shonda for not casting any Asian Americans and Latinos in this show given the demographics of L.A., but that’s a whole other tangent)
    While we’re on the topic of Shonda, someone mentioned the Burke-Cristina (Isaiah Washington-Sandra Oh) pairing on Grey’s Anatomy, but there was also the relationship between the black Chief (James Pickens Jr.) and the white Ellis Grey (Kate Burton) which I thought was sensitively portrayed.
    I’m all for more positive representations of same-race relationships though, and I’d become a loyal viewer to any show that features a hot black woman or a hot Asian American male. (okay, Lost has two hot Asian males, and I guess Ugly Betty’s Vanessa Williams is pretty stunning, but where are the others?)

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 11:05 am ¶

29. gandalf mantooth wrote:

    back to the film in question:
    The script I read has some differences from the various descriptions flying around the Internet. The original was much more SHANE like with the rleationship between Smith’s character and the family’s 12 year old kid being up front. Seems that, at least from a PR standpoint, the focus is on the relationship between the wife and Smith’s character. Still, all sources continue to describe their relationship as “emotional.”

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 1:03 pm ¶

30. thenewmorning wrote:

    1.gandalfmantooh: dude, quit while you’re ahead. The relationship between Theron and Smith’s caracters is a physical and steamy one. 2. This script was not tailored after a black man(drinking, homelessness). This was a hot piece of property, way before WS name was attached. Be more open minded, people.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 3:16 pm ¶

31. Ange wrote:

    @La-Msviswan

    I am Black, Jamaican born and raised, and that has never been my experience. Not everything is or should be complex. Maybe as Black women if we stopped trying so hard to prove to the world how strong and independent we are, it might just give some of us the love we seek. I am strong, very strong, but I also know how and when to turn it off. It’s all about balance. I might not have your education, but MEN I know!

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 4:03 pm ¶

32. Mike wrote:

    There should be a line drawn between action movies/comedies/drama and romance. true there are not enough romantic movies with bm & bw most likely because hollywood does not see cross over appeal in it. The other catagories really dont count in terms of black relationships because the focus of those movies are not the relationship, so you will more likely see bm with bw and still appeal to a mainstream audience.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 4:31 pm ¶

33. Robert Reed wrote:

    >

    Absolutely.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 9:01 pm ¶

34. Robert Reed wrote:

    Yes, I support the same for black female/white male relationships. There needs to be more of those too.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 9:02 pm ¶

35. La -msviswan wrote:

    Ange, Ciji does have validation to her statement. I just felt it was too broad and somewhat depressing while it marginalized most black women as being “undesirable”. Either way, I could see how she and many others would feel that way.

    Ange siad: “I am Black, Jamaican born and raised, and that has never been my experience. Not everything is or should be complex. Maybe as Black women if we stopped trying so hard to prove to the world how strong and independent we are, it might just give some of us the love we seek. I am strong, very strong, but I also know how and when to turn it off. “

    I was also born, raised and still living in the Caribbean, as a matter of fact, the US territory Caribbean. As black Caribbean women, we grew up most likely in a predominately black environment. Some areas like Jamaica even have their own sitcom and movie industry. Therefore, most of us basically obtained certain fundamentals growing up as majority and thus having feminine confidence amongst our own men, and men abroad. Your experience would naturally be different from the average black American female who did not have such privilege and may have developed the necessary defence to survive in a anti-black society.

    Yes, there is always need for balance. But, on a flip side, the Caribbean also have deep roots in colorism and strong sexism. So, based on your previous statements, someone else could also assume you had to develop a submissive ideal for the sake of compliance. Perhaps, in order to compete or survive in your sexist black male dominating Caribbean environment. I’m just saying.

    Kenny, keep in mind that’s almost just about all you can basically come up with (talk about pulling for straws). Also, check out the bi-racial or colorism accpect with most of these women.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 9:58 pm ¶

36. La -msviswan wrote:

    Ange, I did not mean to offend. Ciji does have validation to her statement. I just felt it was too broad and somewhat depressing while it marginalized most black women as being “undesirable”. Either way, I could see how she and many others would feel that way.

    Ange said: “I am Black, Jamaican born and raised, and that has never been my experience. Not everything is or should be complex. Maybe as Black women if we stopped trying so hard to prove to the world how strong and independent we are, it might just give some of us the love we seek. I am strong, very strong, but I also know how and when to turn it off. “

    I was also born, raised and still living in the Caribbean, as a matter of fact, the US territory Caribbean. As black Caribbean women, we grew up most likely in a predominately black environment. Some areas like Jamaica even have their own sitcom and movie industry. Therefore, most of us basically obtained certain fundamentals growing up as majority and thus having feminine confidence amongst our own men, and men abroad. Your experience would naturally be different from the average black American female who did not have such privilege and may have developed the necessary defense to survive in a anti-black society.

    Yes, there is always need for balance. But, on a flip side, the Caribbean also have deep roots in colorism and strong sexism. So, based on your previous statements, someone else could also assume you had to develop a submissive ideal for the sake of compliance. Perhaps, in order to compete or survive in your sexist black male dominating Caribbean environment. I’m just saying.

    Kenny, keep in mind that’s almost just about all you can basically come up with (talk about pulling for straws). Also, check out the bi-racial or colorism asspectwith most of these women.

    Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 10:01 pm ¶

37. JC wrote:

    Why can’t this homeless superhero be WHITE? He’s black so it’s, what, more “authentic?” I really liked Will Smith for the role he’s selected for himself, but this one just sounds like a disaster. I hope he doesn’t go the way of Cuba Gooding Jr.

    Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 4:15 am ¶

38. La - msviswan wrote:

    sorry can you delete number 35, I was having comupter issues last night. I didnt think it went through

    Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 8:29 am ¶

39. gatamala wrote:

    Also sadly, this film doesn’t seem like a typical script written for black audiences or with black actors in mind ( its a little to fanciful and absurdist—black themed films seem to always focus on reality–harsh hood reality or family based psuedo religious melodrama. )

    I would welcome something clearly fanciful and absurdist (complex, non-traditional, thought provoking, dark humor) to the absurdity that is billed as reality (hood, Madea).

    Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 12:06 pm ¶

40. Another Ange wrote:

    Most of the time when Black males are paired with Blackish females they are either very light skinned (which is why I said Blackish) or Multiracial or both. Most white audiences it seems aren’t always about to understand the differences in skin color and how that places out. In most white people’s minds Halle is no different than Angela; they are both “black”. But the reality is every time Halle is used instead of Angela a clear message is sent to Black women about exactly what kind of women we need be/look like in order to be considered desirable.

    Just as a silly aside, techinically Charlize Theron is African American too! (Shows you how utterly silly that title is and ridiculous non inclusive.)

    So techinically there are too African American leads.

    Posted 22 Sep 2007 at 6:04 am ¶

41. Another Ange wrote:

    two, rather.

    Posted 22 Sep 2007 at 6:05 am ¶

42. DJ Black Adam wrote:

    I don’t expect much from Will Smith, the woman did NOT have to be White for the story to work, simple as that.

    Posted 21 Nov 2007 at 5:17 pm ¶

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