Voices: The Django Debate

The words of Calvin Candie and his assessment of “the exceptional n—-r” began to ring hauntingly in my head. It feels a bit disgusting to even admit this, but it is cathartic to know there is now an international piece of cinema that examines these ideas without getting trapped in the tired ‘poor me,’ victim version of the story. This knowledge helps me to have faith in the possibility that black folk and white folk can come together to release these limiting beliefs, and even laugh at ourselves a little in the process. When I listen to the resounding theme evident throughout Django Unchained, I am inspired by human beings who continued to pursue love even as they walked the dirty road of survival.

–Actress Danielle Watts, who plays Coco in the film, on Facebook

Clearly, most Americans, much less African-Americans, will ever be able to become Obama or Oprah. But in our modern era, their achievements become a stand-in for all African-Americans. They prove how easy it is for all people to attain the American dream or how deficient African-Americans are when they don’t.

We should be aware that Django Unchained is a film that could not have been made at any other racial moment. But by privileging the few, we do not have to deal with the severe racial inequalities that most African-Americans confront in education, employment, health care and the criminal justice system.

As we cheer Django on in his revenge, we ought to ask ourselves: What happened to all the other slaves in America? Those who had neither Django’s guile nor guns? If we are serious about avenging the past, we must deal with the legacy of their lives in our present.

–Salamishah Tillet, CNN

Right before Django‘s release, film critic Jake Hamilton interviewed Samuel L. Jackson, and actually asked him about the controversy surrounding the “n-word.” Firing back, Samuel takes a potentially awkward question and flips it on Hamilton, producing a moment that sheds light on what’s going on in our culture better than I could ever explain:

Hamilton: There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the usage of, uh, the N-word, in this movie.

Jackson: No? Nobody? None … the word would be?

Hamilton: [Whispered.] I don’t want to say it.

Jackson: Why not?

Hamilton: I don’t like to say it.

Jackson: Have you ever said it?

Hamilton: No, sir.

Jackson: Try it.

Hamilton: I don’t like to say it.

Jackson: [SAMUEL JACKSON SCREAM] TRY IT.

Hamilton: Really? Seriously?

Jackson: We’re not going to have this conversation unless you say it.

[Pause.]

Jackson: Wanna move on to another question?

Hamilton: OK. Awesome.

Jackson: [Laughs.]

Hamilton: I don’t like — I don’t want to say it.

Jackson: Oh, come on.

Hamilton: Will you say it?

Jackson: No, fuck no. It’s not the same thing.

Hamilton: Why do you want me to —

Jackson: They’re gonna bleep it when you say it on the show. SAY IT.

Hamilton: I, I can’t say it. If I say it, this question won’t make air.

Jackson: OK, forget it.

Hamilton: I’ll skip it. Sorry, guys. It was a good question.

Jackson: No it wasn’t.

Hamilton: It was a great question.

Jackson: It wasn’t a great question if you can’t say the word.

Such is the case with these things: these discussions, these dares, these laughs, these hesitations, these tiffs, these struggles–they aren’t new. They’re just being carried out differently, and more publicly, and with fear of fewer repercussions. And in the world we live in today, where access to various modes of public expression is becoming increasingly accessible, the walls around “talking about race” are rapidly crumbling. Finally.

–Rembert Browne, Grantland

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