New Transformers Flick Racist?!

by Jordan Hoffman at 9:46AM

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One should expect explosions and cleavage in a Michael Bay film, but should one expect the perpetuation of racial stereotypes?

If you snoop around movie sites today, you’ll find references to Mudflap and Skids, twin Autobots from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen who bear more than a passing resemblance to minstrel show depictions of African Americans. CHUD.com aptly dubbed them Little Black Sambots. The wider story is that Mudflap and Skids are just the tip of the insensitive iceberg in Bay’s newest film. Here is a list of what you can expect when you go to see the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Mudflap and Skidz - the aforementioned “from da hood” Autobots with gold teeth, poor grammar, the inability to read (or speak with inside voices) and, final sigh, actual simian features. The voice work (by Spongebob Squarepants’ Tom Kenny) is more of the Howard Stern/Amos & Andy style as opposed to the Chris Rock “daaaaaamn!” variety.

Old Chinese Man Eating Noodles - because an opening fight in Shanghai wouldn’t be complete without battling robots busting through a wall and disturbing a sage old man over his steaming iron rice bowl. He has no lines, but he mugs to the camera with a nice blend of fear and wisdom.

Secret Agent Schlep - John Turturro’s character from the first film is back, but he’s been run out of the spy game and has moved in with his mother in Jew York City. There he sells whitefish to angry old women (who, no doubt, asks for a bissel sable lox on the side.) “Leave me alone, I’ve got bagels to shmear!” he cries when Sam Witwicky (and the fate of the human race) dares to call him back into action.

Bucktoothed Angry Black Muslim - I don’t know what stereotype exactly was going on with this guy other than baffling. Turturro’s mother’s delicatessen is obviously only kosher-style. When a worker is moving a giant hog carcass, an “uppidty” meat slicer shouts out (from behind a wall of teeth) something to the tune of “don’t touch me with that pork!” (Surely, this man should find some other place of employ.)

The Wopticon - A supporting character in the film is a mini-decepticon RC vehicle portrayed as an Eye-talian stool pigeon. Did you know the natives of Cybertron had a fear of getting’ whacked? This li’l guy does.

Jetfire, Old Boy - In this iteration the Decepticon-turned-Autobot is a dusty old Anglo-Scots codger. Cheers to ILM for figuring out a way to turn metal into a beard and a cane, jeers for putting The Major from Fawlty Towers in the middle of an action film.
Das Torture Bot - When Sam Witwicky is pinned to a slab of concrete (because "Megatron wants what's in my mind!") a Herr Doktor Mengele type droid appears to do the drilling. Talk about OUCHwitz!
The French - The UK is clearly shown among the coalition of the willing (to keep Energon from Megatron, of course) but other than a shout out to a noble Jordanian helicopter, the rest of the world seems to be neutral in this worldwide struggle. The French particularly so. When Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky are seen on their Gaullic vacation, all we see are quick flashes of typical French behavior: annoying mimes and repulsive edible snails.

The Arab World - According to Michael Bay’s logic, the entire Arab World is nothing but sand, camels and pyramids. Also Aqaba, Petra and Giza are all within walking distance. (But, hey, you also have to take the Ben Franklin Bridge to get from New Jersey to New York in this film and there are mountains in Washington DC, but that’s another story.)

The Female Gender - Every single female in the world is young, slender, wearing very little clothing and is if not ready to copulate, at least wiggle lasciviously. Every single female in the film. Even the randy and lithe Mrs. Witwicky.

If one really wants to read into things, one can easily find a repudiation of the Obama administration. The only non-Robot bad guy is a pusillanimous, bespectled worm who thinks that a strong military showing is not the best policy (he is WEAK) and when he is forced to jump from an airplane he cries like a little girl.

Sam Witwicky’s roommate Leo is played by Ramon Rodgriguez who, unless I’m forgetting a stereotype, doesn’t do anything disgrace the Latino community. He kinda acts like a yutz and chases a lot of tail, but I’ll chalk that up to him being a lusty college freshman rather than some sexed-up Latin lover.

Indeed, one could surely chalk the whole thing up to, “hey, it’s a movie about robots and explosions” and “relax a little and STFU!” Or, one could argue that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be watched and beloved by young and impressionable teens who, whether they know it or not, have their opinions in some way shaped by the media they consume. Either way, the evidence of racial stereotyping in the film is undeniable.

 

This shit sounds suspect.

"Jive-talking, hip hop robots that can't read."

link: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/jivetalking-twin-transformers-raise-race-issues-ap

 

Many movies contain some of those sterotypical images of genders,ethnicities or races mentioned.
That movie is far from being the only one doing that.

 

Hahaha. Plenty of black people like that in real life. Don't shoot the messenger.

 

Truth.
Look at how Russians are represented in pretty much all Hollywood movies. Vodka drinkin', bear lovin', kosak dancin' hard up commies

 

What messanger bitch?

Where are the ..child-molesting...trailer-trash robots..??

 

Child molesting?? Are white people all child molesters? Well... I wasn't molested by my parents.

Why do people who are supposed to be against racism/stereotyping/discrimination stereotype/are racist/discriminate against others in defence? It makes no sense. Fight racism with racism? Doesn't work... it's like a nasty cycle. :smt018

 

I saw it last night. Overall, a fun movie, and I definitely enjoyed it (I'm a sucker for fighting robots), but those two characters were definitely racist, and just a real detriment to the movie, which could have been even more fun without them.

Think Jar Jar Binks times 11.

 

Exactly, well... that's how I always see Russians in movies and tv.

I know Scottish people are always portrayed as fat, pie eating, whiskey drinking, ginger haired, kilt wearing idiots who eat haggis all day, play the bagpipes and live in shacks. People always think we throw logs for sport as well... lol. I mean, even look at the janitor on The Simpsons. Oh and Fat Bastard on Austin Powers, LOL! I don't really care, I just have to say to everyone we're not all like that. I even spoke to someone on the net once who didn't know we had internet in Scotland, lmao.


(I'm not fat, hate pies, hate whiskey, my hair is brown, never wear a kilt (such a style faux pas lol), I've never tasted haggis in my life, have no desire to play bagpipes and I live in an average flat with double glazing, running water and electricity)

 

.....damn.




Still dying to see this movie though. Looks hella raw.

 

who you calling a bitch, fuck you. and if we were worried about stereotypes so many of us wouldn't be walking around like that to be made fun of.

 

This kind of shit doesn't even surprise me anymore. If I wanna see black men in a better light then I have to take some responsibility and lead by example.:smt023

 

damn it's gettin rowdy up in here AGAIN..

what is it with black people, malt liquor, and hot weather...

straight homicide................

 

Off topic like a mug, but I don't care I making conversation
with my girl Liquid aka Sarah....What part about you culturally is scottish, because sometimes it is not really stereotyping, it is making fun jokes and not-so-fun jokes of our culture.

Like It is True with me that I speak alot of slang, so the good joke
would be probably something like an imitation, but a bad, stereotyping joke would be exaggerating the imitation a.k.a. mocking.... Am I making sense shorty?:lol:

 

Yea I've seen that,too.I'd rather see movie that surprise me positively by presenting things in a more realistic way.

 

Saw that shit yesterday,definitely racist

 

Mate, everything is racist to you.
I bet you'd call me a racist because I take my coffee black.

 

LOL @ that one

 

Thop being tho Thenthitivite.

 

But you probably already take your coffee "black".:smt003