Idris Elba: Black Men Not Considered “Sexy” By America

http://newsone.com/entertainment/newsonestaff4/idris-elba-black-men-not-sexy/?omcamp=NEWSBAR

Actor Idris Elba said that he felt Black men are not considered “sexy” by mainstream America, during a recent interview.

Idris elaborated on the issue, saying that Black actors are typically casted much differently than actors of other races, HuffingtonPost.com reports:

Here's a brother from a different country who's expressing the same sentiment that many of the American brothers here have after living and working on this side of the pond for several years. I wonder if he'll be ridiculed and called "whiny" or a "loser" by the head-in-the-sand crowd on this forum.

 

Everyone knows America is a racist piece of shithole, shaped intensely by its rancorous history.

Unlike South Africa that was just as racist in its history, blacks are not the majority in America so its even two fold.

Automatically in America you are typecast as a black man.

You are assumed to speak, dress, act a certain way as a shining example of the ghetto nigga, proud to be a minstrel show for a wider audience.

This is often the case in Hollywood where he is alluding to the idea of the black male in the mindset of the studio bosses and the directors who control it.

Look at the successful brothas in Hollywood and you will see the pattern, its usually in some goofy, comedic role more often than not.

The only one that defies that right off the bat is Denzel.

Personally I don't hate the U.S. but there are times I wondered what if my family had immigrated to Canada or the U.K. the other places that West Indian immigrants usually migrate to.

America has a virulent obsession with race that is sickening to the core of its being, ironic for a nation that talks about individualism.

Being a student of history I see where it came from and why it is a habit that is hard to break free of.

All you can do is live your life and say I'm the best, to hell with all the rest.

We will never be able to control the thoughts, mindsets, attitudes and views of strangers in a nation that has been shaped by a tortured racial past. Its a social sickness.

 

Joke of the day, all the characteristics he listed are considered sexy throughtout America. I don't know what the fuck his point is, I'm really lost. Does he want black men plastered all over gossip mag's and tv?

 

he's an actor, and from the looks of it you're another guy who pays complete and total attention to them based on their celebrity status. Way to go in preparing your youth, America. Next you'll be giving us lessons on the habitat of bats from Christian Bale (he plays batman..guess that makes him an expert in the field).

Sexy men are generally athletic and strong, regardless of race. From Brad Pitt with his infamous six-pack, to Denzel Washington and his stoic portrayals in film.

 

I love Idris, but he's wrong.

 

LOL this dude hasn't been paying attention. Its not that black men aren't thought as sexy, its the social bull shit that blocks a lot of non-black women. Black men have been thought as sexually desirable for ooooooooooooo couple hundred years now.

what an idiot.

 

..and so is Freddy, for attempting to vindicate corny ass brothas that need any excuse they can get for not getting laid, besides the fact that their style and game is garbage

 

I hate when celebs talk.

 

IN AMERICA.

Spot on YMRA, when you have been conditioned to think a certain way its hard to break that mindset. You know what they say about old habits.

How many white women for example when they are younger will not even acknowledge an interest in a black man even if they have said interest in the first place, but when they get older they will. How does one explain that.

What I took from it is that Idris was speaking about Hollywood and the roles of black actors in that arena and their general portrayal to the mainstream at large.

How many black actors do we know that hasn't had to play the goofy negro in Hollywood.

How many Denzel's, ie black Hollywood megastars do we know who are generally not involved in comedic roles of some sort.

Westley Snipes I guess, even though he did partake in To Wong Foo, a role you would never see Denzel in.

 

Fredrick just dropped a neutron bomb. I'm just gonna sit back and watch how these heffas respond to this. Where the fuck is my popcorn lol

 

LOL petty, damn.

I agree if you are a stable, confident, secure man you don't have to sweat these kind of nonsensical things.

Let your own charisma, charm and confidence speak for you.

If not pack your shit and head elsewhere.

No need to begrudge or sweat another man for what he has, just do your thing.

 

Don't forget about Will Smith and maybe Vin Diesel

 

I wouldn't say Will really, his bread and butter is of course comedic roles.

Even though he does have some terrific dramatic roles as well.

Come to think of it has Denzel ever done a comedy. I can't even remember one.

 

GQ sometimes you're spot on but sometimes especially with shit like this you crack me up.
What brother Idris is saying is right up there with bm who say they can't find a job. Is bm unemployment being twice that of wm because they are whiners and complainers or maybe it could actually be about something as simple as race.

Some of you guys in general are too quick to dismiss people just because they don't share the same pick yourself up by the bootstraps mentality. Some things are actually about race in 2011. This is also coming from a dude whose thought of as sexy internationally but here in the states his name or any bm for that matter is names in the same league with Brad Pitt Jake Gyllenhal Ryan Goseling Tom Cruise or any of those other white guys. I'm not saying to dwell on it but dismissing it as whiny complaining is fucked up

 

Are we talking about the roles in movies that black men play in Hollywood or if being a black man is considered sexy in America?

People consider Lil' Wayne sexy... if it's because he's rich or whatever other reason, the fact is to some he is a sex symbol. That alone speaks volumes on how low the bar is with regard to the sex appeal of the black man.

 

Dude Will Smith is an action star. He's grossed more than both Washington and Snipes. The only comedy he did was in Fresh Prince and Hitch. Outside of that action shit like Independence Day, Hancock(only decent black superhero besides Blade), I am Legend, Irobot, Enemy of the state. And great dramatic roles like Pursuit of Happiness. His start may have been in comedy but it's far from his bread and butter

 

I hear what your saying but as far as outside if roles he would never be mentioned in the same breath with his white counterparts. See my point?

 

MAN, I got so much to type in response to this but I'm already 10 mins late for work. In a sense, I agree... America is quick to say that we're done with racism and we're done with slavery, but we still... to this day... we live in a system that racism and slavery created. I think it's pretty evident in the boardrooms of the major companies across this nation.

HOWEVER, in many regards we are our own worst enemy. We accept and flaunt the very labels and mentalities that define our culture and are being used against us. Our image in mainstream media is what... the thug, the pimp, the drug dealer, the absentee father. 50 Cent and Rick Ross glamorize it in their lyrics and music videos and instead of rejecting it, we eat that shit up. Really, they're nothing more than a modern day Stepin Fetchit. Blaxploitation is still alive and well, just with a cooler and more hip face to it. The problem really isn't Hollywood though, it's the common negro and misplaced moral and value systems at home. If we turned our backs to that garbage it would slowly dissipate. Instead, we absorb it and we aspire to it.

Damnit MrF now you got me all off topic..... I gotta get my ass to work.,. I don't want to perpetuate that CPT stereotype any further.

 

Hence the 2nd post in this thread that I made.

http://www.whitewomenblackmen.com/forum/showpost.php?p=564905&postcount=2

I'm beyond the widest deserts and deepest oceans aware of America's racial history.

I however will not use it to continually define myself in relation to others, because then I'm no better than the two bit racists that formulate their interpretation of others through race and dismiss all other qualities.

You still have a place like Mississippi where a bunch of funky ass rednecks think interracial marriage is wrong in 2011. No different than what they thought in 1911. That should tell us something.

Personally I'm a no nonsense kind of guy and I don't let others define me that includes the racism of others. I let that be their mental and social retardation.

There are billions of people on this planet, with their own views and beliefs.

I refuse to be defined by anyone else, after all I'm all too conscious of race in this nation and its impact on society.

You can only live your life in a way that makes you happy and not worry continually about the perceptions of others.

 

Where are the troll hunters when you need them. Enjoy your stay I trust it'll be short