This was a simply fantastic article I came across. Check it out please! http://ivoryroad.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/black-men-white-women-and-the-hollywood-shuffle/
Excellent article! I am going to post it on BMV as well. Being in Hollywood, I do happen to follow the production time-lines as movies make their way from being ideas in somebody's head to being on the screen or TV. I never knew there was a struggle to find a White Female lead to partner with Will Smith for the movie Hitch. Come to think of it, Hollywood does tend to pair Black men with Asian or Latino women as the "safe" thing to do. They also do the reverse which is to pair almost Latina women to White Men but almost never Black Women, save for Halie Berry... But even when White Women are put in a position of being a predator (Ali Larter) opposite a successful Black Man (in Obsessed). The Black Woman is allowed to stand her ground and beat the snot out of the woman because the Black Man can't handle it, only the "Strong Black Woman" can save the Black Man from himself - :roll: I can barely tolerate Hollywood as-is, there are some actresses, directors and producers are willing to take risk on this almost taboo subject. Even the newest Hollywood IR film has a Black Man marrying a Latina and how even though the cultures clash a bit, we share far more in common then we think, but again its Hollywood taking the safe route and instead of getting a sack full of hate mail from the Midwest and Deep South, they generally escape such problems in the PR dept with these decisions. Even when IR is on Soap Operas the Hate Mail comes fast and furious.
It is the white Hollywood executives who are against casting a black man in a romantic lead role with a white woman. This has been an issue in American film industry since the late 1960s when pro football legend turned actor Jim Brown had real hot, steamy love scenes with Raquel Welch and Stella Stevens. Jim Brown said so himself in an interview...it would've been great to have seen Jim gettin' it on with Angie Dickinson, Ursula Andress, Julie Christie, Bo Derek and many other movie star hotties!!!
First of all- welcome! Hollywood is a money machine..the decision they make is not what is nice, politically correct, new or fair. It´s just important what most people want to see. Not only the actors, also the genre and the topic. What brings the most money, will be produced, who brings the most money, is engaged. BTW, that´s an interesting topic, because our european movies are not so famous and full of action, don´t make that money as in US, sometimes they are definitly really boring. But our industry has a lot of artistic directors/ producers, which shoot a film about problems, injustice in our society.
Thank you, Christine! I agree with your views about the American film industry and I am confident that these racist attitudes will not preclude film-makers and script writers from showing black men with white women. I think that many men and women of whatever ethnicity would truly appreciate interracial romance in today's films. It is beautiful to see an ivory beauty fall in love with her ebony prince!!
But they do what is politically correct more often than not. In the case of Black Men/White Women, they fear some cultural backlash from White America and even some from Black America. This is why they just don't do it that often, unless the story/plot is structured in such a way that White Women is victim of some sort. Julia Stiles has pretty much been the only Young Mainstream actress to do roles in which she is the object of desire by a Black Male (O and Save The Last Dance). Most are in movies like Traffic, where she's a victim of drug abuse and sleeps with her drug dealer to get a regular dose of cocaine. What we need is a another watershed moment for IR in America, it usually comes in the media. Sooner rather than later a movie or TV series will come along and challenge the Status Que.
You are very right. We are more interested in solving our problems of society. Integration and equal rights. I am proud of our "social net", that forces us to take care about good education of all of our people, otherweise they cost us a lot of money.
Inequities is an American White Man's fear of Black Dick, plain and simple. Its the fear Black Men will succeed is what drives him not to change the landscape of our country. Pushing for equality in the modern era of polarized politics means pandering to the Poor. When Obama says he's the President of the United States, he doesn't want to give the viral Ultra Right Wing any "ammo" to destory his social agenda with though the current Congress is doing a good job of that themselves... I digress however. There some talented people out there and what somebody has to do is write a story that has a many couples in it, like tonight's premier of Valentine's Day and include in that story that their should be a White Woman and Black Man in a loving relationship that not threaten by cartoonish subject matter, or the woman is ghettoized or any other stereotypical nonsense. Or you we can do it ourselves and put it online. The technology to make your own media network has been here for a few years now. Prosumer HD camcorders, Prosumer Mikes, Booms can be rented fairly cheaply, etc, etc. I'm positive film students at UCLA or USC would be down for a project like this. The best time to promote social change is to entertain people so their guard is down. I mean is Skyyjohn can put up videos every so often to rant about popular culture in America (and elsewhere) why not do something positive and entertaining??? Just an idea...
There are two ways to fight against something by violence by respect If one chooses violence, he must be aware about the fact that you also have to carry the consequences. In peacetime I would define violence rather by insults and subliminal rumours. Whether it is now in such a way as you say or not, I would never decrease myself, as a BM, to my genitals. By the fact that this rumour exists, other positive qualities and abilities are put in the shade and are forgotten. I see the future in the mutual respect. From my experience I am rarely attacked, if I treat my vis-a-vis with respect. Even highly aggressive people are always very polite and helpful, because I venerate them highly, as they are. I know I can learn from everybody- but most from my enemies. Therefore, I would like to correct your first sentence, because people respect you as you respect yourself. The white society and the white man in special, fears for his supremacy. The strong competition of the BM is not to be denied any more and of course nobody would like to see his status and life style threatened. Changes take their time.Politics is slow. Initiative is asked, everybody can contribute something to it . That´s a great idea.. Here are many members which could handle this. Bookie has her own movie-production company, we have several writers here. I am sure that a lot of people here were able to manage that!:smt023
Truth is, one can't talk about race in America, from a historical standpoint, and not discuss the fear of interracial sex between Black men and White women. The two are intrinsically intertwined. Opposition to the end of slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow segregation was based on the idea that if any of the aforementioned events ended, that Black men would have relationships with White women. Even the Anti-Miscegenation laws were specifically put in place to make sure White women wouldn't engage in interracial sex.
In Traffic it is Erika Christensen not Julia Stiles whose character in need of drugs had to have sex the the drug kingpin who is Black. I wished she appeared in a flick where there is a love scene between her and a brother soon since she has good curves.
I'm pleased that Valentines Day is number one on this weekend's movie lists but like Save The Last Dance it is temporary. Even if a IR formula makes money there is still a taboo of BM/WW relationships in mainstream Hollywood films. Thank goodness that some indie flicks over the years along with European movies don't shy away with the subject.
Because we're still black first and men second. It really means writing a tasteful non ghetto script where the characters are representations of their generation not their race. Truthfully the mix works on 90210 right. I love seeing that young brother with that unbelievablely beautiful white girl who was in This Christmas. But my point is it has to be completely free of stupid stereo types. Show black kids they don't have to be ghetto to be black and show young white kids there's no difference between us.
