No place for political correctness in film. By Roger Ebert.
January 18, 2002 9:08 AM Subscribe
I think the issue goes beyond pardonyou?'s question, at least to me: do artists -- or, indeed, any of us -- have a responsibility to portray any group as better or worse than it actually is? The black community has continued to grapple with this issue for a long time (witness the never-ending debates about gangsta rap music or The Cosby Show).
Personally, I believe that while extra effort should not be made to either conform to or dispel stereotypes -- better to simply reflect the truth, at least in that artist's eyes -- there is often a kernel of truth in many stereotypes. For example, the stereotype of the hard-driving, high-achieving Asian student exists because many students appear to fit it. The specific film in question here dealt with that stereotype, but not in a typical way and certainly not in an apologetic fashion.
And yes, the question is worth asking, as Ebert did: If these had been white students, would this even be an issue?
posted by elvolio at 11:11 AM on January 18, 2002
posted by prodigal at 11:16 AM on January 18, 2002
posted by David Dark at 11:19 AM on January 18, 2002
posted by whoshotwho at 11:26 AM on January 18, 2002
How does that question illuminate the issue?
posted by sudama at 11:58 AM on January 18, 2002
Sudaman, the question illuminates the issue because no one expects a portrayal of a group of white teenagers to be a commentary on all white teenagers. It's condescending to think that a portrayal of minority teenagers is a commentary on all teenagers of that minority.
posted by Holden at 12:04 PM on January 18, 2002
Unfortunately, most people seem to operate under a very naive aesthetics. This naive aesthetics equates depiction with promotion, presentation with intention. Hopefully some work like this from mainstream popular-press critics will help educate the broad public aesthetic.
I think that anytime race backs either pride or derision, it is racism. What is there about being white to be proud of? Or being black? Bah, enough of it all.
posted by yesster at 12:05 PM on January 18, 2002
I told the man I thought he was being condescending: "You would never make a comment like that to a white filmmaker."
great.
posted by th3ph17 at 12:20 PM on January 18, 2002
posted by raaka at 1:10 PM on January 18, 2002
posted by kindall at 1:30 PM on January 18, 2002
posted by mcsweetie at 2:45 PM on January 18, 2002
posted by dhartung at 3:18 PM on January 18, 2002
Now, you'd just about have to be white to think that, wouldn't you?
posted by sudama at 5:24 PM on January 18, 2002
Race: Appears to be human
Video Footage of a Training Day inteview
BTW: Excellent movie.
posted by srboisvert at 5:51 PM on January 18, 2002
not to derail the discussion, but this sounds like a movie i want to see. has anyone seen it?
posted by zerolucid at 5:53 PM on January 18, 2002
Today's cinema must be allowed to reflect the diverse and eclectic community to which it communicates. The multitude of cultures that the 21st century humans have come from all builds to create the mosaic of life that is our history and our destiny. Political correctness seeks to protect people from that diversity through an illusion of tolerance which leads to voluntary segregation.
I've yet to hear anyone scientifically prove that there are different races. The amount of pigmentation in one's skin is about as important as eye color or skin color from a genetic standpoint. There was never a master race and there never will be. There is one race. Homo sapiens sapiens. The Human Race. We're the surviving race. The lucky race. We beat out the neanderthals but just barely.
There's only one political correctness thing I'd like to enforce upon the world: abolish the use of the word "racism." It indicates that there are multiple human races, and this is a fallacy. Racism is a sick joke that mankind has played upon itself. Despite all the bloodshed, imprisonment and torture that has occurred because of racism over the millenia, I really can't help but laugh at it. The entire concept is pointedly ludicrous.
The Earth is still flat.
posted by ZachsMind at 4:02 AM on January 19, 2002
posted by pxe2000 at 8:52 AM on January 19, 2002
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:00 AM on January 20, 2002
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I guess the issue is whether a particular fictional character should be viewed as one individual person, or representative of an entire community or classification. If it's the latter, should that apply for certain groups or all groups? My head is spinning.
posted by pardonyou? at 9:25 AM on January 18, 2002