'Precious': Racial Stereotypes & The Petite Bourgeoisie of the Negro Mind

So here I am, somewhere at the intersection of Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child" and Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come". I'm not confused or lost in applesauce as is the expression, because maybe I'm something like "Black Caesar"  or that old James Brown classic "A Blind Man Can See It". Quite frankly, I'm a bit disappointed, and disturbed by the negative backlash the movie "Precious" is receiving from and within the so-called Black community.

I hate to be cynical about this, but I have to ask: will Black people ever be happy? We have people who are bothered by this movie who see it as just another one in a long line of stereotypically negative images of Black people (or more specifically Black women) in the mainstream. Then there are people like me who totally see this movie for what it is: a necessary film that promotes and draws attention to various pathologies that are often overlooked and rarely discussed within our so-called Black community. Hello, Shaniya Davis anyone?

"Not since The Birth of a Nation has a mainstream movie demeaned the idea of black American life as much as Precious. Full of brazenly racist clichés (Precious steals and eats an entire bucket of fried chicken), it is a sociological horror show." - Armond White (Source: nypress.com)

What gets me, is that people are caught up in the idea that maybe this movie is representative of all people of color in America - a rather foolish line of thinking in my book when you consider that we're not a monolithic people. However, rich or poor, upper or middle class, the central themes of this movie knows no discrimination, and is not exclusive to any family of a certain socio-economic class. Yet and still, some of us are hell bent on promoting the idea that this is all fantasy which has the effect of making us look bad. I'm sorry, but I don't quite get you "image-conscious" individuals, and I'm going to need some help with that.

Yes I know we don't all have the same story, and yes I know there are many different narratives of the Black experience in America. But isn't the "Black experience" and our various stories riddled with conflict and pathologies (some of which we don't even realize) that may be detrimental to our survival? I'm sorry, but when a film is put together and produced by two of the most powerful Black people in the entertainment industry (Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry), it's hard for me to overlook the films message and focus on the "Blaxploitation" meme. Who better is there to bring to life a narrative such as this than a person of color?

"Winfrey, Perry and Daniels make an unholy triumvirate.They come together at some intersection of race exploitation and opportunism. These two media titans—plus one shrewd pathology pimp—use Precious to rework Booker T. Washington’s early 20th-century manifesto Up From Slavery into extreme drama for the new millennium: Up From Incest, Child Abuse,Teenage Pregnancy, Poverty and AIDS. Regardless of its narrative details about class and gender, Precious is an orgy of prurience." - Armond White (Source: nypress.com)

That said, should people of color with power and influence in the industry, ignore any attempts to bring to life subject matter that's considered taboo to the Black petite bourgeoisie, and the Black community at large? Come to think of it, maybe that's why there aren't as many "quality" Black movies of substance being produced, no? Precious is a movie produced by people of color that has already created an Oscar buzz, but yet Negroes are mad because it's not exactly Terms Of Endearment or Guess Who's Coming To Dinner material? Which is funny because when a white person makes a movie like Hotel Rwanda, Black folks never have anything negative to say, or even support it for that matter.

Well RiPPa we need to see more Black movies with more than one narrative! True, we do; but let's not act like they haven't been produced. It's disingenuous to give the impression that everything coming out of Hollywood for and about Black people by Black people are just bastardly negative. But then maybe therein lies the problem - that would be, the thought that each of these movies reflect us and our individual and personal story.

One thing that should not be ignored, is just how hard it is for a person of color to break into the Hollywood movie making industry; an industry dominated by people who pretty much determine American culture. What's funny about that, is while we as Black people remain image conscious, the power elite steals our culture and promotes it.  

Where are the "image conscious" Black folks among us when little white sub-urban kids run around looking and acting as if they too had the privilege of growing up in the ghettos we despise and sweep under the rug?


Listen, "Precious" is no more representative of the Negro collective anymore than "Nino Brown" is - they are both representative of a reality that exists among us, and we should never feel shameful about these movies or these characterizations. Ironically, it is this very shame which may become a major factor in this being Gabourey Sidibe's only leading role in a movie while we bitch about all the light skin people who somehow dominate the media market. So yeah, you guys can continue to beat that tired drum and stay with the whole shooting the messenger, and missing the message thing. You're gonna need it when there are no more Black production companies in Hollywood especially when somebody like Steven Spielberg decides to do Boyz In The Hood II.

Has anyone seen John Singleton lately?

Seewhumsayin?

DAMN DUDE, DO YOU LOVE WHITE PEOPLE THAT MUCH?

With the year drawing to a close, and as we tend to reflect and look back on the year. I think in doing so, its only right for me to present the "House Negro Of The Year" award. Considering that there are a few days left to the year, its only appropriate that I announce this years recipient right now. I seriously doubt that any Black person can out do this guy even with a few weeks to go in 2008.

Now, in light of the decision last week for Clarence Thomas to call for a meeting to discuss Obama's citizenship, and subsequent eligibility for the highest office in the land. I'm sure some of you may see him fit for this years award. Oh yeah, in case you didn't know or forgot, Clarence Thomas is Black; don't let his Uncle Tom-ish ways fool you into thinking differently. However, Clarence Thomas is currently the holder of the Lifetime Achievement Award in my book. And thus, makes him ineligible for any future awards. Lets be honest, he's in the "House Negro Hall Of Fame".

This years recipient is none other than Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson. If you don't know him, he can be found on pretty much any Fox News program playing the part of the "Slave Catcher". From the first time I heard him speak over a year ago, this guy amazed me. Oh yeah, he's pretty damn good. He said that White people posses a false sense of White guilt. He even went as far as to say that the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement were/are racist. And that White people are falsely accused of being racist. As a matter of fact, he was so good at playing his position I gave him the award last year for saying that Blacks were more racist than whites, and we Black people should stop it. Huh? Yeah, just on that, he got the award. But this year, he outdid himself.

Check it out...

Seriously, you have to watch this...

Now, this year was kind of a tough to call. There have been many instances of Negroes showing out which would make them worthy of this much prestigious award. That dude James T. Harris comes to mind. You guys remember him? Yeah, the guy who begged John McCain to take to Obama in his debate? Yeah, I wrote about him a few months ago, and yes he made me ashamed to be a Black man. But thanking White people for slavery, and saying that it was God's way of helping Black people...

and you're a preacher...??

You are definitely "House Negro Of The Year" material.

Matter of fact, this man has raised the bar. I seriously doubt there is anything anyone Black can say to top that as obvious self hate. Soulja Boy the rapper said something similar, but hey, he's a young man, and a pretty dumb one at that. Thats the shit I would expect from him. After all, he had idiots singing along to his garbage and Super Soaking Hoes nationwide. So yeah, thankfully to our slave masters, we are able to have Bling and Spinners on our cars. Hell, I'd take a beating or having my foot cut off like Kunta Kinte just to have that Bling son!

I promise you, sometimes, I wish we could have a race trade kinda like they do in professional sports. If I had it my way, I'd trade Jesse Lee Peterson just so we could get O.J. Simpson back. Sure O.J. probably killed a White woman and got away with it, but at least he wasn't running around saying stupid shit like this guy. I mean all he did after he got off the first time was screw White women and play golf. Nothing wrong with that. Most successful Black men do that shit everyday; we're used to that by now.

Hell, I'd even take Michael Richards for Jesse Lee Peterson. Never mind his now infamous racist meltdown on stage, at least we know where he stands, and we can claim him as just another ignorant White dude, or somebody for us to beatup and punch in the face once a week. At least he's a comedian, but umm, having Jesse Lee Peterson as a part of my race just isn't cool anymore. Just when we're proud to have a Black President for the first time in American History, we have clowns like him to be accomplices to the system of White Supremacy.

I love White people...

God know I do...

But not as much as this Negro....

QUESTION: If we could have a race trade, who would you offer up for whom, and why? Sorry White people, but Black athletes are not up for grabs. You guys already own them.