So the other night, my best friends and I got into a heated debate about the way black people are portrayed in film. It began with a snide comment I made about Transformers, a movie I refuse to see due to numerous reports of robot minstrelsy. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a snippet of an article written by Kyle Buchanan of Movieline.com:
There are two robots in the film called Mudflap and Skids, and despite being red and green, respectively, they are voiced in a way that clearly designates them to be the “black” robots. Also, Skids has a gold front tooth (no, I’m serious) and both cannot read.
It would be one thing if this was just one person's opinion but, as I said before, numerous critics have complained. My boyfriend said he was embarrassed by the film--uncomfortable by moviegoer's laughter. It's amazing how, in 2009, harmful stereotypes continue to be a tenet of American humor. I've decided to boycott the film and I encourage others to do the same; after all, these harmful stereotypes will continue to exist in cinema as long as we provide financial support. I expressed my disappointment when a friend told me he saw the film. That's when the debate ensued, surprisingly, me playing defense.
Perhaps I have no right to complain; after all, I haven't seen the film myself; my disdain towards it is rooted in hearsay. My friends who saw the movie and enjoyed it noted this fact. And perhaps I'm just too sensitive. As my friends also outlined, stereotypes are based in truth. Perhaps most black people can't read, perhaps a large majority of us do have gold teeth, perhaps we all have a frail grasp of the English language...
For those of you who have seen Transformers, is the film racist? Am I over-reacting?
Cheers,
Meagan
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