I can't watch" black comedies "anymore. (Edit: Ethnicity, not humor)
- Thread starter krazykidd
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Kinda fail to see how half baked got included in with this given that it is a typical stoner movie. There is effectively nothing that even remotely connects this to the topic outside of having a black lead in Dave Chapelle. Unless that is of course an insinuation that black people like to get high, or prison rape is more of a black thing, which is pretty incendiary
Er... I kinda don't get this thread at all. So, OK, if there is a joke about stereotypes - is it good or bad? It depends. Firstly, each and every human is naturally racist. Why? Because there are races! If you associate yourself with a race, you are racist, congrats! I suppose there are some people who don't. 3 or 4 I assume...krazykidd said:
Now, let's get to jokes part. Things you refer in fact have nothing to do with racism as it is. Those are jokes about ethnic stereotypes, not about race. And ethnicities - suddenly! - DO have differences which can be funny or gross in the eyes of other ethnicities! Now, is it bad to exploit such stereotypes? As I said in the beginning - it depends. Each stereotype has some roots, and those roots must be considered when constructing a joke. There are historical events each nation or ethnicity wishes to forget or DOES NOT wish to forget. Say, american slavery must be well-remembered by black population of the US, I suppose, or, say, Eastern Ukraine and Western Ukraine in general pretty much dislike each other due to objective flow of historical process. So, those events can be source of tension and jokes based of it should be avoided. There are harmless jokes though, which make meta-national culture more rich and those are usually accepted well by both sides - ethnicity joked about and ethnicities joked by.
Or something like that.
Ohhh I've spent the past 4 years learning about racism and the like.
No I don't like black comedies, and I really wish they wouldn't be made anymore. I don't think Black America realizes the damage those films do when ignorant white people watch them. Had a racist Ex-Girlfriend who's entire view of what it means to be black came from Tyler Perry movies.
No I don't like black comedies, and I really wish they wouldn't be made anymore. I don't think Black America realizes the damage those films do when ignorant white people watch them. Had a racist Ex-Girlfriend who's entire view of what it means to be black came from Tyler Perry movies.
Oh and I had a rotten professor show that film for a feminist class. I actually read the book too, the entire thing... Ugh.Chaosritter said:
I actually like uncle. I think its one of the better role reversal comedies out there and it has its serious moments without being at all preachy or melodramaticdylanmc12 said:
American sitcoms are beginning to annoy me. I used to like my wife and kids when i was like 12 but now i think its a stupid laugh track comedy.
krazykidd said:
I thoroughly enjoyed the boondocks also OP, however I think a few of the reasons why is because quite a few of the episodes are things I actually experienced in real life...literally, the episodes would play out like journal entries from my life, so it was quite hilarious to see different characters take on different interpretations of my friends/aquiantances who did such things. But I do think they hit deeper points in quite a few of the episodes, and I'm really hoping it makes a comeback with a season 4 (I swear there was momentum going on it, haven't herad anything in months though)
I enjoyed the original nutty professor, and some of eddy murphy's other older movies, but tyler perry's movies tend to make me cringe a bit....
OH WAIT. norbit, holy fuck, my sides...they burned. It was jaw dropping worthy how a couple of the scenes were line for line exact duplicates of shit I had actually experienced with a girl named Jackie at my school, a slightly different (yet similar enough situation) memory I have is where she would blame the school buses were getting smaller because she couldn't fit in the rows -_-....so she would look at everyone super fucking pissed off and expect us to agree with her.
anyways, here you go OP
Do you like black comedies?
not typically, but some of them either hit a nostalgic spot or (as above) hit some personal memories
Do you think they enforce negative stereotypes? they certainly can, but only if you take it seriously enough to make a sweeping judgement that by the color of your skin you have those same traits as well.
Am i overreacting ? possibly, being canadian I don't think you grew up being exposed to the same things I was....so these movies and such might hit a different light for you.
What do you think? The fact these movies get funding and attract so many black actors, obviously someone is enjoying them enough, and alot of comedy is simply made for taking the piss out of something, so I tend to be pretty whatever floats your boat in these types of situations.
What are "Black comedies"?!?
And what destinguishes them from Comedies that happen to have a lead with a high melanin content in his skin?
And what destinguishes them from Comedies that happen to have a lead with a high melanin content in his skin?
Do you like black comedies?
Some of them, I'm partial to The Boondocks, Chapelle Show, and a few movies in the same vein.
Do you think they enforce negative stereotypes?
What does one even mean when they say "enforce" in this context?
They rarely glorify such stereotypes, or even feature them with a straight face. They exaggerate or subvert them for comic effect and that doesn't "enforce" them. Farce doesn't enforce anything, it ridicules it.
Pastor Clever in Friday isn't a serious attempt to get the viewer to believe the sleazy black pastor stereotype, it's an exaggeration of said stereotype for comic effect.
Am i overreacting ?
Yes, there were a number of movies you listed that you did so incorrectly. There are a number I find it hard to believe you could have put on that list if you'd actually watched them.
That said.
There is a line, and like all comedy the line is so thin it's difficult to see.
But when the "comedy" consists of simply putting a stereotype on a screen for people to laugh at then there's a problem. If the artist is doing something with that stereotype then it's fine.
Carlos Mencia turning to the camera and saying "I can't text because I can't read" in his Black President sketch was not okay.
Dave Chapelle having Mos Def dress and act like a stereotypical drug pusher for his role as the CIA representative in Chapelle's "Black Bush" sketch was okay.
TLDR: Stereotypes as comedy are not okay, use of stereotypes in comedy is okay.
After all the very core of comedy is smashing expectations, and stereotypes are ready-made expectations for the smashing.
Some of them, I'm partial to The Boondocks, Chapelle Show, and a few movies in the same vein.
Do you think they enforce negative stereotypes?
What does one even mean when they say "enforce" in this context?
They rarely glorify such stereotypes, or even feature them with a straight face. They exaggerate or subvert them for comic effect and that doesn't "enforce" them. Farce doesn't enforce anything, it ridicules it.
Pastor Clever in Friday isn't a serious attempt to get the viewer to believe the sleazy black pastor stereotype, it's an exaggeration of said stereotype for comic effect.
Am i overreacting ?
Yes, there were a number of movies you listed that you did so incorrectly. There are a number I find it hard to believe you could have put on that list if you'd actually watched them.
That said.
There is a line, and like all comedy the line is so thin it's difficult to see.
But when the "comedy" consists of simply putting a stereotype on a screen for people to laugh at then there's a problem. If the artist is doing something with that stereotype then it's fine.
Carlos Mencia turning to the camera and saying "I can't text because I can't read" in his Black President sketch was not okay.
Dave Chapelle having Mos Def dress and act like a stereotypical drug pusher for his role as the CIA representative in Chapelle's "Black Bush" sketch was okay.
TLDR: Stereotypes as comedy are not okay, use of stereotypes in comedy is okay.
After all the very core of comedy is smashing expectations, and stereotypes are ready-made expectations for the smashing.
I agree with you that these movies reinforce stereotypes, but here in the netherlands, most black people are immigrants from our former colony, Suriname. The stereotypes portrayed for african american people in these movies doesn't really apply to black people here, so you'd have to be really thick to apply those stereotypes to black people living here.
My favourite "black comedies" are:
Don't be a menace to south central while drinking your juice in the hood,
&
Black Dynamite
These movies are so bad that they become hilarious.
clips of Black Dynamite:
My favourite "black comedies" are:
Don't be a menace to south central while drinking your juice in the hood,
&
Black Dynamite
These movies are so bad that they become hilarious.
clips of Black Dynamite:
I suppose they're the descendants of the 'goofy negro' stereotype that movies spat out for years, but generally most 'black comedy' movies don't do much harm by the fact their usually completely awful and not a lot of people will see them. I don't think I'd be above watching them though. I'd say the low budget action movie trends are usually more harmful, especially the whole 'White american patriot goes to an Urban school and teaches those black thugs some manners!' trend that was big in straight to video tat for a while....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVcAiclvaWw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVcAiclvaWw
Fair enough. I have trouble with overly tropey things myself, especially of the stereotype kind.krazykidd said:
I mean hell, think of the comparatively benign "movie hacker" guy we role our eyes at. It's rather lazy characterization, and just being a stereotype is the same.
It's not entirely without merit, but the "yucks" soon wear out their welcome and become boring at best, offensive at worst.
Fun story about Tyler Perry though. My cousin is Wyatt Burp or cryer or whatever from Tyler Perry's show the have's and the have nots.
I Don't watch it. It's a soap opera or something so I just assume it's rather Dumb, but He knows him personally. I should make him take your complaint in person xD
I do, but I don't watch many, I tend to watch Sci-Fi films most.krazykidd said:
Some of them certainly do. Though the stereotypes and reality of black people differ depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on.
uh, maybe? Stereotypes in media do influence people to different extents, though I'd like to believe most people are smart enough to see stereotypes for what they are.
What do I think? Kind of a broad question... About the topic at hand, not much. It's not really my area of interest, so I don't have much to say, but I'd like to see more black people in sci-fi. And more sci-fi comedies.
I have a problem with "black" movies in the same way I have a problem with "LGBT" or "gay" movies... every black person seems like comic relief or a criminal, and every damn gay movie has somebody dying of AIDS despite the VAST MAJORITY of gay people in the US, at least:krazykidd said:
1) Not being HIV+ *and*
2) For the younger crowd, under 35 or so, not even KNOWING any HIV+ gays.
I know the importance of understanding your history and all but yes, the typecasting and stereotyping gets very old very fast. (I have a black, gay friend who feels doubly oppressed by all of this. He's a nice guy, but you'll never see a movie about him. He's a 27 year old black computer programmer who happens to be gay, and he's successful. Not exactly the typecast Hollywood is going for. He's also monogamous and doesn't have any diseases or do any drugs, which makes him even more "boring" to Hollywood...)
Do you like black comedies? Depends. I really love movies like Undercover Brother. Which is one of my favorite parodies.
Do you think they enforce negative stereotypes?: Well, as someone who is biracial, I can tell you that they are a problem but not in the way you might think. You see its just comedy and it's going to offend people. But some people take it way too seriously like it actually happens. Like, I always eat watermelon or drink Kool-Aid or something like that. It should just be a joke not general ignorance. And the frustrating thing is being biracial I can tell this is a problem because I'm only black when I'm eating chicken, eating watermelon, near a store, or drinking Kool-Aid. Any other time, I'm the whitest kid they know. THAT IS HELLA FRUSTRATING LIKE THERE IS SOME EXPECTATION FOR ME TO ACCOMPLISH TO BE PART OF THE BLACK RACE. SERIOUSLY, FUCK PEOPLE THAT DO THIS.
Am i overreacting ? Nah, It's your opinion.
What do you think?
I think there is a common misconception between what is "comedy" and what is "offensive". I mean whats difficult about that subject is that comedy almost always will insult someone or make them the punchline you just can't escape it. However, if you say an offensive joke you are going to get some laughs but some people are going to be offended and they have every right to be. You can make the joke but there can't be this expectation that you are all of a sudden invulnerable to scrutiny.
Do you think they enforce negative stereotypes?: Well, as someone who is biracial, I can tell you that they are a problem but not in the way you might think. You see its just comedy and it's going to offend people. But some people take it way too seriously like it actually happens. Like, I always eat watermelon or drink Kool-Aid or something like that. It should just be a joke not general ignorance. And the frustrating thing is being biracial I can tell this is a problem because I'm only black when I'm eating chicken, eating watermelon, near a store, or drinking Kool-Aid. Any other time, I'm the whitest kid they know. THAT IS HELLA FRUSTRATING LIKE THERE IS SOME EXPECTATION FOR ME TO ACCOMPLISH TO BE PART OF THE BLACK RACE. SERIOUSLY, FUCK PEOPLE THAT DO THIS.
Am i overreacting ? Nah, It's your opinion.
What do you think?
I think there is a common misconception between what is "comedy" and what is "offensive". I mean whats difficult about that subject is that comedy almost always will insult someone or make them the punchline you just can't escape it. However, if you say an offensive joke you are going to get some laughs but some people are going to be offended and they have every right to be. You can make the joke but there can't be this expectation that you are all of a sudden invulnerable to scrutiny.
And to add to that the amusing thing is, depending on what you consider to be a negative stereotype, some may very well be true. Sherman Alexie talks about this alot when it came to him writing his books on the Native Americans in the reservations. He said that it was hard not to write the stories without things like alcoholism because well in most respects they were true.
Personally, I just don't find them all that funny to begin with.
I went through something similar though (but much smaller in scale). I've completely cut myself off from memebase and cracked.com because I felt they were promoting cynicism and unfounded hatred (towards hipsters, bronies, etc) within me. Sure this can't be attributed to every article or post on the entire website, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be bothered at all by fedoras or hipsters if I hadn't used these sites so much in the past.
I went through something similar though (but much smaller in scale). I've completely cut myself off from memebase and cracked.com because I felt they were promoting cynicism and unfounded hatred (towards hipsters, bronies, etc) within me. Sure this can't be attributed to every article or post on the entire website, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be bothered at all by fedoras or hipsters if I hadn't used these sites so much in the past.
I'm confused. Are you saying that your black friends don't think you're black unless you act out black stereotypes? That sounds kind of like a bunch of gamers refusing to accept someone as one of them unless he lives in his mom's basement and doesn't shower (which I hope isn't happening anywhere).Cloned31 said:
Well, its mostly my white friends. For most of my white friends, they consider a truly "black" person is someone that is "thug" or someone who shares the same mannerisms they would consider to be black. My black friends are the only people that pick up without me telling them that I'm part African American. I get alot more respect from my black friends because they don't use the "watermelon stereotypes" but even then I still get remarks about being the whitest kid they know.sageoftruth said:
Whats up Black American Male from the inner city age 23 responding.krazykidd said:
1. I like black comedies like Friday because its a classic, Don't Be A Menace because it was a perfect parody for all the "hood" movies that had came out at the time. The newer ones have been pretty meh and Tyler Perry despite my rage for him my mom and grandma love him and he got an audience some how. Most are not horrible just the kind I will wait for it to come on television. Thought the Boondocks is the greatest in all of history that is can not be denied.
2.Some do enforce negative stereotypes but that mostly comes from terrible writing not actual malicious intent. But there is no room for leeway I mean one slang and suddenly the mentally lazy will think all black people act that way. It is the unfortunate state of being the minority no leeway for anything to where your stuck in limbo of embracing or ribbing certain parts of your experience or trying to not to be a stereotype worst position to be in ever.
3. You do have a concern but you might be overreacting a little bit. Me I like the comfort of baggy clothes, when at home I sometimes bump rap music real loud and amongst certain friends and family remember I feel comfortable letting some slang out now and then. At the same time I am almost to a T the gamer stereotype at times and you would not expect to see some like me playing Pokemon or Bravely Default on the train to work. Though I have experienced the whole acting "black" or acting "white" thing before and that is a whole nother can of worms.
4. I think the main thing is that for films to have a mostly black cast it is either comdey,drama or comedy drama. There is not much other stuff you can work with. I mean just for a non white person to be in a FANTASY setting some folks demand a reason or else cry "political correctness". But in my opinion if we can break black actors or all black cast out of the confines of only comedies and dramas then that would interesting to see happen.