[FoxNews] Director Kobi Libii said the 'magical negro' trope was a 'compelling fantasy' for White people
The filmmaker behind "The American Society of Magical Negroes" defended the film's controversial theme in a recent interview after it bombed at the box office its opening weekend. Bombed? Do tell?
The satirical film tells the story of a young Black man who is recruited to be part of a magical "society" where Black wizards use their powers to appease White people so that they don't hurt Black people.
The film attracted backlash ahead of its release when a trailer dropped in which a character calls White people "the most dangerous animal on the planet."
In a new interview posted to YouTube on Thursday, director Kobi Libii explained how his own experience as a Black man in America and his frustrations with Hollywood's presentation of Black people inspired him to come up with the initial story.
The film's larger message was to expose the "comforting fantasy" White people live in, believing that Black people enjoy living under "systems of White power" in America, he argued.
"One of the things critics talk about is that the ‘magical negro’ trope is a ‘happy slave’ trope," Libii told JoBlo Celebrity Interviews. "It imagines that Black people love fitting themselves into systems of White power. That we're actually quite happy to do that, right? Which I think for a White majority is a really comforting fantasy."
"It's like, ‘Oh, OK, it’s all OK,' like America didn't do anything bad. 'It's all OK,' right? That fantasy I think is really compelling for White people," he continued.
In the same interview, the film's protagonist, played by actor Justice Smith, revealed he also related to his character's experience having to "make himself small" to make the White people around him "feel comfortable."
"It's a lot of people of color's experience," he said. Smith called exploring that dynamic on screen "cathartic."
"Any piece about race is obviously going to be controversial, it's going to be provocative," he added. "And I like that. I like when people are not afraid to start conversation. I like when people say things plainly and I think that's how we progress," he continued.
Ahead of the movie's premiere last week, Libii directly addressed the criticism he's received from the right and left.
The filmmaker explained to The New York Times that he was more concerned with sending a message about race rather than trying not to offend Black or White audiences.
"To me, part of the political work I’m doing in this film is from the bottom of my heart, not thinking about how a White audience will react to it. But trying to express my particular experience being subjected to systemic racism," he said.
The film did poorly with reviewers, earning just 30% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes as of Friday.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/24/2024 11:21 Comments ||
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#3
If the Irish were more resistant to malaria, which was a big problem in the South before White Supremacy modern medicine came up with a solution, we could have picked our own damn cotton.
#5
Outright extortion. We should react accordingly.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
03/24/2024 13:59 Comments ||
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#6
Yes, and "No justice no peace" is a threat. I'm not the gummint or the cops. Don't dare tell me what you'll do to me if you don't get what you want from others.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/24/2024 14:10 Comments ||
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#7
"To me, part of the political work I’m doing in this film is from the bottom of my heart, not thinking about how a White audience will react to it. But trying to express my particular experience being subjected to systemic racism," he said.
[FoxNews] Newsom-backed Proposition 1 will require California counties to spend a reported $6.4 billion in bonds on mental healthcare.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., joined "Fox News Live" to break down his criticism of Gov. Gavin Newsom's and the state's efforts to combat its homeless and mental health crisis. My Congresscritter
"You can't keep throwing money at the symptoms," Issa argued.
California recently voted to approve a ballot measure, Proposition 1, allowing the state to raise a $6.4 billion bond to build mental healthcare facilities as well as drug and alcohol treatment clinics.
California spent $22 billion in 2021 to help address the state's homeless and mental health crisis. The latest estimate puts the state's homeless population at 181,000.
"That $22 billion that the governor spent, he spent that basically buying hotel rooms to put people in for a night, two nights, 10 nights," Issa said.
Issa argued that the state's focus on short-term solutions, such as temporary hotel accommodations, fails to address the underlying cause of the issue, such as drug and alcohol abuse driven by mental health disorders.
"The reason people are on fentanyl is they have disorders. The people who are on fentanyl, if they didn't have disorders, have them. When we look at what is going on, why most people are homeless, it's actually drug and alcohol abuse. So fixing it requires that they spend the money that they extracted from taxpayers properly, and they haven't done that," Issa said. "You cannot get rid of homelessness simply by giving somebody a hotel room for the night. You've got to cure the drivers of this homelessness."
The California Republican also linked the homeless crisis to organized theft rings, suggesting that "weak" laws under Proposition 47 have facilitated the trade of stolen goods for drugs like fentanyl.
When asked about the "main driver" of the mental health crisis by Fox News anchor Eric Shawn, Issa doubled down on "mental health, including addiction."
"The fact is, it can be treated. We can help many people, but that help is not a hotel room," he added. "That help is real therapy. We're in a state where you can't incarcerate anyone unless they want to be incarcerated, and as soon as they get a little sober, they typically check themselves out and go back and score."
Issa also suggested a more forceful strategy offering individuals facing felony charges the choice between jail time and "real therapy" rather than a temporary shelter.
"It's going to take tough love," he added.
Shawn also asked Issa about calls for a mental health initiative similar to the Marshall Plan.
"You're right about the Marshall Plan, except, remember, this is a Marshall Plan that has to be catered to each individual. You can't treat a group like you would just a group of hungry people feeding them," Issa said. "Each one of these people has to be addressed personally and kept in a real supervised situation until they, in fact, can in fact maintain sobriety on their own."
#3
^ You know how porta-johns have a little indicator on the door to let you know it is occupied? Maybe the State of California could mandate that all dumpsters have a similar thing. If it saves just one life...
[Bee] LOS ANGELES — Meghan Markle announced this morning that she would be releasing a new show on Netflix to reveal the terrible difficulties she has faced dealing with Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis.
"I've had to deal with so, so much because of her having cancer. In many ways, it's been way harder on me than on Kate," explained Markle, wiping tears from her eyes. "Kate gets so much sympathy because she's white and has cancer. I feel like I'm just living in her shadow, forgotten. Why does the internet not spend its days thinking of wild conspiracy theories about me, Meghan? Do you know how hard it is to have people thinking she's dead and not me? It's so painful."
The four-episode special, set to air at the halfway mark of Princess Kate's chemotherapy regimen, will do a deep dive into the stark loss of attention Markle has faced. "There are several emotionally devastating scenes we captured," said director Samuel LaFleur. "There is one scene where a friend calls Meghan to ask how Kate is doing, but fails to ask how Meghan is doing. Meghan cries for about an hour and then punches a pillow while screaming 'RACIST'. It's so raw."
At publishing time, Markle had announced another Netflix special entitled "My Recovery", set to air the day Princess Kate finishes chemo.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/24/2024 00:00 ||
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[213 views]
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#1
Gawd!
Does the self-centered bitch have any clue how awful this makes her look?
#5
Reportedly Harry is hurrying to be at Kate’s bedside to offer support. Dismayed he found out like the rest of us and wondered why he wasn’t told. Gee, big mouth and blasted royal family, i have no idea why….
#7
Harry and Meg's 'pit of the stomach' fear has got to be that they just completely pissed off William in time for Charles to die from cancer, and Willy get a promotion.
You can easily picture a coronation, and H&M being told 'don't bother'.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/24/2024 11:01 Comments ||
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#8
Willy get a promotion
When he comes out as gay they may have to bring out the 'Spare'.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Bee] LOS ANGELES — Meghan Markle announced this morning that she would be releasing a new show on Netflix to reveal the terrible difficulties she has faced dealing with Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis.
