Tea Time IV

We Shall Overcome

Oddly enough, when the Queen first heard about this story and saw the video, I was moved–not to anger by the almost jaw-dropping words of these two young girls, but to contemplation. Having worked with countless young people over the past 30+ years has given me a profound respect and objectivity towards newer generations. And, as an adult with some perspective, it is hard to take too seriously ravings that were poorly thought out, contradictory and punctuated by a lack of education.

THIS VIDEO IS NSFW!!!

What bothers the Queen the most about this story–and others like it–can be distilled into three points:

• The girls are obviously parroting ideas and verbiage from someone else. Either consciously or unconsciously they are bombarded daily with intolerance as a cultural norm–more than likely in their homes. Are their guardians taking a long and painfully objective look at the environment that spawned such ideas, and doing their best to change it?
• The inauguration of President Obama, to many people signaled the “end of racism.” To those of us who still have trouble hailing a cab, or are watched judiciously in a retail store by personnel, it was a giant leap forward–but by no means the endgame. Will we as a nation recognize that we are just at the beginning of a very long journey and move towards understanding together?
• Until this video went viral, these obviously intelligent young ladies were blissfully unaware of the fact that words have power, and that thoughts are things. Are there any adults in their lives that will help them navigate through the maelstrom of negative attention and learn from their poor judgement and cultural ignorance?

It has been reported that the two girls in question have left Gainesville High School. If that’s true, it’s a shame. If their school is taking healthy steps to address teen’s understanding of the origins and effects of racism, such as Florida’s Eastside High, then I believe that the young ladies in question would truly be better served by an open, honest and respectful dialogue with their peers. I wish them the best. I really do.

What do y’all think Miss Things? Not so much about the actual video itself, but about how we as a society address racism in a post Obama nation?

Humble Majesty-Viola Davis

Viola Davis at the 15th Annual SAG Awards

And then there are people like this who make me so proud of who I am, and from whence I come. I feel very blessed to be in the same time and space as this incredible artist, and FIERCE black queen.

Red Tails: A Review

So, I saw the movie.

Once more, George Lucas has done the impossible.

This time, he has taken a story and legacy fraught with tension and complexity; drama and pathos; heroism and patriotism and rendered it pedestrian and banal.

The Queen is now ready to be marched to the Gallows by the African American community.

Lucas said that he wanted to make a story for fourteen-year-old boys. Well most fourteen-year-old boys that I know like a little plot, and character development to go along with their fight scenes. To be fair, I do think the plot and execution could be summed up as a middle-schooler’s hastily-created-the-night-before book report:

“It’s about the Tuskegee Airmen. They were black. They didn’t let them fight in the war. Then they did. The white soldiers didn’t like them, but then the Airmen saved them. So then the white soldiers liked them. And they got a lot of medals. The End.”

Also to be fair, Lucas is only the Executive Producer of Red Tails. That is to say, the one who gets the money from all the black people that he coerced into seeing this by basically saying that if we don’t, then the Future of Colored Cinema is at stake. The fact that it was directed and written by three brilliant black artists, Anthony Hemmingway (Treme, The Wire) John Ridley (Three Kings) and( Aaron McGruder (The Boondocks) is even more bewildering.

I could literally write a dissertation on why Red Tails fails first as a piece of cinema, and second as a fitting tribute to the heroes it claims to honor; but Wesley Morris (who will be joining me on the march to the hangman’s noose) does an excellent job articulating many of the issues I have with the piece. However, there are a couple of points I would like to make. If I didn’t, what sort of opinionated Gay would I be?

• If you know little or nothing of the history of the Tuskegee Airmen before seeing the movie, you will not learn more by watching it. Despite the countless examples of exposition replacing badly needed action, the literary device is poorly used in telling us why this unit was formed.
• Mr. Lucas apparently never shared with Mr. Hemmingway, Mr. Ridley and Mr. McGruder the reason that all good stories in general, and Star Wars in particular work: strong characters whom we care about. Instead of rich, complex characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, we get yet another set of one-dimensional archetypical black men.
• A story that is based on systemic racism barely explores it in any substantive way—preferring instead to paint it in broad, primary colors. According to the movie, all you gotta do is save one white boy’s ass, and suddenly all white boys will respect and “get” you.

In the spirit of full disclosure, there were a couple of times when the audience with whom I saw the movie cheered lustily and loudly…and even clapped at the end. I, however, am enough of a Pompous Arts Snob to declare the response Pavlovian in nature: my people will clap for anything that has one of us in it.

I hope that the film does very well. I want the major studios to clamor for black movies. That way I can pitch a film that really tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. A story of fathers and sons, husbands and lovers, brothers and uncles, which actually explores what it’s like to show true courage in the face of blinding adversity.

You can take me away now, bitches.