Monday, February 25, 2019

Driving Mr. Shirley.

Green Book
A white friend of mine (yes I have some) wanted to know what all the fuss was about with the movie Green Book winning the best picture award at the Oscars. "I thought it was an excellent movie" he opined, and frankly, I don't see why African Americans are so upset about this movie winning.

"Didn't it have an excellent African American co-star who won an Oscar for his role?" He asked. Wasn't it based on a true story about a famous African American musician?"

He was right about the black co-star winning an Oscar and it being based on a true story about a great African American  musician, but he was wrong about the movie deserving to win the Oscar, and that African Americans were misguided for not liking it.

This particular guy is a liberal and he considers himself "woke". Unfortunately it is always harder for me to have to explain to liberals about their paternalistic form of racism as opposed to the right wing conservatives who pretty much embrace their racist side.

The truth is, the voters in the Academy are all a lot like my friend. To them, this was a feel good movie about racism that made them feel good about themselves. The old Jim Crow South viewed from a racist white guy who got to know a magical Negro and was transformed after being forced to be his buddy. It's always about them. When those narrators tell you about a "feel good" movie coming to a theater near you, please believe that it's about making them (white people) feel good. Not us black folks. To us (black people), it's about painful memories.

I didn't watch The Green Book, because I didn't have to. I know all about Driving Miss Daisy, The Green Mile, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Ghost, and all those other magical Negro movies.

It would have been nice if The Green Book was more about the main character's experience with actual green books while driving through the Jim Crow- era South. Instead, once again, we got to see racism from the white perspective.

Call me crazy, but I was just hoping that as a country we would be past this by now. I mean Driving Miss Daisy was  in 1990 for crying out loud!

I'm sorry, Don Shirley was a brilliant piano prodigy (he was from Jamaica no less) who mastered the standard concert repertory by the age of ten. He deserved better. 


67 comments:

PilotX said...

https://www.theroot.com/what-it-means-when-white-people-call-you-racist-1832878297

Lilacpr said...

True dat, and soo well analyzed, just another feel good movie, kinda painful to watch, as you so well say that in this day and age they're still making crap like that!

Lilacpr said...

PilotX said...

https://www.theroot.com/what-it-means-when-white-people-call-you-racist-1832878297

7:04 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great for Spike Lee, he bid his time and then took his Oscar and basically told them 'don't you think because you finally gave me a little statue, I'm not gonna tell you the truth to your faces!'

Kudos to Spike!

Gambler2 ASKA White Woman said...


PilotX said...

"https://www.theroot.com/what-it-means-when-white-people-call-you-racist-1832878297"

7:04 PM
************************

Thanks, PilotX for the heads up. I went to the article, read it and then read the comments. Then I had to stay and reply to a couple of posts. Great stuff!

Anonymous said...

Imagine caring about the Oscars.

PilotX said...

Hey Desert and Gambler👋🏾

Anonymous said...

Great for Spike Lee, he bid his time and then took his Oscar and basically told them 'don't you think because you finally gave me a little statue, I'm not gonna tell you the truth to your faces!'
-----

"Them" are the Jews who run Hollywood, and if he actually told the truth, they would never have given him his Oscar.

PilotX said...

https://www.theroot.com/the-green-book-guide-to-freedom-documentary-provides-a-1832866861

PilotX said...

"if he actually told the truth, they would never have given him his Oscar."

I don't think Spike would care about the Oscar.

AJB said...

California giving up their high speed rail project is an underrated story.

It foreshadows the decline of white liberalism, as feeding and housing brown people eats up more and more of California's resources.

There will be no funds to fight global warming, or provide Medicare for all. Gibs will be the only priority.

dinthebeast said...

It will get built before there is a wall between us and Mexico.

-Doug in Oakland

PilotX said...

"There will be no funds to fight global warming, or provide Medicare for all."

Sure there will, we just need to reprioritize where our funds go. Reduce the money to the military and corporate welfare and we'll be fine.

Faith_and_Fairness said...
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Faith_and_Fairness said...

Great blog edition today; plus very insightful reading FN comments regarding Spike Lee and best picture Oscar win, Green Book.

In addition to Michael Harriot’s opinion piece in TheRoot.com posted earlier is another food for the thought in The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/25/lets-do-the-right-thing-how-spike-lee-became-hollywoods-political-conscience

Spot on when Guardian author wrote “You never feel as if Lee is auditioning for a political role ... He will speak his mind even when he knows he shouldn’t.”

Similar to what was already mentioned about Spike Lee not really caring about a gold symbol, this brings to mind the biblical/spiritual verse: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?"

Of course, whether it’s Barack Obama or Spike Lee, there are folks in agreement with Pres. Trump in the never-ending quest of labeling those who call out racial injustice as racists :~(

Faith_and_Fairness said...

Oh my goodness!! Is that Lila with an amazing new avatar?

Belated New Year’s greetings, Lila :-) How are you?

Faith_and_Fairness said...

@PilotX12:23AM:

https://www.theroot.com/the-green-book-guide-to-freedom-documentary-provides-a-1832866861

================================

A definite must read indeed! As for the conversation Mr. Field had with his friend, the ensuing perplexity surrounding this controversy somewhat makes sense given how most movie viewers applauding the Oscar win have no idea the magnitude of Green Book’s historical impact.

Very befitting this last week of Black History Month, per TheRoot article, that the Smithsonian channel will showcase the Green Book documentary. Now yours truly will reach out to elderly loved ones who are greatly familiar with this fascinating story.

Anonymous said...

Whine, moan, complain, bitch, Muh Dik, Whitey, Raciss, Loot, burn shit, murder, murder some more, blame whitey, Gibs me stuff, Dindu Nuffin, Mr.Charlie owes me, bitch some more, Reperations, Whitey oppress me, muh dik, always muh dik, Who da baby daddy?, stop da violence, Whitey keep me down, bitch, complain, violence against whitey, mo money fo dem programs, Prison, Prison some mo, EBT, Kangs, bitch, Whitey,Turnin' his life around, Goot Boi, Whitey, complain, Free shit, fo da chilluns, ......Lather, rinse, repeat.

field negro said...

Sup Lilac?

Anon@ 7:05, we get it, you are a white guy who has a hard time expressing himself.

But you can relax, cause
I don't think you will need to do too much communicating in your career as a gas station attendant or a prison guard.

Lilacpr said...

Hey Field! Hey Faith,and Pilot!

and to Anon 7:05, maybe if the country gave the reparations necessary to make the builders of this great nation whole again?

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I liked the movie for Viggo Mortensens performance. Didn't much care for Ali. His character was played too stiff, too self-righteous.

PilotX said...

"Now yours truly will reach out to elderly loved ones who are greatly familiar with this fascinating story."

I was pretty familiar with the story because my dad and his brothers and parents used to drive to New Orleans from Chicago and that took them through the Sip and you know in the 50's that was a task in itself. Fill up in Illinois and pack a bunch of food so you don't have to stop. I'll always remember that my dad was the exact same age as Emmitt Till so I know that weighed on his mind. Funny, to this day we're still putting up with the "nigger nigger nigger" crowd. Sad.

PilotX said...

Oh, by the way it was Dr. Shirley

Anonymous said...
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Gambler2 ASKA White Woman said...

Hey Anonymous 9:29 AM, Anonymous 9:31 AM, and Anonymous 9:33 AM.,

White men do some pretty bad stuff too. It just goes to show that men from all groups of which you call races do evil. According to your stereotyping we should fear all men??????

Paul Caneiro About to Be Cut Off When He Killed Brother’s Family: Indictment

Keith Caneiro and his family were found murdered one day after he decided to cut off his brother, Paul, over missing business funds, court document allege.50-year-old Keith was found fatally shot outside his house. His wife, 45-year-old Jennifer Caneiro, their 11-year-old son, Jesse, and 8-year-old daughter, Sophia, were found stabbed to death inside the home.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/paul-caneiro-about-to-be-cut-off-when-he-killed-brothers-family-indictment?ref=home

Anonymous said...

The looney left speaks and confirms yet again how dangerous they are.

Anonymous said...

Even when the nigs are thrown a bone they still have to complain...….

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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Gambler2 ASKA White Woman said...

Anonymous said...

"Whine, moan, complain, bitch, Muh Dik, Whitey, ays muh..."

7:05 AM

*************************
Go away and don't come back. You are too boring. Blah, blah,blah

Anonymous said...

When i get my prison Guard Job Field, I'll tell your Daddy and the rest of your Fambly you send your regards.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...
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dinthebeast said...

Look up the Tidwell brothers crimes or the Iraq war some time, little trolls.

-Doug in Oakland

Gambler2 ASKA White Woman said...

dinthebeast said...

"Look up the Tidwell brothers crimes or the Iraq war some time, little trolls."

-Doug in Oakland

Hey, Doug, I think it's just one troll who is getting paid to come and post this stuff. It must be a job because it takes a lot of time to compile all these incidents that he reports. I wish I had enough time to research and post all the crimes whites commit.

dinthebeast said...

From WAPO:

"Mark Harris, the Republican nominee in a North Carolina congressional race tainted by ballot fraud, announced Tuesday that he will not run in the new election for the seat."

-Doug in Oakland

c.a. said...

Prison guard, guess who he will be guarding

Anonymous said...

“Mark Harris, the Republican nominee in a North Carolina congressional race tainted by ballot fraud, announced Tuesday that he will not run in the new election for the seat."

When everyone knows you cheated the last time around, that isn’t exactly great publicity for your campaign in the do-over election. And it’s not like you can get away with cheating again, with everyone paying extra-careful attention to you now.

So, yeah, he decided to bail.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
field negro said...

I see a lot of the Stormfront crowd took a break from making moonshine to comment on this post.

Easy fix.🤨

Anonymous said...

Remember, guys, it’s not only agents of the Kremlin who try to undermine American democracy. There are these other unethical actors, known as Republicans, who also cheat on a regular basis.

Twitter suspends conservative activist Jacob Wohl after he admits to making fake accounts

Frankly, I think Wohl gave himself away with the phony @Women_4_Schultz account. It’s just not plausible there could be actual people who want Howard Schultz to be president.

PilotX said...

Ok now I'm curious. What comment rises to the level of being deleted?🤔

Anonymous said...

“Ok now I'm curious. What comment rises to the level of being deleted?��”

Troll calling Doug queer. Well, it was more graphic than that. You can use your imagination.

Anonymous said...

I am looking forward to all the brilliant troll conspiracy theories about how Trump-supporter Jacob Wohl and his dirty tricks are a false flag created by the Jews to make Trump look bad. (Wohl is Jewish.)

Lilacpr said...

So the latest is that Russia has just stated that the United States is sending special forces to Puerto Rico in order to start some sort of intervention in Venezuela!

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-russia/russia-accuses-us-of-preparing-military-intervention-in-venezuela-idUSKCN1QF14K

How the heck did we get involved in this fiasco??

Anonymous said...

“So the latest is that Russia has just stated that the United States is sending special forces to Puerto Rico in order to start some sort of intervention in Venezuela!”

Okay, well, first off, I wouldn’t put too much faith in Russian media. They are the opposite of credible, and Putin seems to have made friends with Venezuela’s President Maduro (who needs all the friends he can get, after ruining his country’s economy — who could have guessed that a bus driver might not have the skills to run a country?)

So I don’t know if we’ve really sent troops yet, but it certainly does seem like Trump wants to invade Venezuela. He spent his last unhinged State of the Union address ranting about evil commies, so that might be a clue as to his intentions. Also, apparently, he golfs with some rich Venezuelan exiles, who hate Maduro and told him invading would be a great idea.

Seriously, I am not making this up. Our foreign policy could easily be set by Trump’s golfing buddies.

PilotX said...

"Troll calling Doug queer. Well, it was more graphic than that. You can use your imagination."

I kinda figured it was a troll personally attacking another poster. Good on ya Field.

dinthebeast said...

I'm not queer, but what if I was? I know I live where nobody cares about that shit, but how is it supposed to matter to what I write on the internet?
I sometimes tell the story of being baptized when I was 12, and having the pastor's son hit on me while I was changing into dry clothes, and how I didn't stay a baptist too long afterward. What I don't usually mention is how the story might have been different had the pastor had a daughter instead.

-Doug in Oakland

Lilacpr said...

Does anyone here know what it is Google is closing? They've sent emails indicating they're shutting down parts or...? I don't understand it. Will the Blogger blogs be closed? Anyone know?

Faith_and_Fairness said...

Here ya go, Lila:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-plus-shutdown-5-things-185644211.html

Still trying to find a reputable news report explaining how blog sites would be affected, though I did come across one of the Quora forums saying there would no impact to blogs associated with regular gmail accounts.

mike from iowa said...

Moar empirical evidence showing how stoopid fucking wingnuts edit videos to make them appear to fit their anti-abortion narratives about Planned Parenthood.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pp-abortion-harvest-brain/

Guy that produces videos can be heard coaching the witness on tape over and over again for maximum affect proving they donb'[t give a fuck about aborted fetal materialo, just their twisted narratives.

mike from iowa said...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/26/robert-mueller-hoax-how-jacob-wohl-created-sexual-harassment-plot/2993799002/

\Another manufactured scandal by wingnuts that puts manufactured magat hat brat so called scandal to shame.

mike from iowa said...

Drumpf offered tom sell Manhattan to Li'l Kim for 24 dollars worth of North Korean trinkets with Drumpf's name on them.

Rumour has it Drumpf wants his name on the first NK nuke targetting Washington DC.

Tal Hartsfeld said...

To each their own vantage point
...but it sounds to me like the movie/television industry needs to start employing a few black scriptwriters who are not afraid to take their chances on being completely stark and blunt in offering up stories completely from their own experiences in the world with a "the other guys be damned, I'm telling it the way I know it" attitude.

But ...would the industry be able to handle such a thing? Could it, even?
I know I'D find it a bit interesting, even if also a bit unsettling. (But "unsettling" is how one knows it's genuine and not merely cliche).

dinthebeast said...

The bloggers I read say it's Google+ that's shutting down, and their concern is whether it will affect the storage of and access to comments already made on their blogs.

-Doug in Oakland

Anonymous said...

Cohen is really ripping Trump a new one in Congress today.

Anonymous said...

Is there some reason to give a shit?

Anonymous said...

“Is there some reason to give a shit?”

I guess we’ll find out how much Trump cares when he explodes with rage on Twitter in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...

Gambler2 ASKA White Woman said...

What's Jordon's problem. Is he always such a rude asshole?

PilotX said...

"What's Jordon's problem. Is he always such a rude asshole?"

Kind of how all the Repubs are coming across. Do they need to yell?

PilotX said...

https://www.theroot.com/two-black-women-candidates-head-to-runoff-in-chicago-ma-1832929125

Lilacpr said...

Thanks so much Faith! Thanks Doug!

It's confusing, I haven't had much time today but later on I will do a little more research on the matter.

dinthebeast said...

So Chicago didn't want another Daley. Imagine that.

-Doug in Oakland

Gambler2 ASKA White Woman said...


No kidding folks, from the front page of tonight's Talking Point Memo!


https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/neo-nazi-groups-new-leader-is-black-man-who-vows-to-dissolve-it

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Cohen is really ripping Trump a new one in Congress today.
3:59 PM


Wolf.....Wolf......Wolf......