tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post3225414840853705707..comments2024-03-29T03:47:47.027-04:00Comments on field negro: "Strike a pose"field negrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15411743587725023134noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-42321740471539759352008-04-02T13:42:00.000-04:002008-04-02T13:42:00.000-04:00I'm a Black Woman who has no problem with this cov...I'm a Black Woman who has no problem with this cover at all. I was excited to get this issue.<BR/><BR/>I don't see the racism at all.whygodwhyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817283410075208832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-89477480988563797632008-04-02T11:02:00.000-04:002008-04-02T11:02:00.000-04:00The photographer and the magazine know what they a...The photographer and the magazine know what they are doing. Don't ignore the racism. We all know the history of this country and that magazine cover is no innocent accident. Just like that noose wasn't an accident on that golf magazine or darkening OJ on Time (?) or any other number of times black folks (men especially) are portrayed as less than human.<BR/><BR/>It's a white world here in America. Maybe if there were more field negroes in positions of power in these coporate offices there might be some differing opinions and we wouldn't see such stupid magazine covers.<BR/><BR/>The more things change the more things try to stay fucked up.<BR/><BR/>xoxAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12635700255163673985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-61255462449177074102008-04-02T09:04:00.000-04:002008-04-02T09:04:00.000-04:00I disagree with the Field Negro on this one. The c...I disagree with the Field Negro on this one. The cover shot is extremely offensive and racist. It depicts all the negative stereotypes about young black men. It suggests young black men like Lebron James are just physically aggressive, sexual prowess. Giselle appears frightened in the photo also. Also this is Vogue so why isn't Lebron in a suit and tie? Why is Lebron dressed in his sports clothes? I bet if Tom Brady was on the cover of Vogue he would be looking more like an adult on the cover.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-84117089427059416132008-04-01T03:09:00.000-04:002008-04-01T03:09:00.000-04:00I'm late to the game but will explain my offense a...I'm late to the game but will explain my offense anyway:<BR/><BR/>Black man, basketball in one hand, white woman in the other. White woman is running away, black man is in aggressive stance, mouth open and screaming.<BR/><BR/>Not only is this offensive rationally, but the implication that Giselle (grossly underweight) is the epitome of the feminine body and Lebron (incredibly tall and muscular) is the epitome of the male body by putting them on the cover of their "shape" issue leaves me wanting.Abony Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13969236577158116534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-47130071996290057132008-03-29T21:06:00.000-04:002008-03-29T21:06:00.000-04:00Field, I came late. I can't read all your hundred ...Field, I came late. I can't read all your hundred comments, so let me just interject mine. Warning!<BR/><BR/>This is why you Mr. Black man should be offended. It's modern Jim Crow provocation. Big scary rapist negroid animal finally got his hands around the sacred pure white damsel. The only woman valued, and the only thing the shiftless raping negroid animal seems to find of valuable as well. Ask Jim Crow.<BR/><BR/>She also looks like she's grinning and squirming to get away. As a black female I also found this offensive, and you should to. Y'all think it's cute. But you put yourselves three steps back. Give them an inch... You think this notion ever went away after Jim Crow? When things get out of hand eventually, y'all better don't come to me with any damn T-shirts to march with.La♥audiobookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00113372034561824170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-1465456770968007702008-03-29T11:00:00.000-04:002008-03-29T11:00:00.000-04:00Perceptions of racism, like beauty, often depend o...Perceptions of racism, like beauty, often depend on the eye of the beholder. But if you want to really dig down to the truth of the matter, determining whether something is racist will often depend on knowing the perpetrator's intent, and that can't always be known for sure and instead can only be suspected, which isn't enough for imposing a sentence. <BR/><BR/>On the level of what I believe the main intent behind this image was, this is a successful photo, though I personally wouldn't cut it out and keep it, or even look at it a third time. It's successful with regard to intent because, like all magazine cover photos, it was designed, above all, to catch the eye from the newsstands, and it definitely does that, big time. My suspicion, however, is that its creators were not dummies, and they noticed quite easily that the picture also carried a definite suggestion of not one but a couple of ancient racial sterotypes. After some debate, they decided that that element added to the force of the image, and they thought they would take their chances by going with it, in the name of artistic and commercial "integrity." They figured they had plenty of precedent.<BR/><BR/>All the same, in another respect, the picture doesn't succeed, because it is too obviously posed, and its sexual dynamic is weak. If King Kong had held Fay Wray that loosely, she would soon have ended up being just a grease spot on a Manhattan street. There's a definite distance between the man and the woman. They clearly don't know each other and they're not planning dinner together after the shoot or anything else of an intimate nature.. And the man's attention is much more on the basketball, which appears to be escaping from him, than it is on the woman. So in that way the photo avoids gving offense in several directions, though not all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-48042608803133262422008-03-29T03:11:00.000-04:002008-03-29T03:11:00.000-04:00I personally do not see what is wrong with the cov...I personally do not see what is wrong with the cover. He was modeling his sportswear, his line of sportswear. And it was supposed to be sports athletic versus model athletic. I am more sad that people are taking this so seriously. Do you really think it was their intent "I think I'm going to make this black man look like a fool"? And of course Giselle would be on the cover as she is one of the most popular models in the world. Both are good at what they do. That is what I personally saw looking at the cover. Two popular people posing on a cover. King Kong didn't even cross my mind... and I've seen the movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-2589522966160727712008-03-29T00:52:00.000-04:002008-03-29T00:52:00.000-04:00I'm not offended by it in the least. Look athlete...I'm not offended by it in the least. Look athletes aren't generally popular because of their sophistication or dainty sensibilities. They are known and are popular for being beasts on the court. Does anyone remember the commercial with the baseball players wearing masks like gladiators, howling, and jumping back and forth as if caged? They got black, white and hispanic athletes in that commercial. I think it was a Nike or Gatorade ad. <BR/><BR/>The issue was to hype up the most popular b-ball player and top model. Right now, Gisele is it. Right now Lebron is it. Could a suit have been used with him with the basketball? Oh for sure. That would've been the sophisticated cover. Hell I would've put them at the head of a table together. At the same time, it's a pretty basic picture. He's a beast on the court and she's one of the prettiest, most sophisticated models out there. <BR/><BR/>I will give Gisele her due. The broad probably has black in her anyway! She IS Brazilian you know...Jonne Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588364681822707984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-37704115057396800982008-03-28T20:39:00.000-04:002008-03-28T20:39:00.000-04:00That open mouth with bared teeth is very ape-like....That open mouth with bared teeth is very ape-like. He's barely visible: at first glance all I see is dark face, dark clothing, tatoos, and bared teeth. <BR/><BR/>The white woman looks like all fashion women do: pale, thin and very tall. She reminds me of a horse. A pretty horse - like a unicorn. The green dress is horrid, but it draws your eyes to her.<BR/><BR/>So there we have it: an ape and a horse. That's progress. I think.<BR/><BR/>Essence should put a white man on the cover. Why not? Black male magazines put white women on the cover and call them latinas.GoldenAhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928138252968831618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-27879424683499376352008-03-28T19:28:00.000-04:002008-03-28T19:28:00.000-04:001.) There is a men's vogue, and there have been fo...1.) There is a men's vogue, and there have been four black men on the cover in the past year.<BR/><BR/>2.) In the 80's, there were plenty of black models on the cover of American Vogue. Its when Anna Wintour took over(from Diana Vreeland who brought on Andre Leon Tally) that everything changed. She is starting to lighten up, in the past three years there have been four blacks on the cover of women's Vogue.<BR/><BR/>3.) Annie Lebowitz (sp) is a horrible photographer. Just look at what she did to Nicole Kidman and Drew Barrymore on their recent covers.<BR/> <BR/>4. When I saw the photo for the first time, King Kong jumped into my head immediatelymatt williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14336864718324358033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-89048746049603874502008-03-28T17:51:00.000-04:002008-03-28T17:51:00.000-04:00I'm with whoever said "Stay Vigilante" as I believ...I'm with whoever said "Stay Vigilante" as I believe that these "accidental" racists might actually know what they are doing. Check this link out from Sports on My Mind:<BR/><BR/>http://dwil.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/lebron-james-beyond-kong/Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07659065797455099852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-1637713764501427072008-03-28T14:20:00.000-04:002008-03-28T14:20:00.000-04:00And yet another hearty Amen from the fields. Ther...And yet another hearty Amen from the fields. There are more important things to be worried about, and I wish Essence would put some white man on the cover! They betta not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-39107019194367043052008-03-28T11:52:00.000-04:002008-03-28T11:52:00.000-04:00Love you Field.However, I don't agree with your po...Love you Field.<BR/>However, I don't agree with your position.<BR/>Vogue never just "happens" to do anything.<BR/>One only has to remember Jennifer Hudson on the cover looking like she was about to catch a fly in her wide open mouth.<BR/><BR/>Check this out for clarity:<BR/><BR/>http://www.jossip.com/somebody-should-tell-lebron-james-he-was-made-to-look-like-an-ape-on-vogue-20080328/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-26878468321888432662008-03-28T11:12:00.000-04:002008-03-28T11:12:00.000-04:00My take : If the article is about fitness, then wh...My take : If the article is about fitness, then why is the woman in a nice dress and nice shoes?<BR/><BR/>Put her in a fitness outfit or a swimsuit, since Le Bron is in a fitness outfit.<BR/><BR/>But NOOOOO, she's in a nice dress and nice shoes.<BR/><BR/>But Le Bron ain't stylin'?<BR/><BR/>"Game face", my ass!<BR/><BR/>Vogue is full of shit.Admiral Komackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13671698772150420737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-40392798081830035832008-03-28T09:22:00.000-04:002008-03-28T09:22:00.000-04:00Here's a slightly different, maybe somewhat twiste...Here's a slightly different, maybe somewhat twisted take:<BR/><BR/>http://blackfivesblog.com/?p=367Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-54453987241235324172008-03-28T08:39:00.000-04:002008-03-28T08:39:00.000-04:00After reading the comments, and actually seeing th...After reading the comments, and actually seeing the magazine yesterday, I have to say that maybe I was a little flip in the beginning. It's true, LeBron James is a very snappy dresser and cuts a nice swath in a suit. I think Leibovitz was trying to be playful as the other pictures in the set are similar. They're all also a little weird. There's a skateboarder and a model, a discus thrower and a model and some others I don't remember. The discus thrower is a big mushy white dude with the model either over his shoulder or held up in the air. (can't remember exactly) The point is, if LeBron James was shown doing that it would be equally controversial, so I think in Ms. Liebovitz's portrayal, they're all a little animalistic. Probably why LeBron James has no problem with the shot himself. The interior shot has him sitting in a chair and her on his knee and it's a much better photograph in my mind. I do wish they'd put him in a suit at some point, they missed the essence of the man...but you have to remember Leibovitz also asked the Queen to take her crown off for a shot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-42980009884805491952008-03-28T05:52:00.000-04:002008-03-28T05:52:00.000-04:00I think I've got it! This ad is patterned after "...I think I've got it! This ad is patterned after "King Kong", the scene in which he stands at the top of the Empire State Building with the frightened blond woman in his hand while he menaces all of New York.<BR/><BR/>This ad is an attempt to show Black men as animalistic threats to white female chastity. That's why the Black man has to be screaming (like King Kong) in this photo. We all know that intuitively, but you have to refer to the King Kong scene to really palpably explain how this is so.<BR/><BR/>King Kong dies at the end of the movie, right?<BR/><BR/>I guess it took Barack Obama's campaign to get the first Black man, a basketball player, onto the front page of Vogue. Who knows what other dividends Barack's campaign may provide?Francis Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11862777385923656061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-37487815505935594122008-03-28T04:33:00.000-04:002008-03-28T04:33:00.000-04:00Christopher Chambers said... No, it is offensive. ...Christopher Chambers said... <BR/>No, it is offensive. As I've said time again, Lebron has attained MJ's mantle of self-promoting dickhead...an utter waste to us as a people on a more fundamental level than balling and cash money (and look what the false pursuit of those golden cows have done to our communities).<BR/>He is King Kong. To younger white folks, i think it wouild be more threatening to have Obama or ken Chenault of Amex on the cover. It is all about selling to Peoria, to whites. lebron knows that. So did MJ. F- em both!!!<BR/><BR/>Girl Next Door says...<BR/><BR/>I'm truly glad you spoke up about this because for a while it seemed like the only people concerned about how this cover looked were Black Women. If the brothers can't stand up and speak to how they are being portrayed (TO THE WORLD no less)then what is the use?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-18912745516532972932008-03-28T02:57:00.000-04:002008-03-28T02:57:00.000-04:00Field, I love you but you trippin' boo if you do n...Field, I love you but you trippin' boo if you do not see this overt message.Tafarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06265764779873436485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-9978370289669573632008-03-28T01:58:00.000-04:002008-03-28T01:58:00.000-04:00I also have to add as there has been much commenta...I also have to add as there has been much commentary on Giselle's pale skin - she is Brazilian of German and Hispanic descent. There's a little color in her gene pool.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-8948308480207515522008-03-28T01:40:00.000-04:002008-03-28T01:40:00.000-04:00Field:The best post I read about this cover is at ...Field:<BR/><BR/>The best post I read about this cover is at http://dwil.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/lebron-james-and-the-vogue-cover-more-king-kong-than-king-james/<BR/><BR/>I think that will convince you there's something wrong with the cover.<BR/><BR/>If not, then also consider this post - http://www.stereohyped.com/report-shows-subconscious-like-between-blacks-and-apes-20080305/reservoirgodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16673328205522511885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-32219352440061502112008-03-28T01:27:00.000-04:002008-03-28T01:27:00.000-04:00Christ.A lot of folk still aren't doing enough cri...Christ.<BR/><BR/>A lot of folk still aren't doing enough critical thinking about the power of imagery. To minimize the propaganda of BEAUTY and how it effects our choices, is to minimize our understanding and to increase our IGNORANCE. <BR/><BR/>We wouldn't put such limits on our understanding of say...politics or economics...the oh, so manly, SERIOUS issues. <BR/><BR/>Heck, we don't even try to see how the barrage of white female beauty propaganda, effects politics and economics. You know why? Most people don't think that deeply. <BR/><BR/>No one yet has even touched on what this image implies about black female beauty...which I find very interesting.black | woman | unhingedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02470279203336494747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-54785528292454851732008-03-27T22:03:00.000-04:002008-03-27T22:03:00.000-04:00it's the power pose. when your woman is with you ...it's the power pose. when your woman is with you she's really thinking about me. it's usually posed by white males with women of other racial or ethnic groups, but lately black men have been posing. even your philly football wide receiver did no on monday night football a while back. the picture might offend black people because we have been subject to a negative reaction from the white community in the past. obama may lose a few votes over this? it's probably nothing wrong with the picture. vogue is pandering towards it target audience white females. if it sales are good look for similar poses on cosmopolitan, redbook,etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-246423964414137232008-03-27T21:14:00.000-04:002008-03-27T21:14:00.000-04:00Hey Field Negro, It's racist because it feeds into...Hey Field Negro, It's racist because it feeds into the King Kong meme. And it takes two seconds to point that out and put a racist aura over it. We *can't* let the culture setters get away with any sort of racist dehumanization or else it will filter back into social policy that we don't deserve our strides towards first-class citizenship. Jennifer Hudson's cover picture had her with her mouth wide open, like an ape... Vogue has a history of making black people look animalistic. Reinforcing the deep-seated bestial fantasies of blacks by white people. You say no foul, is it because you're so inured to racism you can't call Spade by his true name?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23428832.post-40842723240475313232008-03-27T20:32:00.000-04:002008-03-27T20:32:00.000-04:00Hrother Field,Seeing tnat we as a race have not th...Hrother Field,Seeing tnat we as a race have not the means to protray ourselves in more positive light, we will continue to question "real or memrox"? Having lived in two Americas (seg/post se) the impact of race causes a lot of angst on the part of the over 50 gang. When I saw the photo on the tube, feelings of the past presented an awful taste in my mouth. I was living in the time period when this photo was illegal and could get a Black man killed. Just like "hip hop" when you get to be 60+,. you will most likely be a defender of this lifestyle. Therfor for me I didnt like the picture.. the young man has been alive only 20+ years. Very few Black males were taught that you need to carry a sense of pride for your race...dont be fooled in thinking the successful races in America dont encourage their offsprings to carry forth some traits that they feel are important. Brother LeBron cant be blamed because it seems no one taught him the lessons of the past. to all the Black males that have been killed, lynched, burned alive, ran over tied to railroad tracks, shot and etc; I say forgive him.. for he know not. P.S. I suppose if the Black male/female relationship was stronger; pictures likethis would not bother me. That brother may not even know about King Kong and connections to race. StillaPanther2 is not racist, I just want my race to be seen in a positve light.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com