posted
Just read at another Internet site that some SW fans are accusing Lucasfilm of racism because of JarJar.
The news story sited e-mail responces at a SW:TPM page being 10:1 against JarJar, and some bigshot film critics making comparisons between JJB and Steppin Fetchit or Butterfly McQueen ("Gone With The Wind.")
posted
Well, I doubt it's intentional. But I have to admit, I did come out of the film feeling a little odd about some of the characters. Though some of that is due to having read about this before I saw the movie, thus making it perhaps more apparent than it really was.
------------------ "Should have changed that stupid lock. Should have thrown away the key. No no, not I, I will survive, right down here on my knees." -- They Might Be Giants
posted
"We in here, monsters out dere, all sinkin an' no power?! When you-sa thinkin we-sa in trouble?!"
heheh.. As I like the Gungans and JarJar, I agree with Excalibur, they aren't a racial statement at all. Even with JarJar's faults, he still comes out on top. Anyone who would attack such, is just looking to stir up trouble, and mainly be a pain in the butt.
------------------ "We are all a product of the environment we live in.... the rest, good or bad, may be free will." Charles C. Bohnam
posted
Jar Jar's lack of command of the human language is strictly biological. Look at his mouth. Look at his tougue. If you had that vocal equipment, you'd talk like that too. If Jar Jar did speak fluenently, it wouldn't have been very realistic at all. Someone goes out to make an alien character seem more alien and get tagged as a racist? The only people that see racism are the people looking to hard for it.
[This message was edited by Cargile on May 29, 1999.]
posted
Are they intending to have him in the next movie?
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Trinculo
Ex-Member
posted
I read at Cinescape an editorial by Steve called "The Phantom Fetchit". Fetchit was a stereotypical black comedic figure of the 1930's and the 1940's. In that same editorial, he mention the parade at the end of the movie as being a stereotypical black parade of the same era. I believe he is correct on both counts. I have seen the old films that had blacks in them. They were terrible. The most horrible film I have ever seen was "Houlilah", a film of 1929 where blacks living in shitty conditions were shown to be happy about their fate and dancing. I also agree with Steve that G. Lucas was not attempting to be racist. Mr. Lucas doesn't come across as a racist. He appears to me to be an adolescent who hasn't grown into full adulthood and is very naive about certain aspects of the world-such as the black stereotypes of fifty years ago.
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Uhhh...I think you're looking into this too deeply, Trinculo. First of all, why would you think that the parade at the end of the movie is reminiscent of these black parades from old films? I mean, come on, the Gungans were NOT living in shitty conditions. Second, these may be stereotypes of 50 years ago, but they aren't today, and as you've said, Lucas aimed this film at kids, not 60+ people who might still have these stereotypes...
Third, If Lucas worried about being politically correct about everything, making sure what he made wasn't going to construed as something that might have been politically incorrect 50 years ago, we wouldn't have a movie...
------------------ "We are all a product of the environment we live in.... the rest, good or bad, may be free will." Charles C. Bohnam
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Jeff Raven: I am responding to comments made by a writer at Cinescape. Please read the editorial which appeared on Tuesday. The voice of the editorial's author is one I agree with. Mr. Lucas has placed himself in a very particular bad situation with the Jar Jar Binks character. My comments about past films should be viewed as being solely about those films. Next, there were no black parades as far I know from the old films. There were films that show blacks dancing and singing. I do not like political correctness. However, the behavrior of the Gungans and their civilization has created one of the strongest criticisms I have seen in years about films.
To everyone, please read the editorial. Thank you.
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I have been to many sites saying that he wasnt needed in the movie well.... thats not true if you look around he got Obi Wan and Jon Qui to to where they needed to go and showedn the queen where to go to ask for help....
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*loved Jar Jar* I grew up in Memphis which has a VERY high African American population...after seeing the movie I can say very matter-of-factly that the Gungans DID NOT speak "BlackJive" or ebonics. That was the way Lucas and the actor who did Jar Jar's voice overs chose to help characterize him. Just like Qui-Gon and Obi Wan had British/HighEnglish accents, Amadala spoke in monotone, and the two guys from the Trade Federation spoke like they did. In creating characters you have to use certain things to distinguish them, give them personalities, etc. In movies, dialect is the MAIN one used. personally, i thought Gunganspeak was cool. *L*
------------------ Clones are People Two
"The Force is like duct tape: it has a dark side and a light side, and it holds the universe together" ([[[[[[*]}�������������������������
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C'mon people..... Jar Jar is NOT a racist character. I personally enjoyed Jar Jar. I enjoyed the whole film, even when Anakin was blowing things up. I thought it was fun, and a fantastic ride.
Everyone, please watch "Chasing Amy" to see the REAL story of racism behind Star Wars. =) hehehe
------------------ 91qk.lcc co51.24ahx ma3x5./bk Yellow + Blue = Green
I always think African American is insulting. Like, "we white people are Americans, but you black people are African Americans, so you're not really American"
But apart from that what's wrong with saying black and white people?!
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RW: technically, it's used b/c it's more politically correct. "native americans" don't enjoy being called "indian"...at least, the ones i've spent time with in new mexico don't. and frankly, i wish we could just call everyone a "person" instead of having to distinguish them by the color of their skin. sometimes i refer to myself as 'anglo-american'...the term being used these days if not caucasian, which if you know the derivation of the word, has NO relevance whatsoever to being 'white' skinned. i don't know. personally, i'm more comfortable referring to someone's heritage than their skin color, b/c colors tend to have more of a racial stigmata attached to them.
anyway...that's just the way i am. i hope i haven't offended anyone by saying all that...i certainly didn't intend to.
------------------ "Fear attracts the fearful" ([[[[[[*]}�������������������������
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