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When it comes to colorism, “Precious” is still the same old, same old.
I’ve been accused a time or two of being a little too color-struck, reading too deeply into decisions that could have been made based on pure happenstance. Yes, I rooted for the Jiggaboos in Spike Lee’s School Daze, and sure, I happen to find Idris Elba a helluva lot more attractive than Chris Brown, but I am no colorist. I wish, however, that I could say the same for Hollywood executives who cast black movies.
The new movie Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire sheds some much needed light on socioeconomic issues that haven’t changed much since the 1996 release of Sapphire’s book, Push. But the film’s casting also sheds light on how little color issues have changed since the Jiggaboos and the Wannabes first had it out in Madame Re-Re’s Hair Salon a few decades ago.
Call it overanalyzing, but is it a coincidence that Precious’ dark-skinned mother is physically and verbally abusive, her dark-skinned father is a drug addict who rapes her, and the main character herself is a dark-skinned 16-year-old mother of two? Meanwhile, the teacher, social worker and nurse who uplift and bring positivity into her life are all light-skinned.
Black entertainment has made little progress in the last century when it comes to colorism. Both dark- and light-skinned blacks continue to be cast in roles that perpetuate stereotypes within our own community. Light-skinned people are good; dark-skinned people are bad. Light-skinned people live comfortably; dark-skinned people live in the projects. Don’t believe that colorism is still seeping into our psyches? Read Monique Fields’ piece about her 4-year-old daughter who told her, “Brown people drive old cars.”
Most of the mainstream black entertainers are light-skinned because the Wannabes are still favored over the Jiggaboos. Chocolate folks don’t get much love, even when black people are producing the films and television roles. Pretty much every other Tyler Perry film has a dark-skinned male aggressor and light-skinned male savior (Shemar Moore vs. Steve Harris in Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Blair Underwood vs. Boris Kodjoe in Madea’s Family Reunion). When a character gets replaced on a sitcom, their complexion usually gets lighter (from Janet Hubert-Whitten to Daphne Maxwell-Reid on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Jazz Raycole to Jennifer Freeman on My Wife and Kids). And the biggest black entertainers right now could probably all pass a brown paper bag test (Beyoncé, Rihanna, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Tyra Banks, Alicia Keys).
If darker-skinned actors can’t get decent portrayal in a film like Precious, well, where can they?
Jada F. Smith is a writer and intern at The Root.
Comments
Don't you mean racism?
What are the colors of the writers? Directors? Producers? The people who put up the money?
White men who speak English of course and that makes them what? Racist. That in fact is the definition of racism.
Actually most of the writers/directors/producers are not white but, african-american. Go look on imdb.com.
I can't tell but, maybe they are wannabees?
Do you really think Oprah or Tyler Perry who had a lot of control over that movie would let it happen?
I don't know whatJada and the rest of you who agree with her look like on the outside but, I definitely know what you look like on the inside .,.
Jada is correct. Did it make any sense for Precious to have a bi-racial daughter with down-syndrome when Precious as well as her father were dark-skinned? Some of that casting was ridiculous. Furthermore, Mariah Carey did a decent job as a social worker but you’re telling me, we couldn’t see a sister with a little more color or even a professional actress? Based upon her list of credits (Glitter) I don’t think Carey deserved the role. I’m not knocking her but what about Nia Long, Angela Bassett, Queen Latifah
There's a big fat line between lighter skin and darker skin in Hollywood. In Black Hollywood, "Colorism is King", and that line is about as wide as an airport runway. Like it or not, darker complexioned blacks have not helped their cause either, constantly succumbing to the "call to arms" that keeps them swimming in the tired mindset of buffoonery gone by. All of the whining and complaining in the world is not going to change the fact that the Michael Jackson's, Sammy Sosa's and Lil' Kim's of the world are in abundant supply. And so it goes.
A Tale of “O” or The Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Technique - Two methods used in diversity training. There have been attempts to bring about change within organizations, but not industries. We live in a 65 % + majority populated European dominated country. There will always be a slant to the looking glass. Everything is viewed from the perspective of the dominating/ruling majority. There was one poster that complained about writing with proper English grammar. (Case in point, English is proper, Ebonics is improper)
Consider this statement from an article on diversity training:
The Measured Impact of Diversity Training
“The preferred solution to the problems of [outcome] measurement and description is to
declare them irrelevant and proceed on faith alone. “One of the problems corporations have
with diversity is that they like things in boxes,” says [a diversity consultant]. . .“It is. . . an
evolutionary process that is very difficult to be specific about . . .you need to work five or
ten years before you can say you’re into a diversity process. It never ends.” And at [the
consultant’s fee of] two grand a day, there’s no reason to think it will.” (MacDonald, 1993,
p. 22)
So can we really say that colorism is not an issue being that it is a part of the whole diversity problem within any given culture or society?
In 1983, while stationed in Germany, a local citizen wanted to see if I had a tail. Perceptions can be a powerful ally in maintaining majority power. Don't be fooled, Clarence, a high tech lynching is still a lynching.
Good article for thought.
Stereotyping also works against light skinned actors. Light skinned women are always given the role of the snobby wanna be white girl. The light skinned men are always "workin for the man" and portrayed as some type of sell out. Funny how you mentioned School Daze. Tisha Campbell actually didn't want to play the part of Jane because it was so stereotypical of a light skinned females.
...is Oprah. Does she pass the brown-paper-bag test?
I know, and I get it. I was once the type of guy that ignored the facts to find fault where no fault lied. I was guilty too. Then I realized just how much commentary like that sets us back rather than vaulting us forward. Lets examine some of your fact ignoring comments. "Most of the mainstream black entertainers are light-skinned". While you gave some examples, you simultaneously ignored a large portion of the demographic for the sole purpose of making a point. If a brown paper bag is your litmus test then lets discuss this with the blinders off. Some of the "left out" talent are the likes off Whoopi Goldberg (who is, based on both merit and earnings the most successful black actresses of all time), Gabriel Union, Alfre Woodard, Regina Hall, Nia Long, Omar Epps, Dennis Haysbert, Taraji P. Henson (although, depending on the season she could pass for a brown bagger), Don Cheadle, Leon, Lil Wayne, Dr Dre, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Akon, T Pain, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Fantasia... Im going to stop there as I believe my point has been made. to me, its one thing to say something like "I would have liked to see..." or "After reading the book I feel character X would've been better off as..." but you treated this like some kind of conspiracy that, when looking at actual facts (and eliminating your personal opinion) seems to exist only in your head.
Fsilber, I do have my beefs with Julian Bond. He surely has a hi yalla, Talented Tenth attitude.
But in all fairness to the man, he was being interviewed by Garrett Morrison on Saturday Night Live, a white TV show.
Mr. Morris was a member of the SNL cast from 1975 to 1980. The program had a fake news show segment that you probably saw on YouTube out of context.
I would guess that Julian Bond was the guest host for the show that week.
I know that white humor can seem a bit cryptic when one is used to the broad schtick of Madea and Redd Foxx ("you got to wash yo' ass"), but trust me on this, if indeed the interview actually happened, Julian Bond was joking for the benefit of the white audience.
And the white audience got the joke, believe me. Mr. Bond has been one of the white folks' favorites for a couple generations now.
It would be Utterly Absurd (and a bit ridiculous) to cast Kareem Abdul Jabbar as Spike Lee in any film. Conversely it was NOT ONLY ACCEPTABLE, it was Extremely SMART casting Denzel as Malcolm X ("RED" ... and we ALL KNOW the History of that nickname, don't we???)
The "Color Thing" is Outdated, Ignorant and an ever-present example of "Black Self Hate." But it is US who "Bought Into It!!!" From the color of Halle Berry to that of Wesley Snipes, these are ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!! Now it is our responsibility and theirs (Actors, Agents and Media Decision Makers) to PUT AN IMMEDIATE STOP TO the "Brown Paper Bag Test" in Film and TV. (We MUST REFUSE allowing others (Black, White or Other) to perpetuate this Hateful Myth on us!)
Cultural hegemony is kind of like the Stockholm syndrome. We learn to accept the dominant paradigm because we are emmerced in an environment that continuously reinforces the dominant framework. Few people seem to be brave enough to challenge this type of programing except when the challenge is an ancillary issue such as this. Nobody challenges that it is better to be rich than poor or beautiful as opposed to ugly. Racism as practiced in America today is a ubiquitous cultural phenomena not something that one race does to another.