So, I got called "misguided and ignorant" by Spike Lee the other day...

American film director Spike Lee posted an image of martyred Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King on Instagram recently, promoting his distasteful crusade to racially restructure Hollywood advocating the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. Lee deleted comments labeling me “misguided and ignorant” for pointing out statistics illustrating why meritocracy is essential to American diversity, especially in entertainment. The effaced response referenced an article I wrote comparing merit in professional athletics to film recognition, which he seemingly disagreed with. Ironically, Lee appeared on Good Morning America microaggressively proclaiming, “February 28th, we’ll be [wife] at the world’s most famous arena…Chris Rock is a grown *** man”, not the Oscars. Mookie launched a trash can through poor Sal’s pizza shop window again, then bounced.
 

“In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned” , the Instagram caption read. “People, The Truth Is We Ain’t In Those Rooms And Until Minorities Are, The Oscar Nominees Will Remain Lilly White.”, he appealed. But what if some of 277 million non-black Americans independently acknowledged the need for change before Lee’s implicitly bias quip? In his film Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee leaves us with a quote from King, “an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding.” White actors such as; Charles Heston (Planet of The Apes), James Garner (The Notebook), and Paul Newman (Disney/Pixar’s Cars) with black actor Harry Belefonte attended “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom” as “The Hollywood Delegation”. They stood in unified front during an overtly hostile climate, “fighting the power” while Spike Lee and Chuck D were six and three years old—decades before the low risk edutainment era of the 80’s. A sacrifice for diversity which is unequivocally unappreciated and undermined by the arrogant sense of entitlement surrounding #OscarsSoWhite.
 

A UCLA study finds audiences want ethnic representation of themselves in films, and in 2014 more than 21 million frequent moviegoers were white, which is 56%, that’s more than half of the U.S. black population. Blacks represented 10% (3 million), which was slightly less than the year before due to more titles available showcasing the black experience. Hispanics represent 25% of frequent moviegoers and Asians are 9%. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Furious 7, and Avengers: Age of Ultron were three of the highest grossing films of 2015, this is likely due to their diverse marketability. Two time Academy Award winner, George Clooney told the press, Straight Outta Compton, Creed, and Beasts of No Nation are really good films that deserve more recognition, but “there should be more opportunity than that. There should be 20 or 30 or 40 films of the quality that people would consider for the Oscars.” However, there’s undoubtedly more players in the NBA than mainstream black directors. There’s 446 players out of 30 teams in the NBA as of 2015, and 74% of them are black. Empirically, there’s more focus on athletic programs than film studies in predominantly black high schools. Nonetheless these statistics are the reason NYU directing-strategies professor referred to me as “misguided and ignorant”.

At just 32 years old, Lee wrote, directed, and starred in Do The Right Thing, undoubtedly a masterpiece which Lee was Oscar nominated for best writer, and I agree with him that he should’ve won. It demonstrated his critical understanding of the sociopolitical balance of multicultural Brooklyn. The characters were fleshed out by rich dialogue and true sterling honesty. In fact, the film’s framework juxtaposes tension between #OscarsSoWhite and The Academy. Sal’s Pizza is like Hollywood, feeding everyone regardless of race. Even dignified hobos offering to sweep his storefront for a few bucks, like Da Mayor. Sal even employed Mookie, a character I believe is a fun house mirror of Spike Lee’s actual conscious—”I’mgettin’ paid”. Sal could be The Academy, he’s not perfect but for the most part has no problem being fair to anyone. An Oscar worthy moment in film was the “Boycott Sal’s!” scene. Sal tells Buggin’ Out you can put pictures of whoever you want on the wall if you own the place. Buggin’ Out was unwilling to accept that although he hated white people, his lack of ownership was due to his own ignorance. For both Radio Raheem and Buggin’ Out (#OscarsSoWhite), psychologically their benighted boycott was about projection, feelings of inferiority as black men and Sal (The Academy) represented achievement in “their” neighborhood. Sal didn’t have any “brothas, on the wall [of fame]”, like “Michael JOOR-DON“.

See, Spike Lee doesn’t care, people are free to do whatever the hell they want to do, like Mookie says. Until we blind each other seeking humiliation rather than winning understanding from one another. Even a courteous guy like Sal (The Academy) can be called so many epithets like “fat pasta ***”, “guinea bastard” and “white trash” before hate becomes objective. Yes the statistics and reality of black-American marginalization are real and emotionally draining. Ironically, this is why The Revenant has 12 nominations for the 88th Academy Awards, because it tells a true story of a father torn between worlds based on race. By the same token, during the boycott scene in Do The Right Thing, Sal asks Mookie is Buggin’ Out his friend and Mookie says yes. Sal wants Mookie to talk to him as a friend, and Sal’s prejudice son adds “talk some brotha talk to him”. I do believe in this complicated world that many of us have the gift of arbitration. We’re simply better communicators, Spike Lee is one of them, and although he’s most likely hardened from critical racism just as equally from black ignorance, #OscarsSoWhite is still irresponsible and distasteful. It let’s down good people who happen to be poor communicators, like Radio Raheem. Spike is letting black America down as an arbitrator. And when the smoke clears, after he’s thrown the trash can through Sal’s Pizza’s (Hollywood’s) window, and #OscarsSoWhite supporters are choked to death by real racism, like Janet Hubert asks Jada Pinkett Smith, where does the neighborhood go to “eat”? #SalsPizzaMatters.

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sea manup said:

 
cliffnotes? 

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Master Zik said:

In Spike's defense, most ppl come off misguided and ignorant on the internet when they try to come at ppl whether on fb or IG. Especially on twitter. There is no healthy discourse on a platform like that.

If you aint being very patient in between replies and like thinking out your responses there aint no point. Face to face discussions are usually best if you're trying to inform and learn, and I say inform cuz online most ppl want to try and correct each other with vigor sometimes to the extent of ignoring the point.

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RustyShackleford said:

Ummm, but the Academy is making changes to address the institutionalized problems within it's organization that results in the lack of diversity in its nominations. Even the Academy is recognizing they have problem

One of the problems is that some of the people voting for nomination. Most of them are white men, with the median age being 65.

With a demographic make up like that, certain films of course will be favored. You can't argue that it is a meritocracy, without acknowledging that the system is probably bias against minority films and actors, even when they are outstanding.

That's true of not just of the Oscars, but America in general.

And the NBA is a horrible example, IMO. First basketball is a relatively cheap sport to play, so the inequality of resources doesn't disadvantage black men. Film programs are relatively more expensive

Plus taste discrimination doesn't play a part in which players getting benefits/perks/advancement from coaches. When you job is on the line, you are less likely to indulge in bigotry. You pick the best players, no matter the race or nationality. Nothing makes folk put their racism aside more than when there bank account is in danger.

How better one actor is over another, or one film is to another is pretty subjective. Even all lower levels

So, Spike has a point. This whole upsetting white folk with the calls for diversity seem kinda laughable to me. Sorry

Being a victim of discrimination is always worst that being labeled prejudice. And me, as a black man, I spend lil time worrying about the feelings of whites when speaking about how racism and racial bias manifest itself in America.

So yeah, I think Spike got a point famb

You seem more concerned with order, than fairness. Like Mookie pointed out to Sal, your restaurant is trashed, but Radio Rahem is dead.

I believe equal recognition is more important that some hurt feelings.

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RustyShackleford said:

Ummm, but the Academy is making changes to address the institutionalized problems within its organization that results in the lack of diversity in its nominations. Even the Academy is recognizing they have a problem.

One of the problems are the people voting for nominations. Most of them are white men, with the median age being 65.

With a demographic make up like that, certain films of course will be favored. You can't argue that it is a meritocracy, without acknowledging that the system is probably bias against minority films and actors, even when they are outstanding.

That's true of not just of the Oscars, but America in general.

And the NBA is a horrible example, IMO. First basketball is a relatively cheap sport to play, so the inequality of resources doesn't disadvantage black men. Film programs are relatively more expensive

Plus taste discrimination doesn't play a part in which players getting benefits/perks/advancement from coaches. When you job is on the line, you are less likely to indulge in bigotry. You pick the best players, no matter the race or nationality. Nothing makes folk put their racism aside more than when there bank account is in danger.

How better one actor is over another, or one film is to another is pretty subjective. Even all lower levels

This whole upsetting white folk with the calls for diversity seem kinda laughable to me. Sorry

Being a victim of discrimination is always worst that being labeled prejudice. And me, as a black man, I spend lil time worrying about the feelings of whites when speaking about how racism and racial bias manifest itself in America.

So yeah, I think Spike got a point famb

You seem more concerned with order, than fairness. Like Mookie pointed out to Sal, your restaurant is trashed, but Radio Rahem is dead.

I believe equal recognition is more important that some hurt feelings.

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WorldGoneMad said:

i lost all respect for spike lee after that disgusting old boy remake.

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WorldGoneMad said:

i lost all respect for spike lee after that disgusting old boy remake.

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RustyShackleford said:

Ummm, but the Academy is making changes to address the institutionalized problems within its organization that results in the lack of diversity in its nominations. Even the Academy is recognizing they have a problem.

One of the problems are the people voting for nominations. Most of them are white men, with the median age being 65.

With a demographic make up like that, certain films of course will be favored. You can't argue that it is a meritocracy, without acknowledging that the system is probably bias against minority films and actors, even when they are outstanding.

That's true of not just of the Oscars, but America in general.

And the NBA is a horrible example, IMO. First basketball is a relatively cheap sport to play, so the inequality of resources doesn't disadvantage black men. Film programs are relatively more expensive

Plus taste discrimination doesn't play a part in which players getting benefits/perks/advancement from coaches. When you job is on the line, you are less likely to indulge in bigotry. You pick the best players, no matter the race or nationality. Nothing makes folk put their racism aside more than when there bank account is in danger.

How better one actor is over another, or one film is to another is pretty subjective. Even all lower levels

This whole upsetting white folk with the calls for diversity seem kinda laughable to me. Sorry

Being a victim of discrimination is always worst that being labeled prejudice. And me, as a black man, I spend lil time worrying about the feelings of whites when speaking about how racism and racial bias manifest itself in America.

So yeah, I think Spike got a point famb

You seem more concerned with order, than fairness. Like Mookie pointed out to Sal, your restaurant is trashed, but Radio Rahem is dead.

I believe equal recognition is more important that some hurt feelings.

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[h2]
The Case Against High-School Sports[/h2]
The United States routinely spends more tax dollars per high-school athlete than per high-school math student—unlike most countries worldwide. And we wonder why we lag in international education rankings?

“I’ve been in hundreds of classrooms,” says Singleton, who has spent 15 years as a principal and helped turn around other struggling schools. “This was the worst I’ve seen in my career. The kids were in control. The language was filthy. The teachers were not prepared.” By suspending sports, Singleton realized, he could save $150,000 in one year. A third of this amount was being paid to teachers as coaching stipends, on top of the smaller costs: $27,000 for athletic supplies, $15,000 for insurance, $13,000 for referees, $12,000 for bus drivers. “There are so many things people don’t think about when they think of sports,” Singleton told me. Still, he steeled himself for the town’s reaction. “I knew the minute I announced it, it was going to be like the world had caved in on us.”

 

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WorldGoneMad said:

i lost all respect for spike lee after that disgusting old boy remake.

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lamekilla said:

Again, why do we feel the need to be "acknowledged" by the Academy Awards?

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japejapejape said:

 
you don't get it. smh

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