tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7914023805467524047.post6917903121682164287..comments2023-04-03T08:42:02.315-07:00Comments on Seeing Race: Thoughts about District 9Lady Instructorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16107564833265583418noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7914023805467524047.post-10027843119828124802010-06-15T19:18:18.809-07:002010-06-15T19:18:18.809-07:00(From Ina, via email:)
Lady Instructor I found a ...(From Ina, via email:)<br /><br />Lady Instructor I found a blog quote from Womanist Musings that sums up perfectly how I felt about District 9. It came from this (completely unrelated) blog post:<br /><br />http://www.womanist-musings.com/2010/05/letting-students-wear-kkk-robes-in.html<br /><br />The quote is the very last sentence:<br /><br />"There are many ways to learn about racism and only someone committed to its perpetuation chooses to do so in a way that reifies its existence."<br /><br />In other District 9-like news,<br />I live in Seattle and just yesterday a familiar scene unfolded in the news. There is a clip of the incident in the local news site Seattle Pi and on youtube; a white police officer struggling to arrest a black female teenager (for jaywalking), who is struggling to resist arrest (for jaywalking). At one point the onlookers accuse the officer of trying to strangle her. Not sure if this happens on camera or off as the action jumps around. Her friend, another black female (another jaywalker), physically intervenes by pushing the police officer and tries to remove his grasp on her. The police officer responds by punching the second girl in the face, then continues attempting to arrest the first girl (for jaywalking). Notice the (stunned? apathetic?) passivity of the onlookers who don't know what to do but record the event on their cell phones. Notice the (nervous? amused?) staring of the lone white girl in the crowd. The grown man on younger female violence being done, and shown completely out of context is fairly disturbing, but even more disturbing are the comments to the story on the news site and on youtube. There is near universal condemnation of the black females as "obvious thugs" and "why the f*ck didn't they just do what he said?" IT is clear that the commenters are actually OVERJOYED to see a black girl being slammed and slapped around so.<br /><br />Hopefully the links are still active:<br /><br />http://www.seattlepi.com/local/421775_officerpunch15.html?source=rss<br /><br />and<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9w9AfptGGQLady Instructorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16107564833265583418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7914023805467524047.post-1419349426457195072010-06-15T07:32:13.871-07:002010-06-15T07:32:13.871-07:00OMG, you will *hate* Avatar. I liked it when I sa...OMG, you will *hate* Avatar. I liked it when I saw it in the theater, but only because the 3D effects (and Sam Worthington) were so, so pretty. I am almost afraid to watch it on the small screen.Laynehttp://www.librarianhot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7914023805467524047.post-12485768903956817272010-06-14T17:29:47.973-07:002010-06-14T17:29:47.973-07:00@Ina - Yes, totally agree. I was hesitant to bring...@Ina - Yes, totally agree. I was hesitant to bring this up because I am really not up on the social situation in South Africa, but I was uncomfortable with the way both the Nigerians and the "voodoo" were portrayed (again, unsure what to call it? Voodoo obviously not the right term but closest analog to average American unfamiliar with African religions? Perhaps Vodun, which is a West African religion?)<br /><br />PARTICULARLY because this was written by a White South African.<br /><br />I thought that the way the movie depicted the Nigerians might be related to how that ethnic group is viewed in South Africa. You know, like referring to a Mexican or Hmong gang in the US? I'm not trying to excuse this - obviously hugely problematic - but I wasn't sure how to comment on it because I don't really know anything about the social structure in South Africa.<br /><br />However, the Nigerian government was NOT PLEASED, and actually banned the movie from Nigeria. (http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/09/25/govt-bans-showing-of-district-9-film-in-nigeria/)<br /><br />I guess I had sort of glossed over this part of the movie because I wasn't sure how to react to it. I should have mentioned it. Bad me.<br /><br />Your last paragraph I think is really similar to what I was inferring in the post, but you do it more straightforwardly. I think many white people break POC into categories - nice (safe), and nasty (dangerous). Those nice black people who live in the ranch house down the street? Safe. But put those same black people in the ghetto, and they become dangerous, fulfilling your description. "May or may not be smart enough to get their lives together if they weren't so criminally inclined" is, I think, a PERFECT description of the way white people react to the poverty-stricken, particularly POC.<br /><br />I had interpreted the movie as playing on that trope by making it large - to me it was impossible to sympathize with basically ANY human in this movie, demonstrating the cruelty and stupidity of the humans towards the aliens in an inexcusable way. To me, it was saying that to behave in this way towards another being is wrong and dangerous. That's one reason why I was unsettled by the implication that the aliens couldn't help themselves. It kind of un-did the message I took from the rest of the film.<br /><br />So to me casting the aliens as minority stand-ins was a way to expose racism in a way that might spark some larger realizations for some people. Perhaps I am giving those people too much credit, and now they'll just think gross alien = African without any deeper thinking.<br /><br />Sigh. Probably am giving people too much credit.<br /><br />@Layne - working on it, stay tuned! Although I've been putting off watching Avatar.Lady Instructorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16107564833265583418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7914023805467524047.post-53425884914336945802010-06-13T21:02:03.702-07:002010-06-13T21:02:03.702-07:00I just finished watching District 0, per your reco...I just finished watching District 0, per your recommendation (Yay Netflix Instant Watch!)<br /><br />You bring up an interesting insight about paternalism and the ghetto. I will have to think on it a bit more.<br /><br />But what stood out to me as mcuh more glaring and troubling was the way Nigerians were portrayed as startingly similar to the "prawns." Nigerians as weird voodoo cannibals. Nigerians as merciless thugs and terrorists. Nigerians as pimps and prostitutes. Nigerians as primarily responsible for "drugtrade" in the Alien community. Nigerians being killed graphically and satisfyingly up close and personal (particularly getting to see the lead "crip" Nigerian's head explode on camera. And seriously what's with the Disabled Guy as Villain trope?) Nigerians speaking in SUBTITLES just like those weird clicking and grunting "prawns" who speak entirely in subtitles. Nigerians who, unlike the prawns, were speaking perfectly good english by the way....<br /><br />I did get the whole part about using the Alien metaphor to represent a global history of colonial oppression overall.. but what horrified me was the uncritical use of PRESENT day racist memes to create a subliminal link between African peoples TODAY and all that is alien and grotesque and Other.<br /><br />In short I came away from this movie believing I finally understand exactly how White People see Black people: Literally as vaguely humanoid but nightmarishly ugly looking creatures who may or may not be smart enough to get their lives together if they weren't so criminally inclined, hideous creatures that everybody wishes could be shipped off to another planet.<br /><br />I'm more than a little perturbed.Inanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7914023805467524047.post-84156498472508025152010-06-13T20:52:11.003-07:002010-06-13T20:52:11.003-07:00Nate and I watched this awhile ago, and I thought ...Nate and I watched this awhile ago, and I thought it was very interesting (though I hear they're making an unnecessary sequel - boo). <br /><br />I'd be interested to hear more of your take on Wikus's transformation into an alien - and how District 9 fits into the ongoing tradition of narratives about minority groups where the audience sees only through the eyes of a privileged white (and quite often male) character.Laynehttp://www.librarianhot.comnoreply@blogger.com