The Token Black Guy

[Omar Harris]

Ok I don't want to make this a racial dispute but have you ever notice that THE black guy always dies in horror movies? I mean really, you would think they would run out of roles for black people (like myself) in Hollywood but they don't. They always need an innocent to be cannon fodder for Freddy Krueger or Jason in their 20,000th movie. Anyway here's how it goes.
1. I said THE because if you ever noticed there is usually only one and only one.
2. He (and on some rare occasions she) is usualy stereotyped by a writer who obviously has not been around black people. (I'm about to get ghetto on you and other such horrible sayings).
3. If he/she isn't dead in the first two minutes, don't worry it's coming soon enough.
4. Though usually first victim it really doesn't matter, because as I said before, it's coming soon enough.
5. Usually has the most underdeveloped and least important role and yet always has the worst death. Does anybody no what Samuel L. Jackson was doing in Jurasic Park, or does anyone care? I thought not.

Well right now I can't do anything about it. I'm not going to cry because one day I will make a story that does the impossible, the Black guy will live. But for now I will just sit in the corner and mourn for Samuel L. Jackson in "Deep Blue Sea." (If I could ever stop laughing at that scene. Oh c'mon that is hilarious!)

[Manic Webb]

Half the death scenes in Deep Blue Sea were funny, I'll admit that.

Anyway, the whole "token black guy" thing has been pointed out by Not Another Teen Movie and (sorta) by Scary Movie. I don't like tokenism because it says "hey look! I'm barely acknowledging your group's existance by adding a single character who will remain one-dimensional until they either die or the movie ends." It's actually kinda degrading and in no way parallel to the real world. People have been getting away with it for years. Watch any random American cartoon (that stars humans) and you'll find a token character for a certain race or gender.

Anyway, nobody likes tokenism. For anybody out there that likes to draw and write their own stories, don't give in to tokenism. It's not tokenism when there's two or three black (or any other) people. Either you can add more than one, or develope the character really well, or just don't add that character at all.

[wrist cutter]

And some more milk spills.

I WANNA EAT YOU GOVERNMENT GIRL

[Mist]

[color=red][size=1] Oh God, this thread is pointless...[/color][/size]

[Justin]

No, it has a point.

It's a point I don't agree with, but it does have a point.

I think complaining about tokenism is pretty useless. I try not to pick apart movies and things for stuff like that, unless it's just obvious and blatant.

It really cuts down on the enjoyment if you pick things apart, and enjoyment is what I pay for. Not a chance to belly-ache.

-Justin

[Mist]

[color=red][size=1][QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Justin [/i]
[B]No, it has a point.

It's a point I don't agree with, but it does have a point.

I think complaining about tokenism is pretty useless. I try not to pick apart movies and things for stuff like that, unless it's just obvious and blatant.

It really cuts down on the enjoyment if you pick things apart, and enjoyment is what I pay for. Not a chance to belly-ache.

-Justin [/B][/QUOTE]

Oops. I mean to say stupid, but oh well.
:D

I agree that it's uselss, but it also is a little...oh, I don't know. Never mind. Forget I ever said anything...0.o;;[/color][/size]

[Transtic Nerve]

No, the Black guy always lives in Horror films.... which they almost never are in up untill recently.... but.. take Halloween H2O... LL Cool J survived!

[Guest Saiyangohan2002]

[color=green] And don't forget Deep Blue Sea TN, LL Cool J Survived that one too! I think that Tokeness is occured more frequently in the 80's slasher movies. despite the way Saumuel L. Jacksons character died which was quite funy :devil: [/color]

[Manic Webb]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Justin [/i]
[B]No, it has a point.

It's a point I don't agree with, but it does have a point.

I think complaining about tokenism is pretty useless. I try not to pick apart movies and things for stuff like that, unless it's just obvious and blatant.

It really cuts down on the enjoyment if you pick things apart, and enjoyment is what I pay for. Not a chance to belly-ache.

-Justin [/B][/QUOTE]

Personally, I [i]was[/i] complaining about obvious tokenism, not the subtle ones you only notice when someone tells you about it. Tokenism bothers me and I wish it would stop, but I know it's not going anywhere.

It's like Keanu Reeves' acting; it's pretty bad, but I still liked the movies.

[Omar Harris]

I'm not the only one who laugh Samuel L. Jackson's death scene. It was so inspirational and then CHOMP. I was just pointing out my views of how most Horror movies seem to have one non-white major character who is not as developed as anyone else and killed almost instantly into the movies. I'm not picking the movies apart. I just notice how that seems to happen all the time. Hollow Man, All the Alien movies, Predator (Not sure about 2 though I know Danny Glover was in it.) It's just stupid that people do that in movies.