[F]or those of us who think social responsibility is an ideology, I am sorry, it is not. The days of debating if your actions affect society and why you should be responsible no longer holds water. Better yet, we are living in such times that people are beginning to wake up and hold their leaders to what they preach, albeit, not without the cans of pepper spray in their eyes.
But that’s beside my point. My beef is, if I formed an association with my close friends tomorrow, and called it The Black/African American Cinematographers Guild, why would you take me seriously? But you will, and all of a sudden, I am suddenly the CEO of The Black People’s Association of Cinematographers. I don’t even have to do shit. Hell, all I need is the url and I’ve become the spokes person for black folk and black cinematographers in America! Just get me my website, buy me some 300 facebook friends, and I’ll be rolling. Folks, this is no hating, it is just damn! And we must stop and start demanding their quota of responsibility towards us, black folk.
The Black Card is expensive and anyone who decides to use it must be scrutinized. They have to be held responsible. How many white folks get up one morning and form the White Association of Film Critics? So just because he looks black and thinks black – sometimes only 10 percent of the time – and his association has Black or African American in the name does not mean he actually gives a damn about black folk. I see these associations springing up here and there, every now and then, and they don’t do shit. If they had two fucks in their pocket, they wouldn’t even give black people a fuck!
[I] am not going to mention names, but dear folks, quite recently a certain African American Film association of something, released an Awards list for 2011 films. It just so happened that the film that won the Best Screenplay Award was not even in the Best Movies Category. Naturally, I thought the film was in another category, say, the foreign film category. I checked and they didn’t have one. Then I thought, how did they get to choose this script for Best Screenplay? Did they read all the black scripts out there in America and chose this one? Or did they ask people to submit their movie scripts alone for this category?
I kept scratching my head. How could you watch a movie, and decide it wasn’t good, but you decide to take a look at the screenplay anyway? Was it great? I mean shizzle! My head was spinning, so I decided to double-check the history of the Academy Awards and even the NAACP for myself. There was no mention of such a thing ever happening anywhere. Now, either they want to appease a fellow member/s or they are just damn! They could have easily put the movie as number 10 on the list, at least, or created a whole new category for it – Boring Film But Great Screenplay Films Category or something?
I demand to read that screenplay, I want to know what animated the script but failed the movie that terribly. And I deserve to see the screenplay because, number one, I am black, and African-American, I live and think black 100 percent of the time, not 10 percent; and two, everybody’s screenplay is out there, but that one! Even Tyler Perry released that disaster of a script called For Colored Girls last year. If it’s good, let’s see it.
Why does every new association or group formed by black people named ‘Black Association of this…‘ and ‘African American Association of that…‘? Who can use this kind of black capital – even commercialize it – and how responsible should they be towards the society they refer to as black?
The use and commercialization of black culture, which comes with the name alone, is becoming rampant in film. Those organizations and individuals that are using black capital need to concentrate on what is at stake rather than their parochial interests. Just because the Popo ain’t gonna knock on your door doesn’t mean you should use The Black Card to your damn benefit alone. It’s for all of us and when you use it remember that.
That is probably why I think we need to understand the importance of the social and commercial capital in the name Black and African American. By doing so, I hope we can all come to a more collective investment in holding organizations/individuals that use our capital for their own good to also adhere to black social responsibility.
Black film is a formidable place to start and perhaps these associations don’t deserve this critique, but then again, deserve ain’t got nothing to do with it. Doing the right thing without the daylight parochial interests has everything to do with it! When we use black capital, I believe and hope that whatever rule of thumb guides us towards observing black social responsibility, we will do it to advance the whole squad, the whole people, not just some.
Black is one of the most overused words. Especially when we got those 1/18th black people running black organizations who are black only when it is convenient leaving black folk who are actually black all 18/18 back through both sides of the family out of something that is supposed to benefit us. So I do think that unless the whole black community voted that you can put black or african american on something it shouldn’t be done. Cuz if it wasn’t a group decision who said you should speak for all of us?
Thats why Ima tyler perry fan cuz he don’t just say its a black movie and then not talk about a black experience. Thats why his fans are moved by his films. Cuz he still has connections to his black family. He still prays with them and he still gives money to the community and does so much for them. He does put his name on things but thats cauz its his. He don’t just do things to promote himself. He cares about the community. Much luv tyler!! Keep doin’ big thangs and God bless
I think it’s not about how black you are but what you do. Talking about how black you are is just getting off the topic. Some people have one black parent and one white parent and they care more about the black community than people whose both parents were black so @Helpusall you can’t judge based on that criteria. But I do agree that it doesn’t make sense to win best screenplay and not be at least nominated for best picture. It does seem like it’s a popularity contest then and I wouldn’t take a black organization or any organization that seriously that wants to just give awards to friends. But I don’t know if I would say it’s about how black they are but that corruption is corruption no matter the color.
Seriously if you think you have the best screenplay PUT IT UP!!! I went to simplyscripts.com and it wasn’t up there but I read pariah, 50/50, decendants, the artist, my week with marilyn, the help. any screenplay that deserves an award lets the public read. cause everything else is up there! TP thought fcg deserved an award and he put it up. So if they don’t want it on the internet then it’s probably not good.
Transparency! Transparency! Right now everybody is releasing their scripts for award considerations. They should put up the script! I have looked for it everywhere myself. If they think it can win an African American… Best Screenplay Award then it must be in competition elsewhere right? I mean, otherwise, what in the world is a GREAT African American Script good for?
@Dany. You dead on right!
When stuff like this happens you wonder what these so called ‘black’ people are up to. A lot of these people don’t even know what the black experience is about anyways. Some have their grandfather black, the rest white, they lived in Europe and Canada most of their lives but suddenly, they swing the black card. what???
These are the kind of people we have standing up for us and being our voice and don’t know jack abt our culture or how we live. It makes sense then when all they wonna do is advance their screenplays and not the best black screenplay out there.
What kinda film awards giving organization gives an award for a category without telling us who else was in that category? It is senseless, they are stupid!
At least, give us all the scripts in competition and let’s see for ourselves. So I agree with u @Dany, transparency is the key to eradicate this kinda corruption if indeed the ‘black’ organization wants to be taken seriously.