After reading and watching the interview with Anthony Mackie online for The Grio:
My thoughts are as follows:
First of all, basically what you are saying anthony is that
black actors and actresses are NOT “damn good performers “ or “the best the
industry has to offer”.? I guess to you a black person would’ve had to
create the first movie, produce, direct, act in it, do hair and make up, edit,
promote and sale way over budget in order to be considered for an Oscar in your
book. Humph… inserts blank stare. I’m just saying, there are way too many
talented, best in the industry and damn good black performers that have been
snubbed time and time again, when it comes to the Oscars.
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| Anthony Mackie blank starring at himself |
Side note: Honestly I didn’t think that 12 Years a Slave deserved an Oscar. It was not the best acting that I’ve seen. Just a different version/view point of the same old slave story that been told over and over and OVER again. Lupita, I love you lady with your gorgeous dark skin tone and eloquence that surpasses most. But why did you really get that Oscar… Let me remind you: it was a hand me down just to say “Oh we gave Y’all an Oscar, so shut up with your nagging and take this award for being a concubine of the slave master.” Oh wait isn’t that what Halle Berry won her Oscar for too… being the white man’s concubine. Hmmmm seems to be a trend her for black female actresses. Let me go even further Hattie McDaniel won an Oscar in 1940 for playing a “Mammy” role in Gone with the Wind. Fast-forward to 2009 and when Mo’Nique wins it for playing a drug addicted, welfare recipient, bad mother, and angry black woman in the movie Precious. Let’s not forget Octavia Spencer in The Help, serving white people and raising their children in their homes. So it looks to me as most of the wins are for black people playing negative roles. As far as the male actors we are not going to speak on that, too much too little time.
Secondly you said that, “People are just tired of being
bombarded with race right now,” Mackie said. “So everybody is shying away from
certain topics and certain movies.” Soooo the movie “Black or White is
not a race movie… Hmmm title sure does state otherwise.
Now on to the most blatant lines of self hate. ““Like my
nephew wanted to grow dreadlocks. I’m like fine, I’ll sit you down and I’ll
watch The First 48 with you and everybody you see on that show, that’s doing
something wrong, they’re black dudes with dreadlocks. So, do you want to be
seen as part of the problem or do you want to be an individual?”
“Let’s just say you have locks and you walking down the
street. The police pull you over and say you fit the description of
somebody. You start yelling and arguing with the cops. Next thing you
know you pressed up against the wall going to jail for something you’re not
even involved in just because you look like somebody and you don’t know how to
handle yourself,” Mackie said.
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| Anthony Mackie giving side eye to own comments. |
The third thing for you to stereotype dreadlocks says to me
that you have zero interactions with people that have them. *In my snooty
white voice* I take it all of your friends are white. *Does snobby fake
laugh* TUH, Dude give me a break. I have a well assorted group of clients and
most of which work in corporate America, working as high as C level executives
and some are well to do self sufficient entrepreneurs. These men and women are law-abiding
citizens who not only stand out as an INDIVIDUAL because they don’t conform to
the standards of what America sees fit for a black man or woman. You my
friend, blend in and make the white people feel safe when you have a low cut
hairstyle for men or a long flowing weave or relaxed hair for women.
The loc stars and dread heads that I know definitely don’t
contribute to the problem when they are consistently overcoming barriers, roadblocks
and pure hate from those that don’t share the beautiful hue of black. Matter of
fact when they excel they stand out and never do they blend in, showing people
that you cannot clump “everyone” together. Your comments were just as ignorant
as someone saying Every black person receives welfare benefits. Numbers show
that most recipients are white.
I get it you are trying to play it safe so you can continue to
work, but you fail to realize that you, mr mackie are part of the problem, much
more than you know. For you to belittle your own race proves you have no backbone,
no love of self and furthermore no respect for our race. I officially revoke
your black card and shred it to pieces. Your love of money and self-hate is
proving you to be a disgrace to even be called black. Your own mother should
spit in your face while your father bops you upside the head. How dare you to
even form your lips to say that every black man with dreadlocks is a part of
the problem? Or maybe this was a stunt tactic to drive people to go see the
movie you play a supporting role in. You boy are no Denzel Washington, Not even
a Will Smith, or even a smidgen of Samuel L. Jackson. Get over yourself,
most people only know you from your 1 blockbuster hit The Hurt Locker or the
movie Notorious.
It’s sad to see when someone makes it to top the feel the need
to deprecate the ones that supported him or her from the beginning. I pray that
you become conscious and wake up then I can reissue your black card. LOL
Understand that you have a platform that can be leveraged in a positive way,
yet instead you used it in a negative light. I hope your nephew does grow a set
of “dreadlocks” and he will come to me to get them started. I will sit
him down and show him the true king that he is. I will enlighten him on how our
ancestors were kings and queens and wore their hair in its natural state. The
opportunity to open his mind to see how beautiful, intelligent, creative and
unique our people are would be priceless. Teaching a young king to be unlike
you would make a world of difference. Meanwhile I'll leave you with this video: