Summary: In this CNN article, Brian Lowry talks about the new documetaries on HBO and Netflix highlighting race and racial injustice in America. Specifically he talks about the documentaries 'Class Divide' and '13th', which was directed by Ava Duvernay, who directed the Oscar-nominated movie 'Selma'. The documentary 'Class Divide' talks about the "gentrification of a New York neighborhood", and '13th' talks about how the Civil War affected politics, specifically those in power, and how this affected the rhetoric they used - specifically the "war on drugs" in the 80s. The author begins to discuss how timely these documentaries are and how poignant they are. Class Divide airs tonight on HBO, and 13th premieres October 7th on Netflix.
Analysis: Since this nations beginnings people of color, black people in particular, have had a major problem with representation in the media - specifically positive representation. The "representation" we get is mainly negative and it spurns things such as blackface and people like Natalie Wood playing a Puerto Rican woman though she is a white woman. It is things in our past like that that make it so important that pur future looks like this - positive representation for people of color everywhere and having our stories told by people that look like us. These documentaries are a stepping stone to change and the fact that they are on popular streaming services is even better so more people will have access. I am very proud of my fellow black woman for this and hope to see more.
Synthesis: This event reminds me of in 1977 when Alex Haley created the miniseries, Roots, based on his book telling his family history dating back to Africa. Millions of people including my grandparents watched it.
Confronting an issue as big as race is difficult to address without offending someone. However, this should not and can not be avoided because there is too much misunderstanding and unwillingness to listen.
ReplyDeleteI agree that POC need more representation in the media, but instead of creating niche roles and niche movies to keep those who want representation pacified, we as a culture should demand more well rounded POC characters in mainstream movies not about civil rights struggles or lives as POC.
ReplyDelete