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| NO.....Just NO! |
I’m not a fan of
the new Ghostbusters reboot. The Original 1984 Ghostbusters was a major part of
my childhood. I not only watched the movie, but watched the cartoon every
weekday afternoon on Channel 5 and Saturday morning on ABC. And even though I
was 15, I had ALL the Real Ghostbusters toys. And I still have them to this
day.
1984’s Ghostbusters
was also one of the major influences on my writing. Much of the dark humor in
The Temptation of John Haynes is partially inspired by the film.
When I look at the
2016 reboot it disgusts me. It looks like a poorly done Saturday Night Live
sketch filled with feminist claptrap and girl power clichés. It’s a shallow
film that doesn’t capture the spirit of the original film nor does it understand
the nuances of the story or the commentary made in between the lines of the
comedy of the original.
The four female
Ghostbusters are poor caricatures of the original quad. There’s a nerdy one, a
fat one, a stupid one and a Black one. Not to mention a Mangina version of
Janine Melnitz, the secretary. And while the three white girls are an insult,
the Black female they chose for the role of Winston Zeddmore’s female
counterpart is extremely offensive. This hulking Black woman is practically the
size of Ernie Hudson (who is over six feet tall himself) and her voice is about
two octaves lower than his.
Damn. Just Damn. If
this isn’t cooning I don’t know what is.
Worse, this Black
female is a loud obnoxious neck-rolling eye snapping Lawd Jesus mammy
stereotype. Yeah, I know Ghostbusters is comedy. But this female’s portrayal is
not funny. It’s a slap in the face to the subtle and subdued portrayal Ernie
Hudson gave in the 1984 Ghostbusters.
What most people
don’t know is that the portrayal of Black women as unattractive is subtle form
of racism that Hollywood Movie studios use to make white women appear more
appealing to viewers. Hollywood movie studios don’t want Americans thinking of
Black women as beautiful. So they make efforts to minimize a Black woman’s
beauty so the White women will appear to be more attractive than they are.
This is why the movie
studios push the fat mammies, loudmouth ball-busting sapphires, and jezebels as
the standard for Black females in their movies and TV shows. And why they make
black women appear to be hard and masculine. The whole idea of an attractive,
soft, feminine Black woman makes White liberals in Hollywood uncomfortable
because it’s bad for business. If Black women are following their own beauty
standard they won’t be buying products made by White and nonblack companies
like Korean hair weaves, bleaching creams, and hair care products.
In contrast to the
fat, ugly, and pathetic looking White women in Sony’s 2016 Ghostbusters the
Black female looks like the ugliest person in the room. She looks like a
she-beast, a chick with a dick.
And along with her
grotesque appearance is her even uglier attitude. Her Lawd Jesus over-the-top
mammy behavior pretty much repulses anyone and prevents the viewer from seeing
her as likeable. She’s a minstrel in a comedy of errors that shows the world
how incompetent most feminist girl power types are onscreen and how racist they
are in real life.
Unfortunately this
isn’t the first time this stereotype about Black women has been perpetuated. In
Captain America: Civil War There’s a scene where the Black Widow is confronted
by one of the Panther’s aggressive masculine acting female bodyguards. Not to
mention the scene early the movie when Tony Stark is confronted by a Skrong
Independent Black female.
When it comes to
Black women on film White Liberal Hollywood has no interest in presenting our
softest, most feminine and attractive sistas to the forefront as a standard of
beauty. No, the idea of a truly beautiful Black woman makes White women
insecure. And the idea of a strong woman who has the strength of character to
stand by her Black man makes them terrified. So they trot out big fat black
mammies like the one featured in Ghostbusters reboot and Gabourney Sidbe and
say they’re making efforts to present a positive image of Black women in the
media. It’s no different than what Hollywood did in the 1930s when they passed
over our most beautiful women like Nina Mae Mckinney, Fredi Washington, and
countless other Black beauties and put them in a second best category while
pushing big fat Black mammies like Louise Beavers and Hattie McDaniel as the
standard for Black women.
Yeah, Sony is
launching an All-Female Ghostbusters. But I won’t be going to see it. The
portrayals of Black women in this film set the race back a hundred years. The
only way to stop Hollywood from presenting these negative images of Black
people is to vote with my wallet and that’s just what I’m going to do.
...what the hell happened to Ghostbusters 3?
ReplyDeleteDrag, there was a Ghostbuster's video a few years back that reunited the principal cast of the movie (Ramis, Ackyrod, Murray and Hudson). Dan Ackyrod has gone on record to say that the video game is basically the third movie. Someone edited the video game into a movie, and put it on youtube if you want to check it out. I've also been recommending that instead of spending your money on the Ghostbusters remake, get the Ghostbuster comic book series from IDW. The entire series has been collected as series of trades or two omnibus. The IDW comic book series follows the continuity of the two movies and the video game (with some elements from the Ghostbusters cartoon too). Highly recommended, and in my mind the true sequel to the Ghostbusters film franchise. Also, there was about a three issue story arc where the Ghostbusters get trapped in another dimension, and Janie recruits a mostly female Ghostbuster team that included Kyle Griffin from the Extreme Ghostbusters cartoon. Speaking of which, how can you have a female Ghostbusters movie, and not include the one female Ghostbuster? A Goth chick in a Ghostbusters film, madness.
ReplyDeleteAdding to my own comments. I know people kind of look down on the Extreme Ghostbusters cartoon, but the idea behind it should have been Ghostbusters remake. Much like the cartoon, the Ghostbusters have retired, because all the ghosts are busted. Then there is a sudden spike in the paranormal events. Ray or Winston know that an increase in paranormal events means something big is coming (along the lines of Gozer) so they recruit a younger generation of Ghostbusters to fight the supernatural menace. Hell it could still be an all female team if you want. The point is why reboot, when there is already a way to continue the franchise with a new cast (and not piss everybody off). But, I guess it's more important to make a bad SNL sketch like everbody is saying, so more power to them. That why bittorrents were invited, so people won't have to pay for this shit.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Extreme Ghostbusters back in the day. That would have made a better movie than this Would love to have seen Kylie in a movie. I also liked the Ghostbusters game which is more like a Ghostbusters 3 than anything else. But both those ideas would be better than this reboot
DeleteThat broad Leslie is UGLY ! the whiteys play on her insecurity. They give her attention and roles and she will do anything. Deep down she is suffering. Can u imagine what it is like to.go through life as a hulking and unattractve Black woman ???
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ReplyDeleteAbout the only thing they could've done worse was have Leslie Jones's character say "I don't know nothin' 'bout bustin' no ghosts!"
ReplyDelete