So Spike Lee has been bitching about Clint Eastwood, claiming that he didn't include any African-American actors in two of his movies about WWII. Clint Eastwood went ahead and told him that it would not have been historically accurate and he should 'shut his face.' At first glance, it seems as if Clint is overreacting, but after reading the entire article I'm completely siding with him. Read Lee's response:
"First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either," he said.
WHAAAAT. So you're just going to turn every insult a white guys says to you as some sort of racial superiority thing? Come on. I hate this type of attitude.
I also love this figure in the article: "Almost 900 of the 30,000 marines that stormed the Japanese island were African-American."
So wouldn't it be reasonable to think that you might not see any African-American characters since they make up less than 1/30th of the soldiers present?
What's more, Clint clearly isn't a biased man when you look at his film choices; plus it seems that Lee has been challenging the validity of anything he does associated with African-Americans for being white:
'"When I do a picture and it's 90% black, like 'Bird,' I use 90% black people," said Eastwood, referring to his 1998 film about jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker.
Eastwood brought up the last time Lee complained about his filmmaking choices.
"He was complaining when I did Bird (the 1988 biopic of Charlie Parker). Why would a white guy be doing that? I was the only guy who made it, that's why. He could have gone ahead and made it. Instead he was making something else."'
So really, it seems like Eastwood can't win with Lee.
Having gone from living in New Jersey my entire life to going to college in Memphis, I've become more aware of racial tension here in the U.S. I suppose in NJ there is somewhat of a divide, but both groups mix and live peacefully together. Memphis is a city that is 60% black, yet it seems that there is an even greater seperation of racial groups. I go to this private, predominately white school in Memphis where all the cleaning/cooking staff is black. I feel extremely awkward when you come off as this spoiled, slightly racist person just for letting the cleaning lady in and ordering a sandwich. Its like I feel guilty because I know they all look at me like I'm different than them and have no clue if I look down on them or whatever. Its an issue that can't really be addressed. I feel like I have to go out of my way to be like, "hey you guys! I'm cool, I promise! I don't dislike you because of the color of your skin!" confused
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