In porn the only facets of race which are embraced as positives are stereotypes. The compliant Asian, the well-hung black guy, the ’spicy’ Latina and despite weak attempts to call those caricatures positive their negativity’s apparent in people’s efforts to distance themselves from them. Big names in the jizz-bizz with ethnically backgrounds and pale skin invariably fight to be identified as white and avoid the ghetto of race-porn.
It’s sad to see the mainstream being equally fucked-up.
I don’t expect James bond to be played by an English guy (Sean Connery’s Scottish), Abraham Lincoln by an American (Liam Neeson’s Irish) or Spiderman by a guy who can ‘do anything a spider can’ (Toby Maguire can’t). Why does anyone care Angelina Jolie’s not mixed-race and is playing a mixed-race person in a biopic? Bi-racial people are as white as they’re black. It’s patronizing and racist to say they’re just ‘black’ and insist they’re played by black actors and not white ones. Your identity isn’t determined by your skin-tone.
Of course you could hire a mixed-race actor, if you think ethnicity is more important than talent, but then it’d be fair for bi-racial people, who might be half-Kenyan and half-Scottish, to point out that a half-Black American and half Armenian person is as unlike them as a Swede.
If Angelina Jolie announced she was in fact half African and had pale skin would that make her portrayal more PC? It shouldn’t. Race shouldn’t be a factor and Jolie should be judged on her performance, not the composition of her DNA. Given that 30% of ‘pure white’ Americans have African ancestors it’s likely Angelina’s a little choco anyway.
It’s hard to know what’s worse, porn’s overt racism or the mainstream’s equally racist attempts to divide, categorize and separate people based on Victorian ideas of racial purity. Race is a myth.
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May I just say: absofuckinglutely.
Pierse Brosnan is also Irish
He moved to England when he was 11 or something…
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You’re 100% correct. Problem is, there’s a serious lack of roles that would be portrayed by “people of color” (even if said color is two tones north of “white”), especially for females, that having a white actress be chosen for the role is a general smack upside the head of those actresses (of “color”) that are struggling to break through. Angelina has her choice of roles – and more power to her – but I can see why people would be upset about it. There are a decent number of mixed-race actresses – hell, a lot of “black” actresses are mixed in some way or another, first generation or otherwise – that would have brought some authenticity to the role. Frankly, it’s reminiscent of all those old Hollywood movies with VERY white actors/actresses portraying Asians and Native Americans and whatnot.
As for porn… as long as their are titles that include the words “black”, “white” or any other racial descriptive, race will ALWAYS be an issue – and there’d be an uproar if, for instance, the very white Gauge were to be the cover star of “Fuck My Black Ass # 7″. Of course, the uproar would be funny, but there it is.
The Girl – Thanks.
Steve – Very true.
Chris – You’re right but in the movie industry the alternative to Angelina isn’t a struggling actor, whatever their shade. Stars sell movies. Unless a sufficiently high-profile actor takes the part it’s likely the movie won’t be made. In this case Brad Pitt’s producing and in the movie world sharing agents and managers is often the key to bringing actors together. Before this part was Angelina’s it was going to Gwenyth Paltrow who’s hardly Celopatra Jones. I know the history of casting is full of horrors but to decide that ethnic correctness is necessary would be like saying people who play pilots should be able to fly planes (“there are a lot of struggling actors with pilots licences being deprived…”). Jewishness isn’t a biological as ‘blackness’ (and there are millions of black Jews) but it’s a very real identity, Jews are a massive part of entertainment and you don’t hear people getting upset that non-Jews play jews in movies. I know you’re not saying this of course but you’ve inspired me to continue my riff.
I would love to see porn drop the race crutch. It’s all about defining whitness as normal and everything else as a speciality. Angelina in ‘Fuck my black ass #7′ – that’s a movie I’d invest in.
I don’t think that the lack of roles for people of color should have any bearing on who is chosen for a role in a film. I may piss some people off by saying this, but that kind of Affirmative Action in any industry can lead to mediocre performance and a mediocre product. If Angelina was the best for the role, then so be it. She wasn’t chosen because she’s white. She was chosen because she’s a damned good actress.
(At least, that’s what it seems like when I stop picturing my head between her legs long enough to pay attention to her movies.)
Angelina was chosen because she was the most marketable, and I have no real problem with it. I was just saying I can definitely see the other side of the argument, and the valid reasons for said argument.
Miss Knees – Chris nailed it. She was chosen for her marketability and probably because someone smart realized that her Al Jolson impression would garner massive publicity for a movie without the sex appeal Jolie normally trades on.
Casting a non-white actor wouldn’t be affirmative action – that implies they would have won the part only because of their race (why do so many white people cry affirmative action when they lose out to someone darker than them? For people who aren’t often discriminated against white folks can be sure quick to play the race card).
However – where is the great repository of bi-racial actors with Jolie’s recognition? With tits? There’s only one – Hallie Berry and she’s not as marketable as Jolie, and a decade older. If it can be done without making the movie look stupid (Ving Rahmes as Bruce Lee wouldn’t work – unless you put him in a wig and gave his face a yellow tint.) Why not?
Actually, Angelina Jolie is mixed-race (though not black/white). She 1/4 Iroquois.