TYLER PERRY BECOMES THE HEATED TOPIC ON CNN NEWS. By
Wayne Hodges
NEW YORK - After reaching the top of Forbes "Highest-Paid Men in
Entertainment," film producer and director Tyler Perry is back in the
headlines as the war in Urban America continues to build momentum.
My boy Dr. Boyce Watkins, who I can't thank enough for allowing yours
truly to contribute to
YourBlackWorld.com,
and social news commentator Touré both appeared on CNN the other day to
debate the socioeconomic impact of Perry's films.
Touré, who loathes the Madea character, compared Perry's films to
"cinematic
malt liquor."
*CLICK
HERE TO SEE THE DEBATE*
Touré also knocked the quality of Perry's movies and questioned his
overall talents as a director.
Touré says:
“Tyler Perry is definitely serving an audience that is underserved
by Hollywood. Especially black southern women do not see themselves at
all in Hollywood fare. So, when he’s serving them movies where they
appear to be in situations that are naturalistic and recognizable to
them and definitely have that Christian message, I absolutely understand
why my grandmother, my mother, and my aunts love this stuff, and my
family down south, they love this stuff. I just can’t watch it without
cringing because I’ve seen good movies and I know these are poorly made
films.”
Although he's not exactly thrilled about a black man making millions
for donning a dress, Dr. Boyce defended Perry by lauding his
accomplishments in hiring black workers.
Touré countered that drug dealers create jobs too but it doesn’t make
them “good jobs.”
As I previously mentioned, there's a war going in Black America. And
with all the social media that's available today, it's being exposed for
the entire world to see.
Dr. Boyce and Touré do battle on CNN
If you've followed Mass Appeal the past year or so, you already know
my stance on Perry. I like him as a person. I love his onstage
productions. Although entertaining, I do lamen the quality of his
films. But, I also understand we have to laugh. So buffoonery is
necessary sometimes.
That said, aside from the repetitive abuse of the English language,
Perry's flicks tend to follow the same, tired, redundant theme. The
omission typically includes a weed-smoking elder (like Aunt Bam in the
film Madea's Big Happy Family) accompanied by:
1) Big Mama melodramatics. 2) Madea’s sass & opprobrious
attacks on disenchanted youth. 3) Mr. Brown’s hideous attire. 4) A black
man fresh out of jail. 5) Contumacious, profanity-spewing children. 6)
Inadequate acting. And 7) a rustic, predictable storyline which usually
concludes with a Madea counseling session coupled with a reconciliation
between bitter, rivaling parties.
All of these items, according to Perry, are endorsed through the
heavenly name of Jesus.
“It’s crazy the things people print without any facts. What is
also interesting is how hard they work to try and discourage (people)
from going to see my films…,” said an irritated Perry in response
to his critics.
“They don’t get the spiritual side of this… They don’t get that
it’s about uplifting and encouraging the soul.”
Yep. Nothing uplifts the soul like a $20 bag of marijuana.
“Hallelujer!”
Look, I'm actually in agreement with Dr. Boyce and Touré.
Like Dr. Boyce, I applaud Perry's efforts when it comes to hiring
black employees; especially during a time when African-American
unemployment has fluctuated to a Depression-like 16.1 percent.
From where I'm standing, Perry has already done more to alleviate the
black unemployment crisis than the Obama Administration and Congress
put together.
However, like Touré, I do believe certain genres in films and music
have done irreparable damage to the universal black image. And some of
Perry's films and characters certainly fit this mold.
Trust me, from both a business and international perspective,
nonsensical characters Madea and Mr. Brown are doing the black community
absolutely no favors.
I guess what I'm trying to say is when it comes to Perry's heart, I'm
a big fan. Conversely, when it comes down to the quality of his
theatrics, I'll go to my grave believing there's much to be desired.
Check out this quote from Dr. Boyce:
Dr. Boyce says:
"The point is that black people have every right to be as silly and
ridiculous as any white man we might see on the MTV show, 'Jackass.'
The problem with predominantly white media is that these are typically
the only images provided to us, which puts us into a discriminatory box.
"Films like 'The Help,' and shows like 'Basketball Wives' might provide
popular and profitable entertainment, but the broader concern is that
Hollywood has a troubling history of casting African Americans in
subservient and humiliating ways."
Everything Dr. Boyce said is 100 percent true.
Just keep in mind, most people don't travel to the hood to get an
accurate depiction of black culture. Therefore, what they see on film is
typically what they believe.
Most Tyler Perry supporters I talk to are quick to defend him by
claiming
"it doesn't matter what other people think about us"
when in fact it truly does.
How so? Because legions of blacks, at this very moment, are busy
filling out job applications at predominantly white-owned businesses.
Meaning?
What people think does indeed matter.
In giving reasons for non-hire, a Chicago-based employer let the cat
out the bag recently by citing a plethora of racial stereotypes in
describing blacks as
“uneducated,” “unskilled,” “unstable,”
“illiterate,” “dishonest,” “lack initiative,” “unmotivated,” “involved
with gangs and drugs,” “don’t understand work,” “lack charm,” “have no
family values,” and are
“poor role models.”
And believe me, if this employer feels this way – the majority of
them probably do too.
Whether fair, perception is usually construed as reality. Like I
said, buffoonery is necessary sometimes. But, it's imperative we put
enough positive images out there to help offset the bad ones.
See, I encourage every black person to travel overseas at least once.
Because, after you do, you'll return to the United States peeved at
Perry and all other comparable filmmakers.
Dr. Boyce mentioned that blacks have as much right to act an ass on
TV as white folks. The difference, nevertheless, has much to do with
balance.
Think about it. For every show like "Jackass" there's a 'Criminal
Minds,' 'The Mentalist,' 'Castle,' 'CSI,' 'NCIS' and 'Cold Case.' Shows
that feature whites in tactical, intelligent and valiant roles.
Basketball Wives portrays bad images
Conversely, shows like 'Basketball Wives,' 'Meet the Browns' and
'Tiny & Toya' disseminate repulsive images of black people; giving
the world a very distorted view of what truly constitutes Black
America.
Folks, worldwide, we're being laughed at. And our suffering has
escalated as a byproduct.
For years we were taught the 'white man' is solely responsible for
our socioeconomic decline. Decades later, we're forced to swallow the
despicable fact our impasse is tied mostly to black-on-black hate,
commercial greed and self-destruction.
As a race, we have to get back to making sense and holding each other
accountable. Somehow we've gotten strange. Now we're battling to regain
a measure of normalcy in an era of anti-shrewdness and uncertainty.
For example, with a median household income of $34,445, blacks are
officially the poorest people in the United States; trailing the
Hispanics, who are equipped with an median household income of $40,946.
Yet, too many of our songs, too many of our television shows, and too
many of our movies deliver contumacious messages about "getting paid"
and "making paper."
There's an arrogance in our entertainers, our actors and our athletes
that illuminates our socioeconomic plight even that much more.
Black people it pains me to say this, but
"we're not getting
paper." Instead, we are poor and destitute. We lack ownership, yet
we embrace being owned. There's nothing glamorous about finishing last
in median income.
And it's certainly nothing to be proud of.
Come on man... let's get over ourselves and start re-examining our
goals and expectations.
70 percent of black women are single. And most black films focus on
relationships. But given the high number of single parent homes and
lonely souls in Black America, one has to wonder how credible these
films are.
The intent here is not to come off as pompous or condescending. I
just don't see the point in sugarcoating our inevitable genocide any
longer.
Wayne Hodges, an MBA
from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.”
He's also a business columnist for the Atlanta Post, he’s a
Democrat reporter for the Examiner,
and he’s a film critic with ILoveBlackMovies.com.
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