Is King Kong Racist?

Kernan · 15 Dec 2005 09:09 am Post subject: **Is King Kong Racist?**

Columnist James Pinkerton writing in New York Newsday seeks to call out King Kong for it's allegories to colonialism and slavery....

http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-oppin154551776dec15,0,2915817.column

If Mr. Pinkerton wishes to compare the plight of African Americans in the time of the slave trade to that of a giant ape, maybe he should be examining his own racial beliefs.

One could if they were so inclined take the title of Superman and it's titular muscular aryan ideal, sans the blonde hair, and compare him to Hitler's idea of racial superiority. One could do this, but WHY!!!. Just as one can sit and parse King Kong for some negative statement on race. If you look hard enough and bring with you a particular agenda it's not that hard to find what YOU are looking for.
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Nate · 15 Dec 2005 09:13 am Post subject:

This reminds me this week or last that some representative from the NAACP in Philly was calling Donovan McNabb as a racial sell-out because ... as a quarterback, he passes more than he runs. It made no sense to me and made me question how the NAACP could let someone be in such a lofty position.
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Macabre Stalker · Corn-Star Joined: 07 Oct 2003 Posts: 641

Lame. Though I actually said to myself during the movie "Someone's going to call this movie racist."

I will say I felt a little uneasy during the scenes with the natives... for multiple reasons.

Still lame though.

Reel Monkey · Corn-Star Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 1121

didn't I come out of the movie and say feminists are going to jump all over this? Razz

But I will say... due to the fact that 87% of our audience was african american and they seemed to LOVE the movie... I'll say I don't think the film is racist. haha!!

RM
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Thom · 15 Dec 2005 10:42 am Post subject:

Reel Monkey · Corn-Star Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 1121

well... the theatre sat about 250 people and all but the two front rows and a few scattered seats were full, so yeah. I am confident in my 87%. Razz

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Thom · 15 Dec 2005 11:10 am Post subject:

Bah! Statistical alchemy, I say!

Nate · 15 Dec 2005 05:35 pm Post subject:

Just like I told my Sunday school class last week covering religious "signs," you put into things what you want. If you want the movie to be racist, you'll find ways for it to be. If you want that smudge in the door to be the Virgin Mary's holy image, you'll find ways for it to be.
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Reel Monkey · Corn-Star Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 1121

damn straight. If you want a nun to be a whore, you can make it happen. hahaha!!!

Yeah, I was totally being lame when I was like "gee ray, I can't wait for the feminist to break out on this one." cause I mean... I think this is much more a subjegation of women film than a racist film. The woman wants a man who is going to control her and offer her the world and protect her, rough her up a bit, not the man who is offering her equality and well-meaning love through the arts. I mean, see... its so patriachal. Even blamming her for Kong's fate. I could go on, but geepers... I'm still celebrating!!! hahaha!!!

Ah well. good times.
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MotionPictures · 24 Jan 2006 07:31 pm Post subject:

Now that I've finally seen the film I can sound off:

Racist? Sheesh. The problem is our culture has come to assume that any portrayal of anyone but the standard WASP male as the villain is the writer's or director's way of venting his racial views.

Who, pray tell, do the pundits accusing this film of racism suggest should be on that island? Let's see, the island is in the Pacific, in a southerly direction, getting near, oh, say, Australia, where they have (gasp) dark-skinned native Aboriginal tribes who (gasp) hunt and kill things and even (gasp, I can't believe I'm not making this up) do occasionally end up killing a white man or two. Does this mean ALL aboriginies are this way? No. Are we being racist by making a movie that selects, as a collective antagonist, a tribe that does fit that description? Lighten up, America!

If I, as a white male, got offended every time a white male was portrayed negatively in movies, I would be one big ulcer.

Due to the island's geography, there are very few other options for what kind of indigenous people would inhabit that island. Certainly not the standard male WASP villains.

Well, that was stream-of-consciousness ranting, but I think you get my point. I'll put it more eloquently in my King Kong review someday.

Nate · 24 Jan 2006 08:14 pm Post subject:

I think Motpic, that the racist claims extend further to Kong himself and his relationship with a white woman.
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Thom · 24 Jan 2006 08:52 pm Post subject:

MotionPictures · 24 Jan 2006 10:38 pm Post subject:

Wow, yeah -- if the cries of "racism" were about Kong and Ann, those doing the crying have even less of a leg to stand on.

And even then, the tone of my earlier post still goes: What color, pray tell, would they suggest the ape to be?

Or maybe Ann should have been black, thus violating historical accuracy regarding starlettes in that time period in favor of satisfying current politically correct manifestos. The whole thing is looney.

Nate · 24 Jan 2006 11:19 pm Post subject:

Well apes/gorillas has been a derrogitory remark about black people for decades.
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MotionPictures · 25 Jan 2006 12:10 pm Post subject:

Hmm. I think if they were going for sheer racism, King Coon would have been a better title.

(That IS a satirical joke, folks, not a racist slur!)

Sunfist · 25 Jan 2006 12:14 pm Post subject:

I'm a little sick and tired, myself, of the racist being played at every possible opportunity.
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Reel Monkey · Corn-Star Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 1121

don't take an African American film class. they require you be racist. totally sucks.

RM
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Sunfist · 25 Jan 2006 12:27 pm Post subject:

Noted! It's on my list along with "Tell a feminist the 50s were way better than today."
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zeitgeist · Browncoat Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 35

The analogy of the pool table discussion in comments is fairly apt and the fact that the author says intent doesn't matter is the most ignorant thing I've heard in a long time.

Reel Monkey · Corn-Star Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 1121