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November 1994, Week 2

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Subject:
From:
James Tichenor <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 10 Nov 1994 20:17:16 CST
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----------------------------Original message----------------------------
<SNIP>
 
>Tarantino is flaunting his racist tendencies and daring us
>to question them.  His use of that word  (in that scene, at least) was
>absolutely gratuitous and I find it appalling and sad that the film industry
>has seemingly condoned this behavior by lauding the film and its director.
>I don't care how wonderful other aspects of the film may be -- this type
>of reckless filmmaking should not be encouranged.
>
 
You should listen to PUBLIC ENEMY, NWA, ICE-T, and a million other
rap artists. See the films like MENACE II SOCIETY or BOYZ IN THE HOOD.
You hate the "N" word in PF, you'll get your film in those and many
others.
 
I didn't see the racism in the movie. I saw appropriation. Talk like the
cool blacks (sorry african-americans) do and you can be cool, too. This
doesn notmake it right, but I think fills out the argument a little
more.
 
There has been a lot of talk about the use of the word "nigger". If those
associated with it use it, what power can it have? It's history is horid,
so do you ban it from conversation, or use it to diffuse it's power. I
thought it was powerless in PF. QT's seemed clean cut, like he used to be
in the "baddie" business but went good. He was Sam Jackson's friend, so
what does that tell you about the one of two black characters? The one
character to have any sort of redemption, little as it may be, was
black.
 
Just because QT uses the "N" word doesn't make him a racist. He's a button
pusher. He's a smart-alec. Like his violence, he uses it to create the same
response that you had to the scene. To substitue the "N" word for the "B"
word (body) completely misses the point. It's not about laughs. It's
about talk, which is what we are doing. That's pretty good.
 
QT is a smart guy. He knows exactly what he's doing. To make a bland
suburban house husband "cool", to give him some credibility as a friend
to the baddies, he's gotta do something. This would be a good choice, IMO.
 
James

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