Apparently not, so I’m asking all my “mainstream” friends (read: White) to go see Red Tails.
A movie theater is not my cup of tea on a Friday night. Personally, on any given weekend it’s more engaging to frolic through DC and experience life than to sit in a dark room and be sucked into a fictitious interpretation about fictional characters. (That is unless the fictional character is portrayed by Denzel Washington or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson…but I digress). To be completely honest, Red Tails was not an exception to this “No Denzel, No First Week Ticket Purchase” rule. However, having listened to George Lucas’s discussion of the difficulties with funding the film, I was moved to make sure that I not only saw this rendition of the story of the Tuskegee Airmen but also encouraged as many White people as possible to do the same.
In 2012, the year when I thought we would be driving space cars and such, Hollywood seems to have lagged as much as the automotive industry in terms of furturistic progress. The industry continues to struggle with presenting African Americans, and minorities at large, as the predominant center of blockbuster productions. As much as I cannot knock the hustle of Tyler Perry, it’s a sad reality that the recent movies produced with a predominantly minority cast have been connected to the infamous playwright. Historically, Spike Lee wore the title of African American filmmaker. Despite their independent successes and distinctive presentations of the African American community, both still struggle with “mainstream” appeal. Tyler Perry is great and all but if he’s all we have we’re in trouble. There’s a need for more stories, more opportunities and, in general, more representation. So, I was sold when Lucas spoke of the difficulties of getting the film funded despite his unparalleled success rate because it resonated with my frustrations with Hollywood. But I, not so quickly, realized that even if I bought my ticket to the Chinatown AMC theatre and dragged all my friends who would be interested in seeing the movie we would still be a predominantly African American group that is clearly not mainstream enough to encourage Hollywood to make more movies of the sort.
And of course there’s always the party pooper: A person I follow on twitter, suggested that Lucas’s discussion of the difficulties was merely a media ploy. (They were quickly unfollowed.) This idea only further encouraged me to see this historical adaptation of the Tuskegee Airmen. If it’s a media ploy, it’s the most socially relevant media ploy Hollywood has had in a while. Let’s just be clear: racial injustice is present and undeniable in economics, politics, and clearly yes, even the entertainment industry. So media ploy or not, this weekend I am going to succumb to the excessively overpriced movie theatre ticket (maybe even some popcorn) and support “Red Tails” and all those involved in the process of making the film. While this pessimistic tweeter might believe it to be a media ploy, I say, “Thank You Sir Lucas” for speaking candidly about the fact that the entertainment industry is still run almost entirely by White men interested in making money. And if I am going to place my fifteen dollars in the pocket of any affluent white man, I would much rather spend it on one who is producing a movie that encourages the reality that an all-minority cast can have mainstream appeal.
Now, back to the original issue, I’m African American and my dollars don’t constitute mainstream appeal. I am the market they expect to attend. So I’m asking all of my White followers to go see RedTails for the sake of my people in Hollywood. Whether you think of it as racism towards others or an affinity for one’s own racial group, the fact that Hollywood’s major players are still white males and the mainstream market is still predominantly white explains why an all-black cast would not be deemed audience friendly. Every day, minority communities watch movies and television that have nothing to do with their reality or when they do the depictions suggest that the stereotype is the norm.
So, here is my plea:
Dear White people, I am asking you for one weekend to do mw a favor and go see Red Tails for me and all the African Americans that will go see this film and, even in 2012, will still be considered something other than mainstream. Appreciation, The Folks Outside the Mainstream.
