Does the King Kong movie have racist overtones?

by enlightenedcynic 97 Replies latest social entertainment

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  enlightenedcynic

  Hey Everybody,

  Was having a discussion with a co-worker about the new KK movie. He asked if I saw it already. I told him that I had and that the movie was pretty good(action & special effects) but as a man of color, I found the movie offensive. He says how could I arrive at that conclusion, it is just a movie and that is the problem with society, people always looking to tag something with the race card. I told him that I wouldn't expect him to understand(he being white) but then I asked him to think about this: White men go to an island, capture a poweruful beast and bring it back to their home to exploit and make a profit on. The beast is very angry and only the sight of a size 4, milky- white skinned female can calm him down. And to top it off..when the beast escapes and causes too much trouble..he is killed. My co-worker says I am reading too much into this...I say not.

  What do you say?

  EC
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  mrsjones5

  I've always wondered about that too. What makes milky white women so special? Every time I see a really white white person (pasty) I always think "poor baby you need some color?"

  Josie
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  funkyderek

  enlightenedcynic:

  I told him that I wouldn't expect him to understand(he being white)

  Why would a white person be unable to understand something so simplistic? There's a racist element in your story but it's nothing to do with the movie.
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  mkr32208

  Ummm I'm a pro at reading too much into things but I don't think your right this time! I mean if you had only seen the freaks that lived on that island your whole life a woman of any color who wasn't freaky looking would be a good thing! Besides at the end he's (kong) is going down the street picking up women who look like whats her face sniffing them and tossing them! It was because she did the little juggling and dancing that he liked her! Not cause she was white!

  Besides you shave a monkeys hair off and underneath their skin is white!
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  jstalin

  I thought the depiction of the natives was potentially more racist than the Kong thing...
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  enlightenedcynic

  funkyderek

  I am sorry if you interpreted my statement the wrong way. all i meant to say was that a White person can never fully understand the plight or experiences of a Black person. A white person does not have to deal with the same b******* that a person of color does.

  Wasn't trying to be offensive...just stating the facts.

  EC
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  funkyderek

  enlightenedcynic:

  all i meant to say was that a White person can never fully understand the plight or experiences of a Black person. A white person does not have to deal with the same b******* that a person of color does.

  Then perhaps a Black person can never fully understand a movie made by a White person, especially a New Zealander.
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  enlightenedcynic

  funkyderek,

  Perhaps this discussion is more suited for a new post. How the races percieve and view matters from different vantage points.

  I don't think that it is a matter of a Black person not understanding a New Zealand director's movie. Since the first KK movie(add another K if you will) people have had discussions about the underlying meaning of the movie. If I am correct, the writer of the original story made racially charged comments back when the first movie premiered. I just wanted to open up a dialouge and see what other people thought about this. I think one would be niave to think that some of the tv programs, videos and movies we view, don't have some sort of double meaing to them. Peter Jackson is an excellent director...doesn't change the fact though that the storyline may be potentially racist.

  EC
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  SWALKER

  I think if they dyed KK blonde...it would end this discussion.

  Swalker
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  mkr32208

  Ever read the original Tarzan books? Wow now THERE'S some racism! UnREAL racism! The problem is that no matter what the story or the issue things can always be read into that! So whats the solution have no movies at all? No books? No plays? If a movie has no black actors is that racism? If a movie has more than 18% of the people in it black is that reverse racism? How about Hispanics who are now the largest minority? How should the story relate to them? There was a polynesian dude that had his face tattooed and king kong bite his head off is that racially biased against islanders? How about the black 1st mates relationship with the cabin boy? Was that discriminatory to blacks, gays, homeless kids, pedophiles? Where do you draw the line? Sometimes a movie is just a movie!