COMMENTARY
Racial violence refigured on idea of reverse racism
By Clarence Sptgner
If (he commentary in the Sept. 20 edi
tion of the Emern/d entitled "Violence
on TV. in movies reflects reverse
racism" was written to explore ideas, ns
the self-defined conservative writers
Peter Collier and David Horowitz claim,
then that does not reflect the content of
the piece.
The "diatribe about Hollywood
racism." ns Collier and Horowitz describe
it. seemed likely based on their own para
noia as "political correct" watchers than
any objective analysis.
The logic of the piece is shaky to begin
with. "VVhoopio Goldberg, Bill Cosby,
Oprah Winfrey. Eddie Murphy, Arsenio
Hall, Danny Glover and Spike Lee”
named as African-American representa
tives by the authors cannot "call their
own tunes on today's Hollywood" as sug
gested. Moreover, they are no more rep
resentative of African-American diversity
than Connie Chung and Maury Povich
are of Chinese-Americans and American
Jews.
Interesting that most are comedians,
reinforcing the racist tradition of uni
dimensional images media historian Don
ald Bogle described as. "Toms, coons,
tragic mullatos, and bucks.” Such limited
representation of hardly the diversity Col
lier and Horowitz seem to fear.
Moreover, African-Americans, along
with, Latinos, Asian-Pacific Islanders and
Native Americans all together make up a
fraction of the power elite who enforce an
ethnocentric image in TV and movies.
Spike I,ee, for instance, comes under con
stant criticism for whatever he puts on
the screen even before he does it (and
that's fine, but are white filmmakers com
paratively under the same scrutiny?).
White Hollywood as the authors
describe it, may or not be "conspiring" to
portray African-Americans as violent.
However, with the proliferation of
macho-vigilante policemen like, Clint
Eastwood's Dirty Harry from a series of
films; Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle
from The French Connection: Nick
Nolte's Jack Cates from 48 Hours and
Another 48 Hours: Mickey Rourke's Stan
ley VVhito from Year of the Dragon: and
Michael Douglas' Nick Conklin from
Block Bain. I'm sure the Los Angelos
policomen Lawronce Powell and Stacy
Coon did not lack any role models to jus
tify beating up Rodney King.
Such sexist, bigoted film hero cops,
rooted in the law and order rhetoric of the
Nixon-Reagan-Bush era, ore presented os
consistently trampling over peoplu's con
stitutional rights, yet none were men
tioned hv Collier and Horowitz.
The authors went on to point out that
"in real life. African-Americans commit
more than 50 percent of the violent
crimes, including 55 percent of the homi
cides in America." But in the interest of
accuracy, that is reported crime. And
even if we accept Collier and Horowitz’
figures. I think even they will agree that
the majority of that violence is black-on
black.
Thus, we should be getting more stories
of African-Americans addressing their
own problems instead of looking a? vhite
people. Even Shelby Steel and Clarence
Thomas would agree with that
Such was the message in Boyz \V the
Hood, a point Collier and Horowitz didn’t
get. In fact, the most vicious character in
Boyz 'N the Hood was the black police
men. representing internalized racism, a
depiction Collier and Horowitz are prob
ably still trying to figure out.
Hollywood instead gives us a plethora
of gallant white male protagonists shoot
ing and kicking the ktmg fu out of social
ly disruptive people of color. Such depic
tions seem purposefully designed to
reinforce the status quo by representing
the infantry mentality of men in power us
Why not Invito Peter
Collier end Dmvid
Horowitz to the
University end have
them sit on eome of our
courses? Who knows,
even they might learn
something.
appropriate.
It will bo interesting to see how the
right-wing media watchers address the
real-life police corruption depicted in
Serpico and the current Motion Commie
sion. Or perhaps watching last year's Cop
Hock, whom people were singing, danc
ing and killing each other all in the same
frame was more to their liking
The statistics of real-life, block-violent
crime vis-a-vis its lock of depiction on
television were highlighted in the article
Well, here is another statistic to think
about: More than 47 percent of the prison
population is made up of African-Amer
icans. yet Hollywood gives us films like
Lock Up. and Innocent Mon and The
Fugitive, where it is white men who are
unjustly accused by the criminal justice
system.
Why is that' And never mind that,
writer Stephen Carter said, there has nev
er been a single execution of a white per
son for raping a black parson.
It is obvious, as the writers of the
"reverse racism” diatribe admit, that they
don't know what would inflame passion
in Los Angeles, or any place else There
fore. I Kith could benefit from a course on
multiculturalism.
Perhaps Collier and Horowitz, and |H*o
pie like them, understand the social,
political and economic dynamics that
produce a popular character like Rocky,
who beats up a series of black men in the
boxing ring; pimps who uro lovable when
white (Dr. Detroit, Night Shift and Risky
Business) and vicious when black (Street
Smart, The hist Innocent Sintt); movies
that reconstruct the Vietnam War in order
to win it {Bumbo, Uncommon Valor,
Brnssock): science fiction where women
or minorities am not to he trusted in the
future (Outlnnd, Total Recall, Robocop
ID: interne ial romance where Asians are
sexually passive (China Girl. Year of the
Dragon, Ten I’m. Shogun): and so-called
politically correct westerners where
Native Americans need white men to lead
them (Dances mth Wolves).
It is not "unfashionable to discuss
socially sanctioned forms of racism"
unless you are part of some academic
backwater. That reminds me; why not
invite Peter Collier and David Horowitz
to the University and have them sit on
some of our courses' Who knows, even
they might learn something.
Clarence Spigner is an assistant pro
fessor of public health
COMMENTARY POLICY
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