Meet Norbit: Disgrace to Black Women

[pinkies up]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Are you also prettynatural or were you just informing me of your update?

Sorry, I thought you were referring to me, that's why I responded.

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by jitterbug13

All I see is a combo of Bowfinger/Nutty Professor/Big Mama's House/The Jerk/Coming To America. Maybe that's just me.

No, its not just you, soror. This is exactly what I thought. This petition for THIS movie seems out of left field.

I can think of several other movies and artistic works that deserve this type of petition. In fact, I just signed one protesting the exclusion of Black girls from the pantheon of Disney princesses.

[SummerChild]

It seems like the author of the petition is really more upset that the heavier woman who is the more outrageous character is dark-skinned and the lighter-skinned woman is the woman that is depicted as less outrageous and the heroine, i.e., it seems like he's really more on a light-skin, dark-skin thing than anything about the weight.

I agree that the fact pattern that the darker character is seen as the fool or the negative character and the lighter character is seen as the heroine or smart or otherwise positive is a recurring fact pattern in U.S. movies and film. It has been so since before the days of Aunt Jemima and the rag on her head. Shoot, the Aunt Jemima comes from the slavery ignorance that the closer you look to Master, the better you are. We propagate this ignorance by referring to hair as "good hair" and referring to people who are light as "fair" (which is a synonym with pretty - Cinderella was the fairest of them all). Think about it. "Good hair" is typically hair that bears an influence from another race. So you mean to tell me that when we bear an influence from another race, then we are somehow better or uplifted. Self hate at its best. I don't think that many think of it b/c it is just a term - often used down south. I know college-educated people that use this term. They don't mean any harm but when we propagate terms like this, it hurts our children, it confuses our men, shoot, it confuses our women too.

However, given all that. I think it's a stretch to say that Eddie Murphy is playing out his own personal dislike of dark-skinned AA women. I have never known him to say he dislikes dark-skinned AA women so where are we getting this from? So I think the petition is kinda bogus.

But I think that we should petition networks in general to show AA of *all* shades and sizes. Even BET only really showed light-skinned AA women. We must demand better.

SC

Originally Posted by 20PearlGirl

Hello Sorors,

I just viewed the trailer for Eddie's newest movie because I received a link to an online petition....this is a disgrace.
Please sign this petition if you are tired of being made a mockery of in the media. http://www.petitiononline.com/Norbit/petition.html

[SummerChild]

I'd like to sign this petition. Do you know where I can locate it?
SC

Originally Posted by mccoyred

No, its not just you, soror. This is exactly what I thought. This petition for THIS movie seems out of left field.

I can think of several other movies and artistic works that deserve this type of petition. In fact, I just signed one protesting the exclusion of Black girls from the pantheon of Disney princesses.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by SummerChild

It seems like the author of the petition is really more upset that the heavier woman who is the more outrageous character is dark-skinned and the lighter-skinned woman is the woman that is depicted as less outrageous and the heroine, i.e., it seems like he's really more on a light-skin, dark-skin thing than anything about the weight.

Well it would certainly be comical for Murphy to put on "yellow face" just so he could be a light skinned, unattractive, fat, overly aggressive woman. Or he could've done away with the fat suit and taken "fat" from the equation. That would've been more PC seeing as though the fatness is a bigger (no p.i.) stereotype to me than the blackness.

He could've gotten a darker actress instead of Thandie Newton if the colorisms are that big of a deal that we may need to incorporate a form of affirmative action. I wonder who auditioned for the role and why Newton was chosen. Maybe shade of blackness wasn't a factor.

Originally Posted by SummerChild

I agree that the fact pattern that the darker character is seen as the fool or the negative character and the lighter character is seen as the heroine or smart or otherwise positive is a recurring fact pattern in U.S. movies and film. It has been so since before the days of Aunt Jemima and the rag on her head. Shoot, the Aunt Jemima comes from the slavery ignorance that the closer you look to Master, the better you are. We propagate this ignorance by referring to hair as "good hair" and referring to people who are light as "fair" (which is a synonym with pretty - Cinderella was the fairest of them all). Think about it. "Good hair" is typically hair that bears an influence from another race. So you mean to tell me that when we bear an influence from another race, then we are somehow better or uplifted. Self hate at its best. I don't think that many think of it b/c it is just a term - often used down south. I know college-educated people that use this term. They don't mean any harm but when we propagate terms like this, it hurts our children, it confuses our men, shoot, it confuses our women too.

I agree. So again, Norbit isn't the culprit. There are social isms that need to be addressed as they are reproduced through media outlets.

Originally Posted by SummerChild

However, given all that. I think it's a stretch to say that Eddie Murphy is playing out his own personal dislike of dark-skinned AA women. I have never known him to say he dislikes dark-skinned AA women so where are we getting this from? So I think the petition is kinda bogus.

I agree.

Originally Posted by SummerChild

But I think that we should petition networks in general to show AA of *all* shades and sizes. Even BET only really showed light-skinned AA women. We must demand better.

Petitions don't work if people will continue to patron. This Norbit petition will draw more people to the box office.

[BlessedOne04]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

But is it comical? Would it be comical for a movie to portray a fat black man beating up his wife?

(I didn't know the character beat her husband in the movie.)

I saw Eddie on Inside the Actor's Studio and say a clip and thats what he said about the movie. Domestic abuse is not comical. However I do not agree that starting a petition for a film that no one has seen is a good idea either. At the end of the day people have a choice as to whether they want to see the movie or not.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by BlessedOne04

However I do not agree that starting a petition for a film that no one has seen is a good idea either.

Indeed. A lot of people never heard of this movie until the petition circulated.

[20PearlGirl]

I have seen this petition making its way around. I guess I took exception to it because of the way we are portrayed in movies anyway. I certainly won't be supporting it.

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by SummerChild

I'd like to sign this petition. Do you know where I can locate it?
SC

Its on the same petition website at http://www.petitiononline.com/disneybp/petition.html.

[MsFoxyLoxy77]

I don't see anything particularly new or interesting about Norbit so I doubt I will see the movie. As far a the petition, I read it and I found its argument mediocre at best. As Soror SummerChild stated the petition was more about a light skin vs. dark skin issue.

The petition goes on to say something like the villainous woman is fat and dark skinned and Norbit's savior is thin and light skinned with European features. In most stories unattractive people have always been painted as villains so showing a big bullying woman as an anti-hero doesn't surprise me...you'll see this type of portrayal in white flicks. Also, IMHO Thandie Newton's features are not that European, her skin tone is light but other than that her features are not uncommon for black women (i.e. nose, eye color, etc.).

I'm obviously not signing this petition & Eddie keep making movies...

[btb87]

Three words for everyone: Save. Your. Money.

[SummerChild]

Really Soror? Wow. I was thinking of going last night but then I just felt like the movie would make fun of heavier women and I just didn't want to be laughing at that anyway. So it seems that it's not that good anyway.
SC

Originally Posted by btb87

Three words for everyone: Save. Your. Money.

[DSTKellie]

Saw the movie. It was NOT funny. It was pointless but my expectation were not high when I went so I wasn't that disappointed. Ditto to what btb87 said.

[MsDJ80]

I second the motion of saving your money, it was almost like everyone was trying too hard to be funny

[whiteandblack]

I have no interest in the movie. It seems that he's taking his career backwards, but I guess that's where his comedic heart is.