Do I even need to explain why I’m linking to this? For the sake of form, I guess I’ll try.
Norbit is a an Eddie Murphy movie. Still not ’nuff said? Oh, okay.
The female lead character is Murphy made up as a very obese woman described as “monstrous” on IMDB. Our hapless lead guy – also played by Murphy – is engaged to her when he meets a gorgeous slim woman he’d rather be with. I didn’t investigate the plot any further than that. Pretending to be overweight – and therefore, of course, horrible nasty women – has become Murphy’s last desperate schtick in the past few years. Playing old and therefore grotesque women is another one.
I’d suggest Murphy go fuck himself, but I guess that’s what happens in the movie.
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This isn’t so much about seeing movies you don’t want to see (and I have no intention of giving up good time and money to see Norbit) but being forced to soak up ads just by watching commercial TV and listening to commercial radio. The post itself was about the way the movie was being promoted as ‘cruel, manipulative woman incidentally happens to be black and morbidly obese’, as an extension of the idea that being morbidly obese – and black, to boot – makes you cruel and evil.
I’m sorry if I’ve spoken for someone who disagrees with this statement, but I don’t think ANYONE spends their good time and money on something they know they’re not going to like. If you read the negative criticisms on this site, a lot of the posts come from movies and TV shows watched in good faith, or promotional campaigns that look incredibly dodgy and are impossible to ignore. I’m yet to meet anyone who watched a movie KNOWING they weren’t going to like it, just for the sake of negatively critiquing it.
I think everyone fits a stereotype if you look hard enough. I know I’ve had enough ‘dumb blond’ moments to appreciate that. But I don’t think there’s any corrolation between being a mean and cruel person and being an obese, black woman. I do dumb things from time to time – like everyone does – and I’m incidentally also a blond. I see no correlation between the two.
Likewise, there’s no correlation between being mean and cruel and being a black, obese female. But film and television like to write it this way. Let’s see more mean, cruel white men, asian men, asian women, hermaphrodites, gay and lesbians, every combination we can think of! Because that’s what it comes down to – personality has ABSOLUTELY NO correlation to an arbitrary physical trait.
scarlett(Quote) (Reply)
It’s also about having to live in a world where others see this stuff, absorb the stereotypes and apply it to people who don’t deserve it. The solution to that is not for the enlightened to continue not watching crap. The solution is for the unenlightened to see another side to the argument and realize they can’t just blindly accept the status quo – in recognizing two sides to the argument, they become responsible for choosing one. Do they continue to wallow with the pigs, or do they try to elevate themselves?
That’s why this site is here.
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
Also I have to respond to this:
No, he made the character that way because that’s how he sees obese black women he doesn’t want to shag. If they don’t make his Eddie Jr. inflate, then they are just a pile of crap in his eyes.
That’s the message I’m getting, anyway. I’m speaking as a white woman, so I acknowledge my point of view is unfortunately limited to that, but I find that misogyny tends to be color blind and race is generally a male issue, inasmuch as it’s the men of the races who came up with the concept of racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing. Men of every race comfort themselves with the reality that no matter how downtrod they are by other men, they still have their womenfolk to take out their frustrations on.
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
Yeah, I don’t necessarily agree with that. Also for the view of Black & Fat = Cruel, what about Momma Klump? She was a fat black woman who was very sweet and nice, and nobody got on her about being a mammy type. In fact in the klumps 1&2, the only bad people were the skinny people. Mean ol skinny Grandma, The skinny guy who tries to beat up grandpa, and the cruelst of them all, Buddy Love, who was defiently not overweight.
When Murphy makes a movie like that, its cool, but when the tables turn its not cool at all anymore. Its all in the point of view and everyone has a differnt one.
Ezra(Quote) (Reply)
When Murphy makes a movie like that, its cool, but when the tables turn its not cool at all anymore. Its all in the point of view and everyone has a differnt one.
Uh, no it’s not cool. It’s just not the subject of THIS discussion.
sbg(Quote) (Reply)
sorry, cool was the wrong word, I meant to type ‘Cruel’ and kind of spaced out.
I know its not the subject of the discussion, but i was just raising a point that actually does have something to do with this topic
Ezra(Quote) (Reply)
Okay, so if I become someone who can make pretty much any movie she wants, and with one exception, all the black men in my movies are portrayed as stupid, mean Neanderthals who can’t read, that’s cool by you as long as I have one nice black guy out of every 4 movies or so?
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
Okay then, with corrected word and spelling:
When Murphy makes a movie like that, its CRUEL, but when the tables turn it’s not CRUEL at all anymore. It’s all in the point of view and everyone has a different one.
Ooookay. Still not getting the relevance to this discussion. No one has said, to my recollection, that the other bad shit Eddie’s been involved in is A-Okay whereas this instance it isn’t.
sbg(Quote) (Reply)
yes you could. Its freedom of expression. Of course there are going to be people offended by it, but there are many movies that portray black men that way. Look and many cartoons that are shown today, and also many movies, mostly comedies. Especially the Blaxploitation.
Made by black peopel insulting black people since 1970
*also, since when has Eddie murphy made that many movies with Cruel Fat Black Women?
Ezra(Quote) (Reply)
I didn’t ask you whether I’m legally allowed to. I know I am. I asked if you’d be cool with that. Now I’m asking it again, and I’d also like you to reveal your race and gender when you respond.
Blaxploitation movies exist in a vacuum away from the cultural mainstream. They’re not meant to be understood by the usual target Hollywood demographic. Murphy’s work is. There is no comparison.
You should also be aware that no one on this site is advocating censorship. We advocate critical thinking that might lead to more enlightened choices. You seem to have the two confused, as many people do.
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
firstly, I am a Black Male. (Just to clear that one up)
Secondly, I am not advocating censorship, i am also stating my views on the subject. I agree with many of the points that all of you are making, and i also appreciate that people do speak up about things that they are not cool with.
Though eddies movie is not truely blaxpliotation, it really is at the heart of it. and blaxpliotation should not be merged with mainstream because it will always be disaterous.
Note i did not answer your first qestion, because I am stil thinking it over. but i will get back to you on that.
Ezra(Quote) (Reply)
Wow, this debacle is laughable. That’s right – a debacle. I saw Norbit yesterday and decided to look on google to see what some people had to say about it. I knew the Rasputia character was going to spark some controversy but the fact that it degenerated to women spitting and snarling at Eddie Murphy is just sad on many levels.
Rasputia is not fat because she’s evil. She’s evil because she’s evil (a trait that apparently runs in the Lattimore family). And no, she’s not a stereotype. The woman has absolutely NO conscience and can apparently hurl little old white ladies 30 feet through the air. She’s not a stereotype because she doesn’t even resemble a human character; she’s an overthetop, *monstrous* entity, and the people here that are DEATHLY afraid of people coming to some ill-informed conclusion that this is a real portrayal of large black women need to sit down and think about it for a minute. Just WHO in their right mind thinks this resembles a real human being, and how much does their opinion weigh in on your life if they did? The argument that this is a stereotype is only perpetuated by the people that want to see it because of the character’s condition. In reality, any amount of analysis of the Rasputia character can conclude that there isn’t enough character there to qualify as a stereotype. She’s just one big gag played on throughout the entire movie.
And of course the Nutty Professor is going to be dismissed as not relevant. It destroys half of the arguments here about Eddie Murphy’s apparent hatred for all fat people that don’t ZOMG “inflate his Eddie Jr.”, in which he plans on exterminating them from the planet by getting in a fat suit in crude, comedic movies. Though it is a little ironic that people were gleefully eating up the Nutty Professor when all of the skinny people were portrayed as evil, yet Norbit comes along and it’s this sin against all creation because a total of 2 of the 5 “evil” characters were obese.
Claude(Quote) (Reply)
Thank you for wording so well what I have been trying to say.
But still, i’ll bet nobodys gonna take it right
Ezra(Quote) (Reply)
And I could argue that you didn’t take my review “right”. But what good does that do.
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
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