Idris Elba: Black Men Not Considered “Sexy” By America

jaisee said:
MAN, I got so much to type in response to this but I'm already 10 mins late for work. In a sense, I agree... America is quick to say that we're done with racism and we're done with slavery, but we still... to this day... we live in a system that racism and slavery created. I think it's pretty evident in the boardrooms of the major companies across this nation.

HOWEVER, in many regards we are our own worst enemy. We accept and flaunt the very labels and mentalities that define our culture and are being used against us. Our image in mainstream media is what... the thug, the pimp, the drug dealer, the absentee father. 50 Cent and Rick Ross glamorize it in their lyrics and music videos and instead of rejecting it, we eat that shit up. Really, they're nothing more than a modern day Stepin Fetchit. Blaxploitation is still alive and well, just with a cooler and more hip face to it. The problem really isn't Hollywood though, it's the common negro and misplaced moral and value systems at home. If we turned our backs to that garbage it would slowly dissipate. Instead, we absorb it and we aspire to it.
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Poignantly stated jaisee, like I said a minstrel show for a wider audience is what it is.
 
I never said to let it define you but don't dismiss it as if isn't a real thing. Define yourself as you see fit my friend but don't write off what's being well stated by someone who knows first hand.

GQ Brotha said:
Hence the 2nd post in this thread that I made.

http://www.whitewomenblackmen.com/forum/showpost.php?p=564905&postcount=2

I'm beyond the widest deserts and deepest oceans aware of America's racial history.

I however will not use it to continually define myself in relation to others, because then I'm no better than the two bit racists that formulate their interpretation of others through race and dismiss all other qualities.

You still have a place like Mississippi where a bunch of funky ass rednecks think interracial marriage is wrong in 2011. No different than what they thought in 1911. That should tell us something.

Personally I'm a no nonsense kind of guy and I don't let others define me that includes the racism of others. I let that be their mental and social retardation.

There are billions of people on this planet, with their own views and beliefs.

I refuse to be defined by anyone else, after all I'm all too conscious of race in this nation and its impact on society.

You can only live your life in a way that makes you happy and not worry continually about the perceptions of others.
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GQ Brotha said:
I wouldn't say Will really, his bread and butter is of course comedic roles.

Even though he does have some terrific dramatic roles as well.

Come to think of it has Denzel ever done a comedy. I can't even remember one.
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I believe his first movie was a comedy, it was called carbon-copy. It was about a black dude (played by Denzel) who had a white father and, tried to reconcile with him. Other than that, I don't know any other comedic roles he may have had.

You can only live your life in a way that makes you happy and not worry continually about the perceptions of others.
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I agree, that's some of the best advice to follow IMO.
 
Who is this we you speak of sir? I've asked this question numerous times on this board without an answer and maybe you can help me with this. Why are blacks held accountable for what few of us do or more specifically our youth. No hip hop culture is youth culture and the things you described are being portrayed by the teen to early 20 something crowd. Whites Asians and Hispanics aren't being defined by their criminals and youth but yet we have to be. No one I associate with nor anyone I see on a daily basis emulates the limiting behavior you described. Most black people are hard working tax payers period.

When Idris Alba makes a claim like this how can it b dismissed as whining or complaining? Dude gets more ass than a toliet seat and he's an international sex symbol. Look howw the women on this board swoon over this dude. So when he makes a statement like this I'm.inclined to believe him. He's earned the credibility.

jaisee said:
MAN, I got so much to type in response to this but I'm already 10 mins late for work. In a sense, I agree... America is quick to say that we're done with racism and we're done with slavery, but we still... to this day... we live in a system that racism and slavery created. I think it's pretty evident in the boardrooms of the major companies across this nation.

HOWEVER, in many regards we are our own worst enemy. We accept and flaunt the very labels and mentalities that define our culture and are being used against us. Our image in mainstream media is what... the thug, the pimp, the drug dealer, the absentee father. 50 Cent and Rick Ross glamorize it in their lyrics and music videos and instead of rejecting it, we eat that shit up. Really, they're nothing more than a modern day Stepin Fetchit. Blaxploitation is still alive and well, just with a cooler and more hip face to it. The problem really isn't Hollywood though, it's the common negro and misplaced moral and value systems at home. If we turned our backs to that garbage it would slowly dissipate. Instead, we absorb it and we aspire to it.

Damnit MrF now you got me all off topic..... I gotta get my ass to work.,. I don't want to perpetuate that CPT stereotype any further.
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Do you people understand the difference between acknowledgement and worry?
qnet said:
I believe his first movie was a comedy, it was called carbon-copy. It was about a black dude (played by Denzel) who had a white father and, tried to reconcile with him. Other than that, I don't know any other comedic roles he may have had.



I agree, that's some of the best advice to follow IMO.
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GQ Brotha said:
I wouldn't say Will really, his bread and butter is of course comedic roles.

Even though he does have some terrific dramatic roles as well.

Come to think of it has Denzel ever done a comedy. I can't even remember one.
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What he has said isn't really news (I already figured most people *in* America would generally acknowledge and agree with his sentiment for the most part) but I guess it's worth mentioning here to spark conversation.
 
The Dark Knight said:
When Idris Alba makes a claim like this how can it b dismissed as whining or complaining? Dude gets more ass than a toliet seat and he's an international sex symbol. Look howw the women on this board swoon over this dude. So when he makes a statement like this I'm.inclined to believe him. He's earned the credibility.
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I think we ought to be very careful about something here.

Idris wasn't born and raised in America, neither am I. I grew up here but nonetheless come from a different family background and influence where there isn't that direct connection to the pugnacious bigotry in America on a firsthand basis.

Take for example a black person growing up in the heart of the South, generations of family living there and their perspective may be different on the issue of race as opposed to mine because they have heard direct experiences from relatives or even experienced it themselves.

When Idris speaks he may not be fully aware or conscious of the why's of the subject matter he is talking about in that he doesn't come from a background in America historically that would likely make him very aware of what is often at play.

Like I said America has a revolting obsession with racial stereotypes.
 
The Dark Knight said:
Do you people understand the difference between acknowledgement and worry?
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I'm not sure I understand were you're coming from. I think most of us acknowledge it, I certainly do. I am also not implying that you are worrying about it too much (if that's what you meant). I just thought GQ_brotha made a good point.

I sure you guys have had this type of conversation before I got here so, I wasn't sure there was anything I could add. I guess it's kind of therapeutic to discuss this matter amongst ourselves. I understand Idris's point but, don't dwell on that stuff anymore, because there is nothing I can do about it.

I just thank God, there are WW in America, like the ones on this site and others I've met in my life.
 
icekid20 said:
You can say that he is wrong but what attracts non black women to black men is rap music culture, style, and athletics. Take those things away and very few none black women would like us. You have to understand that black characteristics were thought to be ugly originally.

Big lips, nappy hair, dark skin, hate if you want but what changed some peoples mind about us was our style,culture and athleticism, not our physical features. There is a reason black people are always claiming to be "mixed" and never claiming just to be black, bleaching their skin and shit. They don't think being black is "exotic" or beautiful enough.

you ever heard the term

"everybody wanna be a nigga, but don't nobody wanna be a nigga"

It means they love our style but nobody actually wants to be us. The style is what made them like us though.

All i'm gonna say is there is a reason why you usually see black men with unattractive white women. If we were so damn attractive you would think more attractive white women would go for brothas but they don't.

How many country music lovin women, punk rock or hard rock loving, classical, sports hating, rap and R N B hating none black women you see with black men? NONE because they don't care about our style and culture.

When brotha Idris says "America" hes talking about white women. If you think your average good looking white women actually finds black men attractive you are living in a delusional America. Beautiful White women overwhelmingly prefer and are only attracted to white men. The ones that we do get it's usually has to do with them loving our style and culture. Only time this isn't the case is when a woman is so unattractive she doesn't care about culture because she has a hard time finding a man OR gold diggers only dating these NBA and NFL players for their money.

This is why so many wealthy black men date white women. Once they make it big they can finally afford to buy their trophy white women who otherwise would never go near a black man.

Now our women, black women, finds us very attractive. Our actual physical characteristics that is.
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NAILED IT!!!!!!!!!!!! Chris Rock does a good comedy bit that touches on this as well
 
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I understand the treatment and perception toward my culture/ethnicity is "at the bottom of the Social Hierarchy" in the United States (as well as various parts of the world) but unless I plan on moving to another country, it's a matter of dealing with it and choosing my battles of when to confront it if ever so.
 
qnet said:
I'm not sure I understand were you're coming from. I think most of us acknowledge it, I certainly do. I am also not implying that you are worrying about it too much (if that's what you meant). I just thought GQ_brotha made a good point.

I sure you guys have had this type of conversation before I got here so, I wasn't sure there was anything I could add. I guess it's kind of therapeutic to discuss this matter amongst ourselves.

I understand Idris's point but, don't dwell on that stuff anymore, because there is nothing I can do about it.

I just thank God, there are WW in America, like the ones on this site and others I've met in my life.
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That's exactly how I view it as well, I understand what he is saying, but nothing to dwell on, what is that going to do.

Just like there are some white women that like black men, there are some that don't, there are some cool white folks and there are asshole white folks.

Too much variety in the world for me to lock into any singular mindsets.

We all know there are racists out and about, we all know there is discrimination in numerous areas of society, some people are insufferable beings that derive self importance from thinking their skin color makes them better than another. That says more about them than anything else.
 
GQ Brotha said:
Like I said America has a revolting obsession with racial stereotypes.
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LA said:
And this ^^^ pretty much sums it up when you're referring to the treatment and perception toward "blacks" in North America.
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MissWacy said:
too true
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Thank you guys, it is those same stereotypes that lie at the heart of the perceptions.

In America you are black you are this
You are white you are that

There is never that medium it seems of just seeing the person for the individual.

Its always within the context of race. That shit is mind numbing to say the least.
 
The Dark Knight said:
Who is this we you speak of sir? I've asked this question numerous times on this board without an answer and maybe you can help me with this. Why are blacks held accountable for what few of us do or more specifically our youth. No hip hop culture is youth culture and the things you described are being portrayed by the teen to early 20 something crowd. Whites Asians and Hispanics aren't being defined by their criminals and youth but yet we have to be. No one I associate with nor anyone I see on a daily basis emulates the limiting behavior you described. Most black people are hard working tax payers period.

When Idris Alba makes a claim like this how can it b dismissed as whining or complaining? Dude gets more ass than a toliet seat and he's an international sex symbol. Look howw the women on this board swoon over this dude. So when he makes a statement like this I'm.inclined to believe him. He's earned the credibility.
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There are stereotypes against Whites, Asians and Hispanics. Blacks are 1/8th of the US population, yet we make up just shy of 50% of the US Prison population. Our unemployment rate is double that of whites and Asians. Some of this is our own doing and some of it is cast upon us. So yes, I'll concede that most black people are hard working tax payers, but the word 'most' qualifies as soon as the percentile is over 50. This does not discount that is still a large number of blacks, young and old who aspire to the very sterotypes that are holding us back. You see black people with the cars on 42" rims, pants at the knees, inability to form a complete sentence, and crotch grabbing. While YOU and I may know that we don't identify with this, the people who are responsible for accepting us into their corporate environments already have a predisposition defined by these large numbers of hooligans, our prison and our education statistics. So while YOU and I may not fall into the stereotype, our reputation as black men has already been defined and scripted by mainstream society. Cultures are not defined by the uniqueness of a few individuals, it's defined by the masses. This is where I say we still live in a system that slavery created. Our 'culture' was taken away hundreds of years ago, our language, religion and image have all been aggressively stripped over the years and it has been replaced with what you see on TV. We are frequently seen as atheletes and entertainers but rarely as doctors or involved in politricks.

"If philosophy and intelligence are invoked to proclaim the equality of men, they have also been employed to justify the extermination of men." - Frantz Fannon.

Well spoken, successful brothas are not seen as the rule, we're the exception to the rule... and that is the problem.

Frankly, I don't care that much. I believe fully in the 'be the change that you want to see in the world' mantra. I am not crusading for anyone to be what I feel they should be. If black men want to go to jail for stupid shit, let them. If black fathers want to abandon their families in record numbers, let them. If someone wants to judge me based on an MTV video, let them.... it speaks more about their character than it does mine.
 
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