Cultural Appropriation Rue from The Hunger Games Speaks Up

[The Dark King]

Workplace/media discrimination against 'black' hairstyles has been in the news for the past few years....along with stories about how whites hold lighter blacks in higher esteem than dark ones.........and he thinks this shit is a vanity issue?



Don't even get me started on ethnic names vs European ones and getting a fucking job

Hey that's all self loathing we have to stop hating ourselves so we can be loved by others for our hair skin and names

 

[hellified]

I'm deeply impressed with this young woman; she's clearly intelligent, articulate, and with perspective and insight light years ahead of her peers across all races.
If you were asked to boil her message down to one sentence, what would it be?
In the end she asks "What would it be if black people were as loved as black culture" which I suppose suggests that white people adopting black culture is diametrically opposed to white people loving black people.
Her expressed issue with white stars adopting "blackness" is that "the appropriator does not appreciate the deep cultural significance of the styles ... Corn rolls are not just stylistic, they are necessary in order to keep black hair neat."
I don't think that anyone argues with that. Hollywood ignorance does not discriminate. She is correct that white stars adopt black styles to appear “edgy.”
I was taught that imitation was the best form of flattery.
What is the take-away lesson from this talented young woman? That it would help if white stars did not adopt/mimic black styles/culture? Keep white-dominated pop culture purely blonde and strictly white? Encourage Beyonce to continue to straighten her hair and Nicki Minaj to remain blonde?
All of my black girlfriends go to great lengths to make their hair straight silky smooth long and light. No one blinks an eye.
I think the real question I want to ask is why default to the negative? Why is her message not “Hooray! Black styles are finally celebrated across mainstream media! Nickie Manaj is blonde, Madona has corn rolls and Miley Cyris twirks!” All cultural generalizations are .. if not blurred ... celebrated?
Obviously I’m not as smart as Stenberg. But I'm encouraged, she's beautiful and I have complete confidence in the next generation; we’re in good hands.

First off you are incredibly intelligent. I love that you have the ability to inquire about things you aren't aware of so respectfully.
I think the overall message she is trying to convey is that so many cultures "borrow" so much from "black culture" yet hate the people who create it or at the very least dismiss them with careless disregard. It's hard to not be annoyed when people like Iggy Azaela, Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber, and host of other white artist pick and choose what elements of black culture to borrow without acknowledging anything about the people who create it and what they go through. But to be fair when I was thinking about this article Asians came into mind. We borrow a lot from their culture in terms of martial arts (it's made action what it is today) and a lot of their food (sushi addict) but we think very little about them as people. We still see them as "foreigners". Same can be said about Hispanics too, so we go back to whiteness being the dominant overall default culture while taking what it wants from everywhere else. I know that most people don't do this with any malicious intent and are truly looking at this just as something to be entertained by. The major issue I have is that even with all that's adopted for some reason so many don't see actual people, they can listen to a Snoop Dog song, wear fitted Yankee caps, use hip hop vernacular in their speech yet not give two shits about what happens to black people in this country. Shit some even go as far as to pacify and rationalize misdeeds done to black people, it can be frustrating.

theres a difference in whites cultural appropriation and nonwhite... and that big difference is perception and control.

only white people posit themselves as the best at something they didn't create then control who profits from it. There just isn't an example going the other way.

case in point...Bo Derek and the cornrow look:

cornrow hair style is as old as africa and black women in america sported the style for years. That Jet cover is dated: Jet Magazine April 5, 1962

then suddenly Bo Derek sports it in a movie in 1979 and here's how its impact is described: The cornrow style was nothing new—it was first adopted in West Africa—and consists of braiding the hair close to the scalp from the front of the forehead to the base of the skull, and the rest of the hair is then braided and left to fall around the shoulders. Nevertheless, Derek’s braids revamped the style into a trend that transcended cultures.

The Bo Derek look has resurfaced many times since the years after 10 in different variations: straight rows braided evenly across the head, rows crisscrossing over each other, the inclusion of colored extensions, or ends left loose and tied up in a bun. Cornrows have even popped up on the red carpet—Christina Aguilera wore her hair in braids at the Grammys in 2001. And in March of this year, reality star Kim Kardashian decided to channel Derek in her music video for “Jam (Turn it Up)”. Thanks to Bo Derek, braids will always be associated with summer and a standout beach look that is sure to make waves.

Here's another example.. Eve and the Farrah Fawcett look:

its safe to say that the flowing blonde hair style was popular and classic with white women in the 70s..

then some 30 years later rapper Eve sported a very similar retro look

now in order for there to be parity in blacks appropriating the look there would have been a HUGE groundswell of support for Eve's look. And the black woman wearing it would have proclaimed THE way to wear the style some 30 years after and with little respect given to the white women who did it decades ago. Suffice it to say that didn't happen.

As far as blacks appropriation of other cultures (asian or latino etc) Blacks may love martial arts..but we have never claimed to be better at it than asians or even the same level of masters of it as asians.

We never promoted Jim Kelly to be on the same level as Bruce Lee...But Chuck Norris has been.

There have been many movies were white men appear to be BETTER martial artists than asian men

even in sports...a white man invented basketball for sure and now black men are clearly the face of the sport today but who still profits from it by and large? Who controls the league and ownership? Hell the logo of the sport is a white guy

There just aren't many if any examples of nonwhites and particularly blacks appropriating something from another culture..positing ourselves as the best there is or kings of it then profiting from it more than the creators or originators of it.

Little Richard originates the Rock and Roll sound...

yet Elvis is the "king" of rock and roll even tho he covered Little Richards songs and cpoied his flamboyance on stage...

 

[goodlove]

make your punishment 3 weeks of silence

Ra said it best........'dumb negro theater'

TDK has way more patience than i do to entertain this shit

Does anyone really think blacks were dying to have lighter skin or straighter hair before European colonization?

After a quick google search........it looks like I won't be posting for a week

white on white crime is at 83 or 84%

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6771878

whites on drug use


http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/07/study-whites-more-likely-to-abuse-drugs-than-blacks/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...eople-are-more-likely-to-get-arrested-for-it/

But still...no one 'fears' whites or labels their whole group as thugs or criminals

but
but
but
but
lol
lol

you dont read yahoo and facebook comments.

listen to your local radio talk show...u will get that one or two dudes throwing it out there.

a white anchor cnn threw the white on white crime stats a rudy g. and he looked real stupid.you looked in his face seeing he knew that stat but wouldnt state it .

If your 'race' enslaved another race of people...then watched them become free, strong and gain power, you'd be fearful too

It's either that or all those news reports of black crime, which dictates how they should treat an entire group of people

Of course no one studies white crime, then develops a fear of whites

Too many white superheroes and world saviors in the media for that to happen

 

[andreboba]

In the US or abroad because I was about drop Marcus Garvey on you

Black men never had pressure to straighten their hair in order to work for the man. Conking was a style thing back in the day because brothas wanted to look like Cab Calloway, the baddest dude in the clubs at the time.

Black women have always had some pressure to straighten their hair, much less so today.

I should have said hair extensions when I was talking about appropriation.

Black women aren't being pushed by anyone to have straighter, longer hair than the average WW.

When I see Black girls on the subway with these Crystal Gayle extensions down their back, I'm trying to get the point.

 

[andreboba]

I agree with Hellified's post, except I think the problem is more the dominant White media and not really the celebs who borrowed from Black culture IMO.

Bo Derek gave cornrows and entirely new look most thought was impossible, yet somehow she pulled it off.

WW to this day get their hair twisted on vacations.

But it was the media coverage that made it sound like Bo Derek brought this hairstyle to the U.S.
For most White folks, it probably was the first time they encountered cornrows, but I don't blame Derek for the publicity she got.

Elvis I don't think ever hyped himself publicly as being this or that. He was just an artist doing his thing. Even the alleged quote, "The only thing Negroes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes," turns out to be one of the biggest urban myths ever.

Although there's no evidence he ever said it, it's one of those things you either believe or don't based on your own cultural bias.

Some people think Elvis had to be a racist because he was born in Mississippi and raised in Memphis.
Public Enemy and Living Colour had me believing straight up that Elvis was a purebred racist.
An interesting breakdown from Snopes.
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/presley1.asp

I know the dominant media culture seems to like things better when Whites do it, if only slightly.

I don't know how much the average White person in the real world cares.

Many of Elvis' biggest fans in the '50s and '60s were Black.
Some of the biggest consumers of Motown records in the '60s were White.

The not so dirty little secret in hip-hop is that the biggest stars are the one who have the greatest crossover in the vanilla suburbs.

 

[pettyofficerj]

make your punishment 3 weeks of silence

I lasted for about 4 minutes........

Webmaster's just going to have to ban me

 

[Bliss]

I lasted for about 4 minutes........

Webmaster's just going to have to ban me

Was gonna make a countdown, ball-dropping thread.

You must suck in bed.

 

[Bliss]

,@Andreboba...Never knew Elvis was supposed to have said that, let alone that he didn't. Any of his musical rivals could have possibly planted it , too.

Bollywood is another example of borrowing from Hollywood, and making it their own.

 

[hellified]

I agree with Hellified's post, except I think the problem is more the dominant White media and not really the celebs who borrowed from Black culture IMO.

Bo Derek gave cornrows and entirely new look most thought was impossible, yet somehow she pulled it off.

WW to this day get their hair twisted on vacations.

But it was the media coverage that made it sound like Bo Derek brought this hairstyle to the U.S.
For most White folks, it probably was the first time they encountered cornrows, but I don't blame Derek for the publicity she got.

Elvis I don't think ever hyped himself publicly as being this or that. He was just an artist doing his thing. Even the alleged quote, "The only thing Negroes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes," turns out to be one of the biggest urban myths ever.

Although there's no evidence he ever said it, it's one of those things you either believe or don't based on your own cultural bias.

Some people think Elvis had to be a racist because he was born in Mississippi and raised in Memphis.
Public Enemy and Living Colour had me believing straight up that Elvis was a purebred racist.
An interesting breakdown from Snopes.
http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/presley1.asp

I know the dominant media culture seems to like things better when Whites do it, if only slightly.

I don't know how much the average White person in the real world cares.

Many of Elvis' biggest fans in the '50s and '60s were Black.
Some of the biggest consumers of Motown records in the '60s were White.

The not so dirty little secret in hip-hop is that the biggest stars are the one who have the greatest crossover in the vanilla suburbs.

you think white celebs who do that don't know what theyre doing or how it would be received?? The most obvious illustration of this would be miley cyrus...

Miley isn't bothered by people who called her performance a disaster. "I wasn't trying to be sexy," she says. "If I was trying to be sexy, I could have been sexy. I can dance a lot better than I was dancing." She knows sticking her tongue out isn't hot and that those weird stubby pigtails aren't flattering ("I look like a little creature"). And she even knows it's ridiculous for her to twerk. "People are like, 'Miley thinks she's a black girl, but she's got the flattest ass ever,'" she says. "I'm like, I'm 108 pounds! I know! Now people expect me to come out and twerk with my tongue out all the time. I'll probably never do that shit again."

If there's one thing that bothered her about the fallout, it was the idea that her performance was racist, or a "minstrel show," because, critics argued, she appropriated a dance style common in black culture and used black backup dancers like props. "I don't keep my producers or dancers around 'cause it makes me look cool," she says. "Those aren't my 'accessories.' They're my homies." Meanwhile, she argues, the idea that she's somehow playing black is absurd. "I'm from one of the wealthiest counties in America," she says. "I know what I am. But I also know what I like to listen to. Look at any 20-year-old white girl right now – that's what they're listening to at the club. It's 2013. The gays are getting married, we're all collaborating. I would never think about the color of my dancers, like, 'Ooh, that might be controversial.' What do you mean?" she says with a laugh. "Times are changing. I think there's a generation or two left, and then it's gonna be a whole new world."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...-of-pops-wildest-child-20130924#ixzz2fqkNKXiw


well thats funny miley cuz in 2009 you said:

In her hit single "Party in the U.S.A.," Miley Cyrus famously claims that a Jay-Z song saved her life (or at least made her taxi ride from LAX bearable). But which one of Hov's hits is she singing about?

Turns out, she doesn't know. Because she's never actually heard a Jay-Z song.

That's what we learned in a new interview posted on Cyrus' MileyWorld Web site, in which the singer — who, it should be noted, is dressed like Pocahontas (it was backstage, before her Halloween concert in Louisville, Kentucky) — was asked by a reporter which Jay-Z tune inspired the line in "Party." And, well, let's just say she answered his question honestly.

"I don't know, I didn't write the song, so I have no idea," she said. "Honestly, I picked that song because I needed something to go with my clothing line. I didn't write it [and] I didn't expect it to be popular, originally. It was just something that I wanted to do and I needed some songs and it turned out for the best."

She's correct, she didn't write "Party" (a songwriting team of Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Jessica Cornish did), but surely — as the rather dumbfounded reporter asked in his follow-up — she can agree with the song's sentiment. She's got to be a Jay-Z fan, right?

"I've never heard a Jay-Z song. I don't listen to pop music," Cyrus answered. "['Party in the U.S.A.'] is not even my style of music. I'm really blessed for it to have done as well as it has. Totally blessed. God has definitely put me in an amazing position with amazing people."

Undoubtedly reeling from the magnitude of that claim, the reporter decided to shift gears, jokingly asking Cyrus if she has any plans to cover her father's massive 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart." But Miley wasn't ready to let the Jay-Z thing drop.

"No, no thank you," she said. "That's like covering a Jay-Z song. That's not going to happen."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1625691/miley-cyrus-ive-never-heard-jay-z-song.jhtml

she made that jay z comment in 2009.. a few years ago she claims to not know who the most famous rapper of the 00s is or heard his music..she claims she not into pop music and at that time did NOT associate with ANY black people whats so ever...today this bitch is the pop shock music queen and can't be around enough black people all of which just so happens to coincide with the biggest hits of her career this side of hannah montana..coincidence?? nope...calculated..yes

Consider songwriting brothers Timothy and Theron Thomas the Jay-Z's of penning hits. They don't write anything down and are able to scribe an entire chart-topper before you can even say "Pour it up" (which they wrote for Rihanna, by the way).

Nevertheless, they've taken on stars from nearly every genre of music, including Akon, Jennifer Hudson, Ashlee Simpson and Gwen Stefani. Their most recent project has been breaking actress/singer Miley Cyrus out of her bubblegum Disney shell and into the spunky young woman she has always been. For her forthcoming album, the Thomases crafted the catchy Mike WiLL Made It-produced party bumper "We Can't Stop" and revealed that the mohawked songbird was particular about the sound she was aiming for.

"When you listen to the Miley Cyrus record that we did, it's not ratchet but it definitely has a lot of urban feel to it," Timothy said. "She was like, 'I want urban, I just want something that just feels Black.'”

- See more at: http://www.vibe.com/article/miley-c...ys-songwriters-rock-city#sthash.QNROGr0P.dpuf

This pattern just shows how Miley ordered up black pop music like she was in Applebys from these two guys:

“We originally wrote ["We Can't Stop"] for Rihanna and we wounded up giving it to Miley,” Timothy reveals. ”We felt like this could be somebody’s first single. We knew it wasn’t going to be Rihanna’s because at the time she already had “Diamonds.” We didn’t know who to give it to and Mike WILL was like ‘I’m in with Miley. I want to play it for her because I think this will be dope for her.’ We said okay let’s do.”

Miley was like: "I'll have the Pop Music..BLACKENED..with a side of Twerk and some golden Grillz please".:lol::lol:

The reason I post this is because its so fucking calculated and manufactured its not even funny. There are white people who are down and genuinely appreciate another's style and ways of doing things then there are those who are only in it when it suits them. 5 years ago miley was doing corporate pop produced by some eastern european dudes doing cover song of cyndi lauper and 80s hair bands..and today this chick can't take enough pics with black rappers and producers and hanging out with black girls like shes ALWAYS been doing that shit..

she went from this

to this

in the span of 3 years:???:

and thats just one of the recent examples..you can go down the line for the last 40 years and see this same thing happen over and over..

 

[The Dark King]

you think white celebs who do that don't know what theyre doing or how it would be received?? The most obvious illustration of this would be miley cyrus...

Miley isn't bothered by people who called her performance a disaster. "I wasn't trying to be sexy," she says. "If I was trying to be sexy, I could have been sexy. I can dance a lot better than I was dancing." She knows sticking her tongue out isn't hot and that those weird stubby pigtails aren't flattering ("I look like a little creature"). And she even knows it's ridiculous for her to twerk. "People are like, 'Miley thinks she's a black girl, but she's got the flattest ass ever,'" she says. "I'm like, I'm 108 pounds! I know! Now people expect me to come out and twerk with my tongue out all the time. I'll probably never do that shit again."

If there's one thing that bothered her about the fallout, it was the idea that her performance was racist, or a "minstrel show," because, critics argued, she appropriated a dance style common in black culture and used black backup dancers like props. "I don't keep my producers or dancers around 'cause it makes me look cool," she says. "Those aren't my 'accessories.' They're my homies." Meanwhile, she argues, the idea that she's somehow playing black is absurd. "I'm from one of the wealthiest counties in America," she says. "I know what I am. But I also know what I like to listen to. Look at any 20-year-old white girl right now – that's what they're listening to at the club. It's 2013. The gays are getting married, we're all collaborating. I would never think about the color of my dancers, like, 'Ooh, that might be controversial.' What do you mean?" she says with a laugh. "Times are changing. I think there's a generation or two left, and then it's gonna be a whole new world."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...-of-pops-wildest-child-20130924#ixzz2fqkNKXiw


well thats funny miley cuz in 2009 you said:

In her hit single "Party in the U.S.A.," Miley Cyrus famously claims that a Jay-Z song saved her life (or at least made her taxi ride from LAX bearable). But which one of Hov's hits is she singing about?

Turns out, she doesn't know. Because she's never actually heard a Jay-Z song.

That's what we learned in a new interview posted on Cyrus' MileyWorld Web site, in which the singer — who, it should be noted, is dressed like Pocahontas (it was backstage, before her Halloween concert in Louisville, Kentucky) — was asked by a reporter which Jay-Z tune inspired the line in "Party." And, well, let's just say she answered his question honestly.

"I don't know, I didn't write the song, so I have no idea," she said. "Honestly, I picked that song because I needed something to go with my clothing line. I didn't write it [and] I didn't expect it to be popular, originally. It was just something that I wanted to do and I needed some songs and it turned out for the best."

She's correct, she didn't write "Party" (a songwriting team of Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Jessica Cornish did), but surely — as the rather dumbfounded reporter asked in his follow-up — she can agree with the song's sentiment. She's got to be a Jay-Z fan, right?

"I've never heard a Jay-Z song. I don't listen to pop music," Cyrus answered. "['Party in the U.S.A.'] is not even my style of music. I'm really blessed for it to have done as well as it has. Totally blessed. God has definitely put me in an amazing position with amazing people."

Undoubtedly reeling from the magnitude of that claim, the reporter decided to shift gears, jokingly asking Cyrus if she has any plans to cover her father's massive 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart." But Miley wasn't ready to let the Jay-Z thing drop.

"No, no thank you," she said. "That's like covering a Jay-Z song. That's not going to happen."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1625691/miley-cyrus-ive-never-heard-jay-z-song.jhtml

she made that jay z comment in 2009.. a few years ago she claims to not know who the most famous rapper of the 00s is or heard his music..she claims she not into pop music and at that time did NOT associate with ANY black people whats so ever...today this bitch is the pop shock music queen and can't be around enough black people all of which just so happens to coincide with the biggest hits of her career this side of hannah montana..coincidence?? nope...calculated..yes

Consider songwriting brothers Timothy and Theron Thomas the Jay-Z's of penning hits. They don't write anything down and are able to scribe an entire chart-topper before you can even say "Pour it up" (which they wrote for Rihanna, by the way).

Nevertheless, they've taken on stars from nearly every genre of music, including Akon, Jennifer Hudson, Ashlee Simpson and Gwen Stefani. Their most recent project has been breaking actress/singer Miley Cyrus out of her bubblegum Disney shell and into the spunky young woman she has always been. For her forthcoming album, the Thomases crafted the catchy Mike WiLL Made It-produced party bumper "We Can't Stop" and revealed that the mohawked songbird was particular about the sound she was aiming for.

"When you listen to the Miley Cyrus record that we did, it's not ratchet but it definitely has a lot of urban feel to it," Timothy said. "She was like, 'I want urban, I just want something that just feels Black.'”

- See more at: http://www.vibe.com/article/miley-c...ys-songwriters-rock-city#sthash.QNROGr0P.dpuf

This pattern just shows how Miley ordered up black pop music like she was in Applebys from these two guys:

“We originally wrote ["We Can't Stop"] for Rihanna and we wounded up giving it to Miley,” Timothy reveals. ”We felt like this could be somebody’s first single. We knew it wasn’t going to be Rihanna’s because at the time she already had “Diamonds.” We didn’t know who to give it to and Mike WILL was like ‘I’m in with Miley. I want to play it for her because I think this will be dope for her.’ We said okay let’s do.”

Miley was like: "I'll have the Pop Music..BLACKENED..with a side of Twerk and some golden Grillz please".:lol::lol:

The reason I post this is because its so fucking calculated and manufactured its not even funny. There are white people who are down and genuinely appreciate another's style and ways of doing things then there are those who are only in it when it suits them. 5 years ago miley was doing corporate pop produced by some eastern european dudes doing cover song of cyndi lauper and 80s hair bands..and today this chick can't take enough pics with black rappers and producers and hanging out with black girls like shes ALWAYS been doing that shit..

she went from this

to this

in the span of 3 years:???:

and thats just one of the recent examples..you can go down the line for the last 40 years and see this same thing happen over and over..

I knew that the first time I heard it
So obvious

 

[goodlove]

I lasted for about 4 minutes........

Webmaster's just going to have to ban me

lol.
yall crazy

 

[Gorath]

theres a difference in whites cultural appropriation and nonwhite... and that big difference is perception and control.

only white people posit themselves as the best at something they didn't create then control who profits from it. There just isn't an example going the other way.

case in point...Bo Derek and the cornrow look:

cornrow hair style is as old as africa and black women in america sported the style for years. That Jet cover is dated: Jet Magazine April 5, 1962

then suddenly Bo Derek sports it in a movie in 1979 and here's how its impact is described: The cornrow style was nothing new—it was first adopted in West Africa—and consists of braiding the hair close to the scalp from the front of the forehead to the base of the skull, and the rest of the hair is then braided and left to fall around the shoulders. Nevertheless, Derek’s braids revamped the style into a trend that transcended cultures.

The Bo Derek look has resurfaced many times since the years after 10 in different variations: straight rows braided evenly across the head, rows crisscrossing over each other, the inclusion of colored extensions, or ends left loose and tied up in a bun. Cornrows have even popped up on the red carpet—Christina Aguilera wore her hair in braids at the Grammys in 2001. And in March of this year, reality star Kim Kardashian decided to channel Derek in her music video for “Jam (Turn it Up)”. Thanks to Bo Derek, braids will always be associated with summer and a standout beach look that is sure to make waves.

Here's another example.. Eve and the Farrah Fawcett look:

its safe to say that the flowing blonde hair style was popular and classic with white women in the 70s..

then some 30 years later rapper Eve sported a very similar retro look

now in order for there to be parity in blacks appropriating the look there would have been a HUGE groundswell of support for Eve's look. And the black woman wearing it would have proclaimed THE way to wear the style some 30 years after and with little respect given to the white women who did it decades ago. Suffice it to say that didn't happen.

As far as blacks appropriation of other cultures (asian or latino etc) Blacks may love martial arts..but we have never claimed to be better at it than asians or even the same level of masters of it as asians.

We never promoted Jim Kelly to be on the same level as Bruce Lee...But Chuck Norris has been.

There have been many movies were white men appear to be BETTER martial artists than asian men

even in sports...a white man invented basketball for sure and now black men are clearly the face of the sport today but who still profits from it by and large? Who controls the league and ownership? Hell the logo of the sport is a white guy

There just aren't many if any examples of nonwhites and particularly blacks appropriating something from another culture..positing ourselves as the best there is or kings of it then profiting from it more than the creators or originators of it.

Little Richard originates the Rock and Roll sound...

yet Elvis is the "king" of rock and roll even tho he covered Little Richards songs and cpoied his flamboyance on stage...

Elvis loved rhythmn and blues and he used the moves that performers on stage at blues clubs(or juke joints). He never copied any of Little Richar's onstage antics. Little Richard and Elvis were friends. Little Richard's anger was with Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager(a man who pretty much controlled Elvis and his career).

Chuck Norris ran Bruce Lee's school in L.A. I believe that in the late-70's, a martial arts hero was needed. So, Chuck was the man. It seemed that during the 80's, every white man in a martial arts film was the best of the best. This is what made these film makers a lot of money. Do you remember the show The Master, which starred Lee Van Cleef? It was pretty good and ninja Sho Kosugi made an appearance every now and then. Speaking of Kosugi, he was the genuine article. He took care of business. Then Bolo Yeung, for a brief time made films in America.