There is a really good article in the New York Times on “Precious” by renowned author, Ismael Reed. In it he explains why “Precious” has gotten such great critical response from the white community while being disparaged by many critics in the Black community.
Among black men and women, there is widespread revulsion and anger over the Oscar-nominated film about an illiterate, obese black teenager who has two children by her father. The author Jill Nelson wrote: “I don’t eat at the table of self-hatred, inferiority or victimization. I haven’t bought into notions of rampant black pathology or embraced the overwrought, dishonest and black-people-hating pseudo-analysis too often passing as post-racial cold hard truths.” One black radio broadcaster said that he felt under psychological assault for two hours. So did I.
Reed also looks into the reasons why “Precious” has been received from the all white, Oscar voting committee.
It was the enthusiastic response from white audiences and critics that culminated in the film being nominated for six Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an outfit whose 43 governors are all white and whose membership in terms of diversity is about 40 years behind Mississippi. ….
He goes into detail using former First Lady, Barbara Bush as an example.
Barbara Bush, the former first lady, not only hosted a screening of “Precious” but also wrote about it in Newsweek, saying: “There are kids like Precious everywhere. Each day we walk by them: young boys and girls whose home lives are dark secrets.”
Another point made, is that “Precious”caters to previous stereotypes about white people saving Black people from dispair.
Black films looking to attract white audiences flatter them with another kind of stereotype: the merciful slave master. In guilt-free bits of merchandise like “Precious,” white characters are always portrayed as caring. There to help. Never shown as contributing to the oppression of African-Americans. Problems that members of the black underclass encounter are a result of their culture, their lack of personal responsibility.
Like writer Armond White, he compares “Precious” to “Birth Of A Nation.”
Redemption through learning the ways of white culture is an old Hollywood theme. D. W. Griffith produced a series of movies in which Chinese, Indians and blacks were lifted from savagery through assimilation. A more recent example of climbing out of the ghetto through assimilation is “Dangerous Minds,” where black and Latino students are rescued by a curriculum that doesn’t include a single black or Latino writer.
I agree with Reed’s article. I thought “Precious” was a bad movie that was meant for white people to feel pity for poor Black girls. The main character is in no way representative of the Black community. She is an extremely overwieght, illiterate girl who is raped by her father, has two children, one with Down Syndrome from her dad and has AIDS. While illiteracy, obesity and AIDS are a problem in the Black community, it seems like they only play pity parts in the movie.Despite what Barbara Bush may think overweight, illiterate, teenage mother, incest victims with AIDS are not “everywhere.” The movie is clearly directed at the Oscar voters who vote for movies with mentally disabled people or holocaust victims by getting the “pity” vote.
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at 12:42 am
I heard that Precious was a great movie. It sucks. Once I saw and heard the praise from people ignorant of our past. Fat, black and ignorant is the stereotype from slavery years. Jamestown, Virginia had both black and white slaves. As the number of blacks increased, Afro-blacks, black Indians and the original black jews from Kush, Ethophia, Africa, non-blacks wrote into the system that blacks were less than human. Precious is a kick in the face of black people everywhere. So is Tyler Perry’s ‘The house of pain’ and ‘Meet the Browns. The men act and dress like ‘JJ’ Kid Dynamite from ? Good Times? Obviously there’s good money to be made showing black men and women as idiots. Then came the ‘Exploitive movies. SuperFly, etc. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington own their own industries. Help us, please—Lee and Denzel. The N-word was once in the dictionary. It stated blacks were thiefs, liars, etc. Having been a cop, I know blacks never will be able to live up to the sterotypes created by non-blacks. Sitcoms based on humor makes sense untl unnecessary movies relate ignorance to blacksonly,
at 3:19 pm
Predominate Black Cast*
at 1:21 pm
An interesting perpective…I havent seen the movie but from the promos I made my own opinion..I didnt look at the movie as a PSA. I looked at it as something with a predom cast to see OTHER than something like…Just Wright or *Icant even think of another movie with a predom cast* But I suppose everyone is going to take what they want from the movie…
at 7:33 pm
And Newsone about why white people hated movies like “The Burning Bed” about a white woman abused by her psycho white husband and burned him alive in bed. Why do they hated movies that show white men who are controlled by their white wives? Why do they hated that movie “Enough” with Jennifer Lopez a latina who beat the sh*t out of her white psycho husband killing him in the process?
at 11:29 am
The writer of this article is illiterate and possibly lives in a dark cave. Barbara is absolutely correct. There are kids like Precious of different races & culture, everywhere. I grew up between the islands and NY, attended school in Baltimore and Florida and have traveled from Virginia to Utah in my 33 years. I’ve seen it all. As real as it is to me, it is still shocking to know that we have kids like that sometimes living right next door to us. Literally, I had a 14 years old girl that had to play mother to her younger siblings and wife to her father as her mother went out and enjoyed herself. If that girl did not play those roles her mother would beat her with everything from the pot spoon to bathroom sink(well if she could have.) When people came to our house, they never knew what was brewing next door. The neighborhood was that of prestige, but sometimes…the grass isnt always greener on the otherside. I see Precious as a wake up call to all people. Its not about insulting blacks or making whites feel inferior to us. You can only be offended if you allow something or someone to offend you. Instead of sitting on your butt and knocking down the film how about just say you didnt like it and move on. It was a film. I’m sure you dig films that promote violence and drugs and telling our young kids its ok to get into the wrong things in life, but here is a film based on reality and you have to say its an insult to blacks and their lives? Really? To the writer, director, actors,actresses and all involved in this movie…Congratulations and Job Well Done. It’s time for a wake up call and to the real issues in the world. Precious is just the beginning and hopefully not the end.
at 12:12 am
@jdubz84..Powder..that was a good movie too
at 10:04 am
how about that one movie that came out around 1995 that featured an albino white dude gettin abused in life. i forgot the name of the film but there have been films like that in which down and out or disadvantaged whites have gotten similar intervention as precious did.
at 9:07 pm
This is stupid because u have so many white movies/books like precious, bastard out of Carolina, which is based in truth, hound dog and even secret life of bee’s which the white girls “savior” were black women. I hate that we as a people are always looking to be the victim, s**t like precious happens, I know first hand that it does. I went to school with white twins whose daddy had them doing 3somes with him and his friends when they were in 5th grade.
Get over it people. Precious is a sad work of fiction about terrible acts that happen in real life to not just women of color but all women.
at 5:11 pm
Sorry, I think I lost what I wrote. But I just bases of what I said. Even though I wrote here’s the bottom line. Black people are afended to this movie “some” because as far as the Black women we have been dealing with this for a long time. We always had to and still have to deal with raising our babies ourselves. Now I’m not talking down on the Black man and I’m not makeing up excuses but the Black man has alway been taking from the black woman stiming from slavery. The Black man had Black women and Black babies and then the white man “Master” took them and sold them so the Black woman had to raise the babies themselves. And then the white man a the pick of the litter and anytime took the black woman a raped her when he got ready. There was never our Black man there to protect us. So that goes to say. And now when the black man make it and start making money they forget about the black woman and go get a white woman “which is their choice” but if they wern’t sucessful the white woman wouldn’t even look their way. So now the black man is saying that the white woman is more than a black woman. So as far as the movie, the white people like it more because the’re not looking at the big picture, ther’re thinking this is the way black people are they are abusive and they beat their children and the are mean people and tha’s not the case. Alot of white people don’t even know their history and how they were living in the gutter and how Black people had houses, land, and sucessful businesses great inventors. But the white man came to this town one day and start killing the children and all and cutting of the children’s feet to get their shoes. And stole their inventions. And tha’t why to this day they try to keep us devided as Black people. I guess the movie hit home and we know that the white people wouldn’t understand it. But pass judgement on the black people and women.
at 12:47 pm
Be sure you see the March 15th Blackplanet news addition on the subject about the video director for the Fugees Video. Check out what he did and check my comment out there. You people need to quit for real! After you read what this man did, you owe Monique and Gabourey an apology for the things you all have siad about this movie. And if you miss my comment in the comment section on the 15th here it is:
And everybody had what to say about the movie “Precious”? I’m sorry I can’t hear you? What was that? Oh I thought so….because now “Precious” to the fifth power is in your face with this situation. To every last one of yall that had all that crapt to say a few weeks ago when that movie was an issue…..guess what? Shhhhhhhh, that’s the sound of nobody caring what you think!!!! BOOM!
And if you have never been in such a situation to all of you talking about the mother, you need to hush. Period. Cause you don’t know what you would have done after he got finished wearing yo behind out with a board or boot. Fear is a mutha! Stop a casting judgement when you are not wearing the shoes.
Tell all that flack you had to say about “Precious” to the children that suffered in this situation, and seek ye first the kingdom of God before you pass judgement.
Monique and Gabourey…..the Oscar goes to you for having the courage to touch on a dark subject.
at 5:00 pm
they want to think they not have problem bad as blacks the baster of north ca was a movie to see
at 1:08 pm
Regarding dancetodeath’s comment
“”The guilt of having raped black women during the days of slavery as well as destroyed families, extorted free labor, beaten people like animals etc. is still very much in the back of every white man’s mind whether he admits it or not.”"
I am a white guy – I’ve never raped a woman – white or black and therefore have no guilt about the past. As a white male I admire people for who they are not based on a color but their actions and character. I can honestly say your thinking is more outdated and stereotyping than anyone I know. I can’t say I ever thought of beating any human like an animal. So every white man is not like you exclaim. You have some serious issues.
at 1:39 pm
Sounds like what your saying mstae9 is that blacks is on an equal playing field with whites in this day and age. And when the last time you seen a movie up for an academy award where in the cases of precious or the blind side where it a white mother that was a welfare queen with an obese aids having illeriate daugther. Or a rich black family taking in a poor homeless white kid.
at 4:16 pm
People really need to stop associating a story that could be about any family, race, or culture and making it out to be a “racist” or stereotypical situation. Some have missed the beauty of the story in itself too busy being close-minded. Truth be told..the moral of the story is that regardless if it was an all African-American cast this could be anyone suffering the emotional, physical, and mentally devastating experience Precious endured. Stop making everything about “white” or “black” all the time. If we continue to allow ourselves to be put into a “box” racism will always be a thorn in our side. Take notice with the ending of the movie…Precious wanted to prosper despite the odds against her…she didn’t give up! All in all, you didn’t get that job or house, further your education, or having prosperity you are seeking because of you…not because somebody was holding you back. We all have the opportunity to rise above it…the only thing is stopping you is you!