18
Opinions
December 2O21
A DISTORTED The media only favors trauma
Article by Reese Taylor Graphic by Jaidyn Holt
Moonlight. Twelve Years a Slave. Green Book. Out of the 93 films awarded the title of “Best Motion Picture” at the Academy Awards, only three star both Black actors and Black stories, and they all depict some of the most difficult parts of African American history, both past and present. When Black experiences are intrinsically connected to pain, hardship and oppression, the stories of Black triumph are lost. Movies solidify both the traits and themes we value but also give voice to the problems we perceive. The reality for African Americans is that the only stories of Blackness that are praised and valued are ones of racialized struggle; Black success and Black joy are shunned in favor of Black pain. In 2018, “Green Book” spotlighted that lack of dimension. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the movie would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture the following year. The film’s plot centers around the characters Tony Vallelonga and Don Shirley, a Black classical and jazz performer and composer as they travel across the midwestern and southern United States The title references a guide used by African Americans that detailed safe places in the Jim Crow infused South from the 1930s to the 1960s. But throughout the entirety of the film, no Black person mentions the significance of the Green Book or even holds it. By never having a Black person hold or explain the very title of the film, “Green
Book” resulted in a message that never In the wake of the Black Lives Matgave credence to the resilience of Black ter protests, an image emerged of Leshia Americans in the face of oppression but Evans, an African American nurse from highlighted the oppression itself. New York, walking towards police officers “Green Book”’s controversy unfolded armed in riot gear. The contrast of Evans’s as questions about whether or not Shir- peaceful procession, with her arms outley and Vallelonga actually wanted a film stretched to be handcuffed, in comparison based on their lives. Not only that, but as to the rows of heavily-armed cops spoke the movie was released it became increas- volumes to the environment surrounding ingly more obvious that “Green Book” fell the protests. neatly into the “white savior” trope. Soon after, Pepsi would go on to release The “white savior” trope in and of itself an ad mirroring the same scene but refacilitates the neglect of Black joy and is placing Leshia Evans with Kendall Jenner integral to the conversation. It spoon- and a can of Pepsi to offer to the armed feeds racism in a way that allows white officers. The backlash in the face of the ad audiences to align with a story’s chosen took social media by storm. Black Lives savior. All the while, Black audiences are Matter went on to become one of the largtraumatized by est movements in stories that only United States his“Outrage is the only way to shift the seem to benefit tory with Civics by weaponizing corporate conversation because the Analytics reportBlack pain. people who make the decision don’t ing 15 million to White savior 26 million people look like you and I.” films represent participating in what story-telldemonstrations. - Dr. Tracy Kizer, Professor ing has done to The ad spit in the at Rollins College the Black experiface of the millions ence, trivializing who supported it. it to a plot device. It cloaks itself under “How dare you take our struggle, the guise of freeing Black characters from which is so personal, and so painful, and the role of villain by casting them in the try to use that moment to sell Pepsi,” Traequally damaging position of victim. cy Kizer, professor of marketing at Rollins However, Black people constantly reb- College said. el against being victimized with moments In the midst of it all, the vocalization of of civil rights triumph and are constantly injustice was viewed as a source of monemet with media that reclaims the events tary gain. while removing their blackness from the “The outrage was absolutely necessary,” equation. Kizer said. “Outrage is the only way to
