What happened to america's sense of destiny, a progressive society? The late Langston Hughes poem "I Too Sing America" foretells that 'nobody' will tell me to eat in the kitchen..and 'they'll see how beautiful I am...and be ashamed. Sorry, little has changed as George suggests in this clip from "The Maid". Successive ethnic immigrant groups from low-income classes still have to 'eat in the kitchen', are not seen as 'beautiful', and few people are ashamed at the living/working conditions of newly arrived immigrant groups, more specifically communities of color. I am not comforted by the fact that not everyone has a 'sense of shame' because it is often the sense of shame that triggers the conscience to be more aware, more open, more ethical, and therefore, more conscientious about issues of equality. Thus, a society and an entertainment industry that still, even with a brilliant, highly educated , and influential African American First Lady, still continues to reward women of color when they are subservient. Is the film trying to 'humanize' white women or Black women? Or is this still the troubled and scary conversation between White women and women of color that everybody's avoiding? What do you think?
As a member of a future-oriented, pragmatic religion-The Baha'i Faith- founded on eliminating all forms of prejudice as the cultural work we need to do in this era, here's the deal. There are three(3) and four(4) sets of behaviors that have to change in ourselves, respectively as 'black' (non-dominant) and 'white'(dominant) individuals for a racism-free society. Governments exist to control the outward expressions of intolerance, nothing more. If you're 'Black', the transformation tasks are to 'show the warmth of your response, your readiness to forget the past, and your ability to wipe out every trace of suspicion that may linger in your heart.' If you're 'White', the transformational agenda is to 'abandon usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, correct a tendency to reveal a patronizing attitude toward members of the other race, the need to persuade (the other race) through intimate, spontaneous, and informal association them of the genuineness of their friendship and the sincerity of their intentions, and to master their impatience with any lack of responsiveness on the part of a people who have received for so long a period such grievous and slow-healing wounds.' (Shoghi Effendi," The Advent of Divine Justice").
Ok, Hollywood and you moviegoers! Hattie McDaniel already got the Oscar for playing a maid decades ago. No more games. Let's get with the spiritual program and change our world.
No comments:
Post a Comment