Please excuse my slight dabble in conspiracy here for a second... This movie is rated PG-13, tells about the life of a man who was integral to United States 20th century history, has arguably one of the best acting performances of the decade, and is pretty darn entertaining. Why was this movie not all over cable in the 90s? Why didn't we watch it in school? Why did I not see this until I was in my 30s? Yes, it is long, but so is Shawshank and Titanic and you couldn't avoid seeing those movies while flipping channels. Heck, we watching My Fair Lady over what felt like two weeks in middle school music class. Could it be that the powers that be didn't want us know THIS history specifically? Like it or not people learn history from movies. If "the man" can keep us watching Gone with the Wind and Driving Miss Daisy rather than Malcolm X or Reds, then maybe they can keep us in line a little easier.... just a thought.
Thanks for humoring me. I still haven't seen a bad Spike Lee movie and I admittedly have plenty of catching up to do. Do the Right Thing may be his most important movie, but I firmly believe that this is his masterpiece. Malcolm X is heartbreaking, surprising, and moving cinema. It transcends the traditional biopic with Lee's deft film-making eye and transports the viewer to the times and places that laid the groundwork for our current state of things. Why, nearly 30 years after this film and 55 years after Malcolm X's death, are we still having the same discussions and disagreements? We are so scared of learning our real history and that causes us to repeat it. The more you learn, the more you can see that race relations in the USA isn't about two disagreeing sides, it is about right and wrong. Too many folks are hellbent on keeping the wrong side alive and it is way past time that we offered its eulogy. Let's start by not hiding our important history. Let's learn about slavery. Let's tear down the celebrations of sedition. Let's dismantle the racist systems that still exist to this day without hesitation. Let's love one another, but let's start by understanding how much we have collectively hated one another and hidden the truth.
#BlackLivesMatter
No comments:
Post a Comment