Evening, all.
Benedict Cumberbatch is in some hot water with the African American community.
Cumberbatch, the star of "The Imitation Game" and Sherlock, appeared on Tavis Smiley's PBS talk show last week to discuss the recent announcements of the Academy Awards nominations, which no actors or directors of color have been nominated for any of the major awards. Speaking on the topic, he mentions a certain word that has been seen as degradation to the African American race: colored.
Here's an except of the interview with Cumberbatch mentioning the word:
“I think as far as colored actors go it gets really different in the U.K., and a lot of my friends have had more opportunities here [in the U.S.] than in the U.K. and that’s something that needs to change. Something’s gone wrong, we’re not representative enough in our culture of different races and that really does need to step up a pace. I don’t want to get into any debates about that, but it’s clear when you see certain migratory patterns that there are more opportunities here than in the U.K.”
And here's a clip of excerpt:
I know that I wasn't born or raised during the previous generation to endure such a horrible experience as being separated from whites, getting severely punished for the simplest offense or called a "nigger" for no good reason, but even I think that it was a bad idea for Cumberbatch to say the term "colored" in reference to today's African American actors. And he should know better; he's a very classy, controlled, sophisticated man. So he should know that it's wrong to use that term.
Maybe because he is from the UK, and has been a bit secluded from the teachings of the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement in the US; I'm not sure, that's the closest thing I have to a good explanation in his defense. I do understand why he said it though, and he made a damn good point using it, but still, there are more better terms to use, like "people of color", "African American", "Black" and "minority". I'm not angry at him
I will cut him some slack though. He did make a good point about actors of color getting more opportunities in film in the United States than in the United Kingdom. Even though I haven't seen many films made from UK film studios, I have seen their posters, and many of them don't show black British actors on them; just white Britsh actors. Granted because most of the time, they're making films take place at the time period of Downton Abbey, but even in modern-day drama and even comedy films, there's rarely a black Brit to be seen and to be found on the posters.
And this extends to television too, where it's also hard to find British actors of color on the small screen. Granted, again, some of the more popular shows take place in the time period of Downton Abbey (like Call The Midwife, Mr. Selfridge and... Downton Abbey) Fortunately it's more easier to find them playing characters there than on the small screen.
So he makes a damn good point against his own homeland on people of color getting opportunities across the pond than in their home country; hell, they'd get a better opportunity competing on The Voice UK, Big Brother UK, and even Dragon's Den.
Anyway, after some backlash from the African American community, Cumberbatch apologized in this statement to People magazine:
“I feel the complete fool I am and while I am sorry to have offended people and to learn from my mistakes in such a public manner, please be assured I have. I apologize again to anyone I offended for this thoughtless use of inappropriate language about an issue which affects friends of mine and which I care about deeply.”
On the other hand, while I do agree the term "colored" is a term that shouldn't be used anyone in this day in age, I think that it's a better term to hear than "nigger" and "nigga".
Hear me out: I've made it known that I have hated the term "nigga" all my life, but I have gotten used to it lately. But many Blacks have been using the term casually for many decades to refer to their close friends or "homies" (remember, this term is a slight spin of the term "nigger", which was the ultimate degrading term to African Americans for cenuries). But when the term "colored" comes up, everyone's up in arms; understandably because a white person said it. But I don't feel that offended if that term was used by anyone, other than "nigga" or even "nigger", again, understandably because a white person said it. But in my lifetime, I'd be disgusted in anyone of any race said the term to me directly or indirectly. Because "nigger" has been used far more longer in history than "colored", and to me, being called "colored" is a step above being called "nigger" in my eyes (even if that term is also degrading), admittedly a little below "nigga", because at the end of the day, "nigga" is still a term used in a good way.
I just hope that this is the last time we hear of the term "colored" in this country for a long time, outside of biographical films about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and others.
No comments:
Post a Comment