Or perhaps the question I'm really asking is: Is AMERICA ready for a Black Superman? Being an American myself, I suppose I can really only speak for the US, as it is my home country, and the place that I grew up in. I don't really know how other countries would really view this subject, but I imagine it could potentially be somewhat similiar.
I suppose just to give you a little bit of background, I'm African American. I was Superman this past Halloween. Now of course, mixing those two things, you obviously get the inevitable statement: "You can't be Superman! Superman's not Black!" And yes, I did hear this.
A lot.
Some of it was purely joking. But you know, there were people legitimately telling me, "It's weird for you to dress up as Superman. He's not Black." Now, a few weeks later, this has finally started to get under my skin a little bit. I can't help but wonder what makes people say things like this. Is it really an issue of Superman's skin color? Or is there something deeper at work here?
There's the age-old rumor that was put out there that Will Smith was offered the role of Superman before Bryan Singer signed on to direct, and Brandon Routh was ultimately chosen. Smith likes to say that he turned down the role because of something that paraphrases as "You can't go around screwing with White people's heroes (like in the Wild Wild West movie when he played James West, originally a Caucasian character in the old show)." I don't personally put much stock in this rumor (he did, after all, make the same claim about Captain America, a role which I actually might not have minded seeing him in...), but you know, it's also something to think about. Why CAN'T we have a Black Superman?
Now, I know I've always traditionally been very hard on mainstream Black culture. I think rap is garbage, most Tyler Perry movies are overrated, and I can't stand gospel music. However, I also believe that the idea of Black culture that the media has created has effectively prevented any Black person from ever being seen in a Superman-like role. But why can't we fight this?
About 40 years ago, a young Chinese man bursted onto the Hollywood scene, armed with a very minimal, at best, acting resume and his years of martial arts training. In an era where Chinese actors were only seen as villains and people who spoke in stereotypical broken English phrases with long thin Fu Manchu beards, this young man changed Hollywood's perception of Asians in cinema forever. He showed that Asians could be heroes, too. He also changed the world not only with his fists, but with his wisdom. He has truly become a world-renowned icon, and has probably had the greatest positive impact on changing a cultural stereotype, even decades after his very untimely premature death.
This man's name was Bruce Lee.
Now I ask you, why can't Blacks change the way people view us? The common view is that we are loud-mouthed, cussing, flailing people. Or we're "badasses" like Samuel L. Jackson, and/or we're more muscle than brains. But why. Why does the Black Clark Kent have to be Steve Urkel? Why can't an African American be a symbol of hope for the world? A shining example of truth, justice, and the American way?
Think about it: Superman isn't even really Caucasian. He's an alien. He's the ultimate immigrant, and not only America, but the world has embraced him as such. Yet despite that, we as a society are still bound by this idea that Superman has to be a white guy. Why can't he appear to be any other ethnicity? He may be the world's greatest superhero, but why should that have to be a Whites-only role?
I suppose the world isn't actually ready for a Black Superman.
Greetings! Long time no hear from, I know. But I suppose it's time for another one of these thingsies.
So I went out with someone last Sunday, and we had an amazing conversation about... well lots of things, actually. But I think the most important thing is friendship. We had a chat about the different kinds of people we met in other places of the world. She lived in Germany for three years, and of course I was in Hong Kong for a while (sure, four months is VERY different from three years, but when you're with great people, the time passes just as quickly, sadly).
Either way, it's amazing the different experiences you have with people in different places in the world. We both realized that the friends we made overseas were... well, very different from "friends" that have been made here in the US. While I don't doubt that the friends, at least a few of them, that I have here are there for me, I've never had to question any of my friendships with the ones I've met overseas.
It's like... Here, I constantly doubt whether or not I can actually rely on people. Which is why I tend not to. For instance, if I'm, say, in town for a while, I can never actually count on being able to see people... if that makes sense.
On the flipside, after spending a year and a half away from Hong Kong, I went back for only a couple days, and it felt like I had never left. Even after all that time, my friendships were retained, and they were just as strong as ever.
I've learned not to question why bonds like that can stay so strong. But I just wonder why the bond has to be with people that are so far away. Why can't I rely on people that are only a few minutes away, yet I never doubt my friends ~ my family ~ who are on the other side of the world?
I'm back! I apologize for being MIA. But I hate my job. And I'm working on finding a new one. 76.5 hours a week is not going to cut it. Especially when I feel like I'm completely throwing away my college education. I did not spend 5 years studying Music and International Studies to work as a Service Advisor at Volkswagen.
I feel like my job is completely absorbing my soul. I'm completely burned out, and I'm only 23. No one should ever be burned out like this at such a young age. But I fear that I'll leave this job and then not be able to find a new job for at least another few months. You know, economy and whatnot. But oh well.
I'm still trying to update my blog as best I can, I haven't forgotten about all 4 of you that probably never even read my blog in the first place... >.<
So I just saw Way of the Dragon for the first time... I absolutely loved it! Very great movie, the finest Bruce Lee movie I've ever seen. It was really funny, but the action was solid, too. Much better than Return of the Dragon.
Chuck Norris needs to shave his chest, though... >_>
Is the world leaving me behind? I have this job that's... well, basically worth nothing. I'm not happy, and it's not related to anything that I want to do with my life at all. All of my friends are either still back in school or off pursuing their dreams and whatnot or working actual jobs and the like. I'm single and alone. Everyone else I know is pairing off with other people, and I don't even have the time to look for anyone special or even go places to meet people.
I want to travel. I want to go places. I have ideas about where I truly want to be, but for now, I just want to hop on a train or a plane and travel somewhere. I want to see places, meet new and interesting people, and learn new things from the places that I go. I want to see what the world has to offer. I know there's so much out there that I have yet to see and learn about. And I want to learn everything that the world has to teach me.
Some places I dream of going to....
Japan
Italy
New York
The Himalayas
And soo many more... let's make it happen. I can't stay here, I'm going to go and travel. I'll fly free as a bird someday...
Y'know what movie I just saw today? The Last Airbender. And I loved it (despite it seemingly getting amazingly negative reviews). And I have never really cared for an M. Night movie in my life. Perhaps because this movie was all "WHAT A TWIST!"-y.
So here's the deal: There's this kid who was born as the reincarnation of the "Avatar" (not to be confused with the all flash and no substance James Cameron movie of the same name... which is the reason it's not called Avatar: The Last Airbender like the show it's based on that's I've never actually seen an episode of in my life). He's capable of "bending" all four elements, which, from what I could gather, is like manipulating elements to use as methods of attacking and defending. Except that he can only "bend" his element that he was born into: air. And the movie is basically about him learning to bend the second element water, with potential sequels apparently having him learn to bend earth and fire, in that order).
Btw, there's this fire tribe (did I mention those four elements are four different tribes?) who is chasing him throughout they movie. They don't want to kill him, since he'll just be reincarnated again, but it's never really clear what exactly they want to with him instead of killing him. Especially since he seems so strong that he can apparently kill everybody, except that he doesn't kill, or even really want to harm others. But yeah, it's an epic and, and he gathers a crew of supporters with weird names that I can't remember, and, well, you just have to see it.
Anywhooo, the first thing you notice about this movie is that it was definitely made for 3D. It's evident from the very first scene. Even though I saw it in 2D, I could definitely tell why it was meant to be watched in 3D. And you'll realize it, too, if you see the movie. It's very obvious.
The action in this movie is amazing. I loved watching all of the fight sequences, which were filmed beautifully. My one gripe with the action itself is all of the hand motions. Like I said earlier, I've never seen the show itself so I don't know if this was taken from the series, but the hand motions often seemed far more extensive, to the point that they're kind of distracting from the awesome attack that is about to happen. It's appropriate for a really big climactic attack or training, but not for just fighting some random Fire Tribe goons.
The acting was... decent. Not the most amazing cast, but I think that, at the very least, the key roles definitely fit. Noah Ringer was solid in his role of Aang. And I applaud M. Night for not wanting to make this movie without the actree who played Katara. Some of the dialogue seemed rather... dry at times. Partly due to the writing just being rather simple, and partly due to the way to the way the scenes were delivered. The very rushed romantic subplot felt more forced than truly romantic.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie. It's enjoyable, and I do hope it does well enough to warrant a sequel!
