It's been a hectic 72 hours. With the Texas Senate Bill 5 situation a few nights ago, the repealing of some sections in the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, the declared unconstitutionality of Prop 8 and DOMA, and the confusing results of the court case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl (results confusing, at least, for me), following the political sphere in the United States has been a bit dizzying over the past few days. The emergence of these legislative and judicial conflicts has made me realize, more than ever, that I am ignorant to many of the things going on in this country. Though I prefer to stay away from politics, and though it's always extremely confusing when I try to dive in, my wish to ignore politics isn't necessarily okay. These political decisions reflect cultural values in the United States, and their results have real-life consequences. Being white, I can easily chose to be oblivious to these consequences if I'm just living my daily life, going about my own business. But just because I do have the privilege of ignoring politics and going about my day without trouble, does not mean I should. My ability to do so, while others are constantly struggling for their rights and watching them be taken away time and time again, is wrong in itself. It's time that I wake up and start educating myself about what's really going on.
While I clearly am not the most educated person in the world, I'm thankful that I at least have some sense of right and wrong. Months ago, I began to see previews for Disney's"The Lone Ranger." For reasons I couldn't pinpoint or articulate, watching the trailer made me really uncomfortable. I knew there was something wrong with Johnny Depp's portrayal of Tonto. I felt it, even if I couldn't logically figure out why I felt that way.
Aside from the harmful, but typical, issue of a white man being the star of the film while a person of color is nothing more than a sidekick (in this case, "some lunatic Indian" who he's "got with him"), there is more under the surface here. I think my initial discomfort came from the blatancy of the stereotypes upon which Johnny Depp (and the writers, directors, and other members of the crew who brought this project to life) plays his character. In the midst of processing these feelings, a Tumblr post came out of the woodwork that validated my own concerns and illuminated several more troubling aspects to this movie.
More eloquent and informed than I ever could have been, here is aquietrevolutionary's take on "The Lone Ranger"
For more information, you can click on the links from the original post. My favorite of them is the angry response of YouTuber ASmilingMalice, titled "To Johnny Depp, from a 1/4 Ojibwa"
Also, here are two very on-point comments from the video:
As the commenter claims, being white isn't necessarily about family lineage, but it can simply be about one's appearance. We live in a nation where having a lighter skin tone, even among people of color, is "preferred" by employers and more "accepted" by society in general. Simply having a fairer complexion can give a person an advantage in the United States. And I think it's incredibly damaging for white people, who already have that privilege, to dress up as a person of color when it is convenient for them, without having to deal with the everyday social consequences of it. In this role, Johnny Depp gains recognition and revenue, and yet off-screen he never has to deal with the discrimination that a Native American would be burdened with. He, along with everyone involved with this film, is using this fictional person of color to benefit himself. This portrayal does nothing for present-day or once-living Native Americans. In fact, I would say that it mocks them, not only because of the broken English and garish costume, but because in this film, Tonto is used for white people's gain in wealth, similar to the way Native Americans were used and slaughtered so white people could gain American land. This role doesn't tell anyone, "You're still warriors, man," it proudly pronounces, "Nothing has changed."
Why is this act of Red Face seen as acceptable? My university was rattled (and rightly so) by an incident involving Black Face, and yet I haven't seen anyone publicly outraged by this movie. This incident has, firstly, made me realize that Native American oppression is often dismissed and ignored. I've realized that I don't really know anything about the conditions on reservations, or how the legal system treats Native Americans. I've never thought about how nations (a term that I hope I am using correctly, for three days ago, I wasn't even aware that 'tribe' was an incredibly imperialist word) are lumped into one idea about what it means to be "Native American." But it is so true. I think there is a lot of ignorance surrounding the reality of being a Native American, in the past and the present.
Secondly, in this particular incident, I think Disney is intentionally keeping the already unaware majority in the dark. As said by Indian Country Today Media Network, Disney attempts to keep Johnny Depp's lineage "ambiguous," and "Disney relies upon the ignorance of the public to allow that ambiguity to exist" (as said by UCLA professor Hanay Geiogamah). At this point, I really think that Disney believes it can do whatever it wants (remember when it tried to trademark Dia de los Muertos?!? Who do the executives at Disney think they are?). This ambiguity is just one way of covering its ass so it does not need to take responsibility for racist actions. And what sickens me the most is that it won't need to take responsibilty. There has never been a widespread boycott of Disney, and realistically, this film won't change that.
As said by a past film professor of mine, "It's always about money. ALWAYS." It's safe to say that Johnny Depp was chosen for this role because he is a big name, and there are drones of people who will go see this film simply because Johnny Depp is in it. I'm sure he's a lovely actor to work with, but he was given the role because he will make A LOT of money for the companies involved. With that in mind, I believe the rest of the film is secondary to that fact. The movie may have even been built around that fact. Hey-- it may be racist, but we've got JOHNNY!
Besides the fact that it looks like a shitty action movie (let's be honest, nothing about this film is appealing to me, even if it weren't racist), the combination of Johnny Depp's casting and the multitude of stereotypes upon which the character is based means I won't be spending a dime on it. I just can't. It's similar to how I chose not to see the new Star Trek film in the theater because of whitewashing, despite how much I loved the first film and how much I want to see Benedict Cumberbatch succeed. Sometimes, knowing these issues ahead of time makes my interest in the film(s) dwindle completely. And sometimes it doesn't. I will probably see Star Trek Into Darkness at some point, but I certainly won't be spending money on it.
This is not to say that I've never watched and enjoyed troubling media, because that's nearly impossible. And this is not to say that you are a horrible person if you still want to see "The Lone Ranger" in the theater. A lot of media is really screwed up, and being personal aware of it does not change the fact that troubling shit is still being fed to the public (including me and you) in mass portions. In my opinion, you are only the villain in this situation if you are aware of this film's racism and claim that it isn't a big deal, or that media/our society lives in a post-racism space. Don't make excuses for this film, and don't try to defend it. And never tell someone they are overreacting because they are offended by it. It is possible to love a film and accept its flaws at the same time!!
For more words on this, please refer to the goddess Ceedling:
Also, topics like the -isms of our society are not a one-way thing. They are a discussion. So if there is anything you have a problem with in this post, or if you want to point something out in efforts to educate me, please comment!! I'm completely open to being corrected, for I'm still fairly new at this.
♥ Happy Watching (Or... err.... Not Watching) ♥
