Is this racist?

[I_Write_Ivre]

Pretty much the entire story of the movie The Butler was made up. The inaccurate parts were how four family members of a black guy suffered and most died, plus some racist terms and positions from the wrong century.

The point of it all was to make people sad bad things happened not just to people, but black people; as the target audience was black, the entire point was to make black people angry about past discrimination and woes.

None of the made up parts were subtle or even tried to look like they really happened. But the entire point of writing is emotional manipulation, right? Is it okay to manipulate people and say it was true? Is it better or worse when you do it aimed at and portraying only one race?

[Kairi Nightingale]

I_Write_Ivre

Pretty much the entire story of the movie The Butler was made up. The inaccurate parts were how four family members of a black guy suffered and most died, plus some racist terms and positions from the wrong century.

The point of it all was to make people sad bad things happened not just to people, but black people; as the target audience was black, the entire point was to make black people angry about past discrimination and woes.

None of the made up parts were subtle or even tried to look like they really happened. But the entire point of writing is emotional manipulation, right? Is it okay to manipulate people and say it was true? Is it better or worse when you do it aimed at and portraying only one race?

I never saw the movie, but now I'm not sure I want to.

I think emotional manipulation is part of writing, but not the entire point of it. I hate it when movies that are supposed to be a realistic interpretation of a society and/or time period just make crap up, especially when it becomes popular, because it can be extremely damaging.

I hate to bring Twilight in, but seeing as that's a series I'm pretty familiar with and that was supposed to be in a real place and time period (except for the vampires/werewolves/shapeshifters crap), I'm gonna bring it up. Stephanie Meyer misrepresented a real tribe of Native Americans. Despite being a supernatural romance, it still had a big effect towards Forks and the Quileute.

This movie could be even more dangerous because it has no fantasy elements at all. To someone who didn't research that time period (of which most people haven't), they might take the movie elements as truth. I wouldn't say it's racist exactly, but I would say based off just what you have said and the commercials I've seen it does have the potential to spread dangerous misconceptions about the time period, which could lend to some backlash against the discriminatory faction (which I'm guessing was white people).

But like I said, I didn't see the movie or know much about the setting. So take that as you will.

[Moral Gutpunch]

Kairi Nightingale

This movie could be even more dangerous because it has no fantasy elements at all. To someone who didn't research that time period (of which most people haven't), they might take the movie elements as truth. I wouldn't say it's racist exactly, but I would say based off just what you have said and the commercials I've seen it does have the potential to spread dangerous misconceptions about the time period, which could lend to some backlash against the discriminatory faction (which I'm guessing was white people).

My fiance saw it with his family (all black) and they ate it up and he hated it for obviously making things up and was uncomfortable that about their reaction. The movie says 'black people will totally believe whatever we tell them! Let's call it a real story, make up stuff about black people and then market it to black people because they don't think!'

[Chicken Tikka Angel]

i dont think im qualified to talk about racism. ask a black person to help you :/

[Mantasty]

I think it's pretty clearly racist: towards whites!

It's not good enough to keep mentioning things that we have done in the past, but now to make up fictional accounts of this sort of thing, absolutely despicable. I feel that the screenwriters for this movie should be ashamed and deserve everything they get.

[Umbre]

I_Write_Ivre

Pretty much the entire story of the movie The Butler was made up. The inaccurate parts were how four family members of a black guy suffered and most died, plus some racist terms and positions from the wrong century.

The point of it all was to make people sad bad things happened not just to people, but black people; as the target audience was black, the entire point was to make black people angry about past discrimination and woes.

None of the made up parts were subtle or even tried to look like they really happened. But the entire point of writing is emotional manipulation, right? Is it okay to manipulate people and say it was true? Is it better or worse when you do it aimed at and portraying only one race?

There should always be a grain of salt taken with any story that presents itself as "Based on a True Story". Hollywood has a tendency to greatly exaggerate and twist things for the sake of making a bombastic, over the top story. That noted, I've not had a chance to watch the movie in question.

Although, to be fair, I'm not entirely sure the intention was to anger people with African heritage. It was likely more-so a poorly constructed attempt to try to win awards and get people talking. Both are things it has excelled in doing. Sometimes there is no better press than making a controversy when there originally wasn't one.

History has a way of either being painted in a more positive or negative light than the reality. When writers come in, they paint with words that match their thoughts on the matter. Think of all of the stories written about Victorian and Recency England that cater to housewives desperate for passion. They're full of romance and whimsy, but have very little fact. Although during that era, there were many authors who took pains to paint the lives of those who lived in the working classes, who made a point of manipulating the sympathies of the middle classes and upper classes. One of whom became a pariah for even daring to speak of the horrid living conditions and recommending birth control to help curb children starving to death because they couldn't be fed.

Ultimately, it is how the emotional blackmail is done and with what intent that determines whether it is beneficial or harmful. Although, there is generally not much to be gained by hating those different than you. Those of different backgrounds should be embraced and sought out with curiosity, not fear.

[Jewwbears]

I think it was suppose to be