Sardonic Sistah Says

The Washington Post just finished a week long retrospective of the Chandra Levy case amid criticism that the focused on the killing of one white intern while hundreds of unsolved murders of African Americans happen in Washington DC every year. 

For the last few years the black community has called out mainstream media for not following stories about the disappearances of black women, instead focusing on young women with fair skin and long tresses.  Who will tell our story?  Who will care about our young women?

We will.  And we should.

Lavena Johnson

LaVena Johnson’s story is slow to gather attention in the news although it has the earmarkings of what usually sells.  The 19 year old private from Missouri was proudly serving her country.  She was drawn to the Army out of love for travel and the promise of money for college.  In July 2005 LaVena was found dead and her death was ruled by the Army a suicide although up to her death LaVena spoke regularly with family and friends and had given no sign of contemplating suicide.

When the Johnson family received their daughter’s body they saw signs that she had been beaten. 

“After two years of being denied answers and hearing explanations that made no sense, the Johnsons received a CD-ROM from someone on the inside,” writes Color of Change.org.   ”It contained pictures of the crime scene where LaVena died and an autopsy showing that she had suffered bruises, abrasions, a dislocated shoulder, broken teeth, and some type of sexual assault. Her body was partially burned; she had been doused in a flammable liquid, and someone had set her body on fire. A corrosive chemical had been poured in her genital area, perhaps to cover up evidence of rape.”

As the Army sticks with their story bloggers like Phillip Barron have taken up the cause.  Her story has also been discussed on Common Dreams.org and Salon.com.  Color of Change.org has a petitioncalling on Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, to investigate the Army’s cover-up of LaVena’s death.

LaVena’s father feels that they aren’t the only family to suffer a loss in this way.  In June ‘08, Dr. Johnson told the New Zealand Herald that he has been contacted by 10 other families of “suicide female soldiers” where the common thread among them is rape.

Dr. Johnson believes that a high ranking official was involved in his daughter’s death.  “If this had been a private, they would have thrown him under a bus a long time ago,” he said.

Is she wishing for her film to be made or scrapped?

This is July and Disney is still making changes to “The Frog Princess”?

EURweb is reporting that Disney is going back and removing anything that seems like a black stereotype or racist.  Her name has been changed from Maddy to Tiana and she no longer has a voodoo priestess for a fairy Godmother.  They also changed the race of her prince, who has gone from white to having Middle Eastern heritage and is named Naveen. 

The story still takes place in New Orleans during the Jazz age. 

I can understand that many want the first black princess film that Disney makes not to be reminiscent of “Songs of the South”.  We are right to protect our image, but some of it seems like unwarranted nitpicking.  Like the name Maddy.   Maddy sound a lot like Mattie which, in fact, is the name of several relatives of mind and a name that I’ve entertained giving to a future daughter if I should have another.  Yeah, I guess it rhymes with mammy but so does Sammy.  And really, I’m not too hyped on Tiana which sounds like it could possibly be an average ghetto name.

The fact that they don’t have a black prince is sad (although I don’t have a black prince either, so I guess I can’t really cry) but aside from that is it really necessary to look at everything that a mainstream company does and make them tell the story the way we would tell it if we could get someone black to do it.

Jimi Izrael thinks it might be too much for us to expect that Disney will get the black experience right on the first try.  Besides that, Disney’s main objective is to make movies that make money. 

“Unfortunately, while there are a few ethno-centric ‘toons, no black animation companies with Disney power come to mind, so we’re stuck.” Izrael wrote on The Root. “The truth to tell, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I have a daughter, so it is important to me for her to see images that reflect her beauty.”

But then we did have someone come out with a full length feature film 16 years ago.  Bebe’s Kids *(we don’t die, we multiply) was hyped as the first black cartoon film and it was replete with black stereotypes (crazy black ex girlfriends, badass kids, single motherhood) but did we take exception to that?  Heck no, I still hear people referring to little black rambunctious as “bebes”. 

So can we really expect someone else to take our image more seriously than we do ourselves?

*And yeah, I know that it was a cartoon of the comedy routine by Robin Harris (RIP).  

Elder Porn is Picking Up in Japan

Is this like elder abuse except reversed?

I know I shouldn’t be laughing that 73 year old Shigeo Tokuda is getting freaky-deaky on film.  According to a current issue of Time Magazine where they found Japan to be the most sexless society of the industrialized world,  gramps may need to show the young dudes how it’s done.  A World Health Organization study in March said that 1 in 4 married couples in Japan have not had sex in the last year and ” 38% of couples in their 50s no longer have sex at all”.

I am sure that these videos may stoke the appetite of the over 60 set but I’m not sure it will do much for those who may prefer plump over wizened behinds baring it all on screen.

Although to his credit Tokuda is also the leading man to young women in his films.

I’m not sure if this is something I necessarily want to see here, retired people supplementing their Social Security checks by doing who knows what on screen.  I know its hard out there with the expense of prescription drugs and doctor visits but lets hope we never have to see Granny gumming anything on youtube.

These older people today, what’s with them?

For all those ladies waiting for Joseph Doughrity to release his film festival hit it appears the date is coming fast.

From Popcultureshock.com:

Finally, the announcement many of you have been waiting for … a street date for the Akira DVD. We’re looking at Tuesday, August 19th for a street date for the DVD. The price will be $10 plus $4.80 for shipping in the U.S., details on International shipping will be forthcoming. This release will be supported by an appearance by myself and James Kyson Lee in Los Angeles in September. More details on that later.

Okay, let’s see, so that’s four movies now with Asian Male/African American female love interest with the previous ones being Romeo Must Die, Catfish in Black Bean Sauce, and Fakin da Funk.  If the category of AM/BF romance is defined loosely then one can add the film Nowhere to this repetoire. 

Not a whole film festival, but it’s at least one night.

Everyone has an opinion, but when a celebrity talks people listen.

Or at least can be given prime real estate in a widely read national newspaper without being fact check or checked, period.

So an actor whose heydey was about 30 years ago and who is now known as Angelina Jolie’s estranged father or the punchline from Seinfeld (“I’m driving Jon Voight’s car!) wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post against Obama. 

Highlights from his piece:

• The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. It seems to me that if Mr. Obama wins the presidential election, then Messrs. Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers and Pfleger will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America.
• The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds.
• Gen. Wesley Clark, who himself has shame upon him, having been relieved of his command, has done their bidding and become a lying fool in his need to demean a fellow soldier and a true hero.
• And while a misleading portrait of Mr. Obama is being perpetrated by a media controlled by the Democrats, the Obama camp has sent out people to attack the greatness of Sen. John McCain, whose suffering and courage in a Hanoi prison camp is an American legend.

The only part of his diatribe that I agreed with was giving props to the soldiers overseas.  Everything else seemed like the ramblings of a disgruntled old man.

It should be noted that Voight is a Republican who often appears on television blasting the right.

I don’t care that Voight is speaking out against Obama.  In a Democracy everyone has a right to voice their opinion.  But what I dislike his the way the argument is framed.  When you bring it, come correct.  Obama wasn’t raised on Farrakhan and to put it out there is disingenuous.  Voight’s statement just helps to perpetuate a lie that riles up plenty of white Americans who fear a black male (in this case, really a biracial male) who tries to run for a position many deem for just white men.

As for young people, I’m not sure how easy it is to “program” a young person’s mind but I do know it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  Sometimes its hard for older people to realize that things change, outlooks change, and we have to move on to move forward.

I am disheartened by the Post’s decision to print his piece.  But I don’t want what some would deem a “liberal” celebrity to come on and answer his column.  For someone else to come and write an illogical answer just helps to deteriorate the discussion.