The newly released movie, Black Panther, was a hit in the U.S. Raising an estimated 62.8 million dollars (Walsh and Xiao), this movie is what I've heard, "the best movie of all time"(unnamed aquaintance). While this may be true in the United States, there are reports that China thinks that the movie is a little too politically correct.
Apparently, the criticism is coming largely due to the fact that the majority of the cast is black (Walsh and Xiao). Because of this, viewers in China have rated this movie a six or seven out of ten, while U.S. folks have rated it a whopping nine point seven out of ten. While they have some problems with the black characters, they are more concerned with what is not there- people of their own culture. Some reviewers accused African American audiences of getting "special treatment" (unnamed reviewer), and instead, wished that Marvel would make a movie with a majority of Asians instead. They say that, "Countless black people have won their status for several generations. [Asian people] have not yet even entered mainstream society"(unnamed reviewer).
Although most of the reviewers in China have bad things to say about the movie, there are a few people that disagree. One viewer said "The story [was] fluent, the music [was] great, and it [was] a rare black superhero movie. I am also very interested in the African culture after seeing this movie". This type of review was rare, however. Most of the reviews were actually racially insensitive, one going as far to say that the film was "nearly a torture for the eyes"(unnamed reviewer).
While I prefer not to state my view on this, if you want to share yours, feel free to comment below. The only thing I will say is that although cultural incorporation is great, criticism on politically correctness might be better unsaid. Anyway, tell me what you think.
Although most of the reviewers in China have bad things to say about the movie, there are a few people that disagree. One viewer said "The story [was] fluent, the music [was] great, and it [was] a rare black superhero movie. I am also very interested in the African culture after seeing this movie". This type of review was rare, however. Most of the reviews were actually racially insensitive, one going as far to say that the film was "nearly a torture for the eyes"(unnamed reviewer).
I feel that you've misrepresented the quotes you've used. It appears you pulled them all from an ABC article, and haven't understood or mentioned the context around most of them. For example, your article mentions a "racially insensitive" comment stating "the film was 'nearly a torture for the eyes.'" This was clarified in the article, which said "racially insensitive comments...had more to do with aesthetic taste than racism," because "[t]here's a complaint with Chinese movie-goers that 3D movies are too dark," which hurts their eyes. This is a significant oversight.
ReplyDeleteThe coverage by ABC of the Chinese reactions also fail to pick up on the context of the reviews. A review referenced as "insensitive" literally states "[它]给我的感觉是昏昏欲睡，可能国人对通篇黑人的电影还是不习惯吧," which means "it gave me a drowsy feeling. Chinese people are perhaps not used to movies with people with black skin." ABC also gives no context to many of its other quotes, failing to even mention that in the reviews, "黑人" - translated literally as "black people" - references the color of skin more than race. In a response article, Quartz (the source initially cited by ABC) calls this out, stating "while the complaints of these commenters reference the actors’ skin color in a way that certainly sounds racist to a Western ear, they are actually describing the literal darkness of action scenes in the film set indoors or at night." Quartz also clarifies that "the reports on Chinese racism conflate skin color with race, a common mistake."
There are also many assumptions in your text that simply aren't true that I haven't even mentioned yet. Please consult more than one source before you post.
I also object your preference to "not to state [your] view on this." You aren't adding any value to what amounts to a superficial condensing of the ABC article. By adding your opinion, you could actually show that you spent time analyzing the situation, and developing a claim, which is what blogs are all about.