Monday, August 5, 2013

Why does the Black man always have to die?

I would seriously love an answer to my question. Every time I turn around, it's the Black man that's dying in a science fiction movie. In fact, that's become as common as the scared white girl in the horror movie falling flat on her face while running. You know the one, out with her guy in her really short shorts and questionable heels in the inky black woods, while the rest of their friends are either snuggled in the tents or sitting around the campfire telling horror stories. These two love birds sneak off for a little "ohh la la", only to be confronted by the lunatic with the deadly implement of destruction. The witless boyfriend buys the farm first and the white girl, in the questionable heels almost makes it back to her friends, but instead she falls flat on her face feet from the pack and gets her pretty little head chopped off.

That was the scenario in almost every horror film from the mid 80's to the early 90's. That was until some director decided the bad ass of the group should be the brunette female. The girl described above was always usually the blonde chick. This raven haired white girl faces down the sicko with the sharp killing device and slays him. Bravo for the bad ass white girl. I think it's time Black actors demand the same treatment as the raven haired girl. If they choose to be in a science fiction project, then it must be in their contract that their character CANNOT die!!!

Starting with the late great Paul Winfield who killed himself in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, all Black actors seem to buy the farm in sci-fi movies. I think the only Black actor that didn't die in a good sci-fi flick (I'm not talking about that Terminator: Salvation and After Earth crap) was Billy Dee Williams who somehow made it out alive in both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. George Lucas made up for that slight though in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith where Samuel L. Jackson dies a horrible death. It's like Black people don't live in the future and if we do, it's just a matter of time before someone kills us. Last year, Michael B. Jordan died in Chronicle and just this year Morgan Freeman dies in Oblivion and Idris Elba bows out heroically in Pacific Rim.

Can SOMEONE make a science fiction movie where the Black guy lives to the very end and smiles as the credits roll. If the white girls are living through the horror movies now, why can't the Black guys make it all the way through a sci-fi motion picture? I mean, do we ALWAYS have to die? Sheesh!

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