It’s no secret that two of the most influential Black filmmakers of our time, Tyler Perry and Spike Lee, have had a long-standing beef. Perry, who has had more than one shot taken at him from his peers in the entertainment industry, has had enough of the insults coming from Lee, and lashed out at a press conference in Beverly Hills last week.
When asked about some of Madea’s traits being perceived as negative, Perry responded, “Spike Lee can go straight to hell and all y’all can print that,”.
“I’m sick and tired of him talking about me … saying this [Madea] is a coon and a buffoon. Talking about Black people going to see movies … he says, ‘You vote by what you see,’ as if Black people don’t know what they want to see. I’m sick of him. He talks about Whoopi [Goldberg], Oprah, me, Clint Eastwood. He needs to shut the hell up.
“Let me make it perfectly clear to everyone, especially Black people: You never see Jewish people attack ‘Seinfeld’ and say this is a stereotype … you never see Italian people attack ‘The Sopranos.’ There was no complaining about ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ or Dustin Hoffman in ‘Tootsie.’
“You never saw it … it’s always Black people and it’s something I can’t undo. I’m sick of it … it comes from us. We don’t have to worry about everyone else trying to destroy us and take shots, because we do it to ourselves.”
I can’t front – the BI fam are harsh critics of the product Perry puts out – though we admire his entrepreneurship and self-directedness, many of his characters are caricatures of Black stereotypes. However, when we critique him, is that a sign of “crab in a barrel” syndrome? Should we just let the brother continue to do him and not express how it makes us feel? Should all of us, Spike Lee included, shut the hell up? Or is Perry in denial about the lasting effect his films will have on our community?
What do you think?
I like Tyler Perry, however I understand that people don’t like stereotypes. Too often they are used to influence the opinions of others for ill or good. However I believe that they exist for a reason. I don’t like all of his movies i should say, just the ones with Madea. I mean She reminds me of so many of my friends grandparents that i grew up with. The hard, but unending love that all my family has. I think it is a product of the way we have lived and grown up in the “ghettos”. I don’t say it in quotes to try and remove me from it, but to remove the stigma that goes with it. Because what one person calls a “ghetto” another person calls home. Same goes for me, and everyone anywhere who calls one of these “ghettos” home. because to think we call “ghetto” home, is ignorant. We call home home, you just don’t like it, or think that there’s something wrong with our home. So you label it and call it ghetto.
Not talking to you the poster, just the same people Tyler was talking too. The ignorant hate that comes from people who can’t accept that there different, and its ok to be.