Here is something that sparked my mind. Before I go on let me ask a question. What color is God? Don’t look further, and don’t do anything else yet. Write down that answer for a second.
Now the next thing I will ask is for the Christians out there. I suppose it applies, in a manner, to those who are Jewish or Muslim as well. What color/race is Jesus? Again, before you go further write down your answer, please.
I am not a religious person, though I was raised in a religious background. This is not about religion, so don’t get fanatical on me. Now look at your answers and then at the back of your hand. Predominantly the color/race of the person reflects how they view God. This is true throughout the world, except in America for the most part. In America Jesus, in particular, is viewed as looking like Mr. James Cavievel more than anything else. I won’t get into the description found in the Bible [other than to say that the proper description is ‘a man of olive skin and hair of wool’ as I recall] but this is an interesting view found in America.
The reason I mention this is that a new film is coming out about the last 2 days of Jesus. The theatrical film is called Color of the Cross. The story is the same as that found in Passion of the Christ for the most part as I understand. The difference is that Jesus, and I would assume the apostles and others, is African. This will be the first American film that directly portrays Jesus as an African.
Personally I think it’s an obvious call as the region that this story is supposed to take place in is predominantly Negroid in background. Yet it’s hard to find any image in this nation that does not depict a singular view of a European image. Honestly the only Europeans should be the Romans, and they were the bad guys. So given this I have to wonder how this movie will do in theatres. Will it get the same support that Passion of the Christ received from the conservative Christians? Will there be the same kind of interest in the story? Will other religious groups be as upset?
The answer should be yes. There should be a similar response since the story, as I understand, has not been changed and perhaps more because the story is not in Aramaic. But somehow I doubt it. In discussing this with a friend yesterday, this caused a revelation. My friend had never considered the question. It was firmly understood that the answer to the second question I asked at the beginning was white; the answer to the first was more difficult as God is beyond color or human form.
This lead to the fact that television, like religion in America, presumse to tell the citizenry that the world is not what we see in our daily lives. What I mean is that of the 100 – 120 broadcast television programs on primetime during a given week (assuming 7pm to 10pm, with 3 hour long shows and 2 half-hour shows, for 4 networks, 5 days a week) my friend and I were able to name 10 leading or main characters that were Black African American, Hispanic or Asian out of 500 – 600 main characters on television (assuming 5 main characters per show). That’s 2% of the main broadcast television population.
The conclusion would seem to be that minorities don’t exist in this nation. That we are not involved. It’s subtle, and like with the visage of a European Jesus it implies that those Black, Latino, Asian Americans similar to me are invisible. Perhaps that’s why cable network television programs are more interesting to me. Shows like Blade, the Shield, Thief and others connect with the rest of this nation that broadcast television ignores. This is a hard thing to do since 1/3 of the nation is one minority or another. Perhaps it’s why I cannot connect to many programs, because it does not reflect the reality I see outside my door – even in a predominantly white town like Binghamton.
So considering the importance given to ignoring the diversity of the nation, I really wonder how this movie will be received. I have to think that some will complain and be uncomfortable with this vison, and not all of them will be white. And I have to wonder why the color of a persons’ skin matters in telling a story. I want to see this movie, Color of the Cross, and review it. If the acting or directing is horrible, that’s one thing. But if it isn’t, the reaction will make a strong statement about what America thinks when we aren’t actively thinking. That is important.
And if nothing is said about it at all, if it becomes invisible, that says something too.
This is what I think, what do you think?
You can find the audio for this post on this page Audio MP3 recording.
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