It would seem that Mr. Perry has caused a bit of outrage with his new cable television show Tyler Perry’s House of Payne on TBS. Not that Mr. Perry has never been attacked for his material before.
"[It] generates contempt for and ridicule of and erasure of black women as complex and substantive”
All of this drama and yet Mr. Perry made $110 million dollars in his latest films, Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion, and garnered a television show contract. I have to believe that some are watching the program. Thus I can’t understand why anyone would be upset with the man. He makes play, movies and now television programs that target an audience, what’s wrong with that?
I realize that Mr. Perry is not making films the quality of say Mr. Spike Lee, or Kasi Lemmons, Mr. Stanley Nelson, or Mr. John Singleton but why does he have too? Every movie, television show, or anything for that matter does not need to be critically acclaimed and award winning in quality. It simply needs to entertain. That’s it. If people like what you make you get to make more. How much money have actors like Mr. Sylvester Stallone, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Wesley Snipes, made on films that were weak on plot, long on action and had guns that NEVER needed reloading.
If Mr. Perry can make money with his gospel-heavy, southern-styled, and perhaps stereotypical projects, good for him. I say that for 2 reasons. The first is that few other groups besides African Americans have any interest in the material he covers. It’s just too specific to experiences we either live or know about. Obviously many African Americans have no objection to the material. The other reason is that without Mr. Perry how many qualified Black actors and actresses would not be working today? I would never take food and opportunities out of the mouths of anyone on the basis of something as trivial as ‘I don’t like the work you do’.
For those that don’t like the work of Mr. Perry, do as Ms. Vivica Fox and I have done. Don’t see his work. It’s like when I was young, I recall ads on television in the Bronx for You’re Arms Are Too Short To Box With God [why are the Black theatre play’s titles so long?]. I had zero interest in seeing it, but I was glad that it was out there. To treat Mr. Tyler any different is wrong.
I’ll even go one better. For those that dislike his work enough to complain, go out and make your own film/play/movie/television show. It won’t be easy, you may not make money, but at least you will be doing something. And I’ll be happy to know you did it, whether or not I see it.
This is what I think, what do you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment