Skids and Mudflap...how does everyone feel about the racism accusations?

[pearllharbourwasntthatbad]

As i'm sure you've all heard the new york times, aint it cool news and others have accused M.Bay and others involved in making TF2 brought to the surface negative black stereotypes in their protrayal of these 2 characters..

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times said that "the characters [...] indicate that minstrelsy remains as much in fashion in Hollywood as when, well, Jar Jar Binks was set loose by George Lucas.

"The characters have been given ape-like appearence, speak in street-slang dialog, and confess an inability to read; one of the characters also has a gold tooth."

How does everyone feel about all this?

[Jennar]

So they look 'thugish'. . . how does this make them Black, Hispanic, etc?

They only see it that way because that is their own prejudice's making the connection. If you go looking for it you will find it everywhere you look.

-J

[StuntDriver]

Hmmmm... interesting. I'll have to read more on this.

[5 Star General]

i was at grocery store yesterday and i saw vanilla ice creams stacked on top of chocolate--its holding the dark color ones down--we have racist ice cream now---i haven't seen the flim but everyone in all walks of life and relate to the twins----exactly ^^^^ its their racist mind got them looking---like in TF one--they said teh "black" autobot had to die first---since when when cybertrons have "color"---pple own racist mind got them thinking that shit ooo jazz died first--no jazzz little asss isjust got captued by angy meg

[pearllharbourwasntthatbad]

ahaha

[Unicron]

Those people that look for racism, will find it everywhere if they look long and hard enough.

It occurs all the time. Lord Of The Rings was apparently racist, and so was Star Wars according to some critics. :lol

[Double]

"Street" is not a race.

[littleman794]

honestly, who cares? so the twins are different...does that mean bay is a racist? hell no!

man, those guys are stoopid

[Avalanche™]

thats their character in the movie, its not racist at all. thats how they got developed plain and simple, people need to stop nitpicking.

[Sillypuddy]

I find the Twins and the humor they brought to the movie no different and no more offensive than the sterotyping done in The Hangover....its because it is a Bay movie that all the fuss....really brought into the picture by the mindless leader at AICN....comes about....

[taybrian1]

I don't think they're racist. I think they're just stupid and funny. Hail to the twins, baby!

[StuntDriver]

It's true that people looking for racism can basically find it anywhere, which is sad. Somebody's definitely looked too much into this. Interesting article nonetheless.

[Inflataman]

It's not in the slightest way racist to me or my family. It kind of bugs me how people of other races seem to be the ones deeming things racist or trying to protect us . When in fact there is nothing racist there Jar Jar was not racist just really really stupid. The twins are probably the same.

[Firefrost]

I thought they were great. If you want to label them, it took a bunch of stereotypes to create their personalities. Thugs, red necks, mildly retarded...etc. Who effin cares? People need to get a clue.

[MrX]

Their Freek'n Robots Damn It! Not HUMAN! The language they speak and their inabillity to read is irrelevant. Why is it that some people must search for racism even when its not even present(I'm speaking in general not just in ROTF which I have Yet to see)?

[Ironhide258]

Its ridiculous i actually liked the charecters i was expecting them be annoying but they were quite funny. And also the way i see it its just political correctness once again trying to cause trouble.

I wasn't convinced that the two would be in a 3rd film but now i'm sure they will with there new publicity.

[Down_With_OP]

People will always...always find something to complain and b!tch about. I liked the characters...thought they came off as more 'redneckish' than 'street' or whatever. Wish we would've seen more of the other autobots.

[Scanadian]

No matter what anyone says, it's not stereotype, it's simply truth. Not all black men act this way but depending on where you grow up, a lot of the younger black men act like thugs when they are around their friends. I'm not putting them down but it's portrayed in the rap videos, on t.v., and in movies. Whenever I go somewhere in downtown Phoenix, I always hear young black and hispanic males talking in slang or "street".

This is nothing to get worked up about. The ones who do act this way do it to themselves.

[Andreas]

The whole Skids and Mudflap racist controversy is ridiculous. You know, white people also talk slang...

[BAYliner]

the link

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies....race-issues-ap

Mike i support you 100% and will see ROTF & your movies in the cinemas as much as i can afford it..i loved loved it! DO NOT CHANGE your style!!

[littleman794]

wow..that is so stupid..can people let it go? jeez, they are just robots after all

[Andreas]

I feel like slapping someone after reading that article. Maybe that professor of popular culture? The so called professor who hasn't even seen the movie and still critizes the movie! I mean... where's the logic in that?! Please, tell me. I'm lost for words right now.

FUCK EVERYONE.

Racist?! They are reading TOO MUCH into it. It's like they want the movie to be racist just for the sake of having something to critisize!

[halofan1]

Went to see the film last night with a regular crowd. Honestly, they were all pretty much taken out of it the "We don't do readin'" line came up. They still laughed, but not as much at them as they were before.

[halofan1]

Fair question:

How many people are using these two as scapegoats to take their aggressions out on Bay?

[cdubya]

hrrrmmm(scratches chin)...I'm kinda on the fence with this one....

Being a black man, I can see the issue with it being racist as people tend to forget that it doesn't exist. Trust me it's alive and well just so subtle, that you have to actually decipher whether or not that person or thing is in fact racist. And if you take time to do that, then that means you have too much time on your hands worrying about what ppl think about you.

The fact that Jazz, and the twins "downloaded" BAD black "images" kinda bugs me. Not all of us speak Ebonics, curse, wear hip hop clothes, listen to rap, etc..Shizz not all of the ppl that do ARE black.

Some of us like me, listen to real hip hop, shop at Target, Saks, have actually been outside the US as a tourist and not for the military, dont spend our paychecks on rims and jewelry, hate going to Walmart, and READ actual books and not rap mags...

OTOH....They're ALIEN ROBOTS!! Not some B or C low level actors that Bay paid in food stamps, haha. Some of the stuff was kinda funny, even funnier was when Bumblebee smashed their heads together, haha..That was classic.