55. "...A well-thought and logical post?" In response to In response to 52
TO THE SARLAC PIT WITH HER!
>there's an element of fantasy-make-believe in the madea >series. the audience has to make a leap into madea world in >order for things to be plausible. certain rules (ex: >attractive men) are in play when it comes to madea world and >as a viewer, you either accept them or you don't. obviously, >madea world isn't real life. you've pointed out a few reasons >why it's not reality. i think everyone understands that it's >not real life, even if only on a subconscious level. i don't >think that the fantastic elements of the stories make the >instructive value of them idealistic. > >>All three of his films were surrounding a love story, the >man >>involved is always perfect in any way. > >i wouldn't go that far. i'd say that the men in the romantic >roles aren't perfect in every way, but in the ways that count. >they apparently have an interest in treating women with >respect. > >instructive: recognize the bad. recognize the good. >instructive: bad "acts" this way. good "acts" this way. >instructive: people can choose bad or good. >instructive: are you choosing bad or good? >instructive: choose good. > >the goodness of the male characters has nothing to do with >their looks and everything to do with their actions. the bad >male characters aren't exactly ugly, either. the attractive >male phenomena is part of what happens in madea world. it's a >device...but it's also another chance to instruct: appearances >can be deceiving so it's important to be able to recognize >good and bad. > >grant it, maybe there are some women who may come away from >the films believing that there's a connection between a guy's >ability to show goodness with their money and looks. maybe the >stories encourage shallow mating preferences and unreasonable >amounts of wish-fulfillment and lots of trouble for the guy >who ends up dating a black woman with such silly ideas filling >her head. maybe. but there doesn't seem to be anything in the >films to suggest that women should focus their energies on >finding a man who's hot or rich/hot and rich. in fact, some of >the women in the stories who use the "sexy w/ a bank account" >screening method end up being quite unhappy. > >at any rate, i don't think it's an idealistic viewpoint that >women should protect themselves and learn how to choose mates >who demonstrate good qualities. is the lesson presented in a >hokey, corny, manner? yes. > >>Shemar Moore, Boris >>Kudjoe and Idris Elba were all blue collar workers with a >>heart of gold and near the end the woman gets a brain and >>decides to deal with the dude who in real life wouldn't get >>play from the women that support the film. > >then maybe people aren't getting the moral of the story! > >but then again, maybe it's the second rate presentation that >makes the moral of the story un-seeable and easily >misunderstood. > >>Its a Sesame Street >>lesson for grown black women and Madea is Big Bird. > >the simplicity/transparency of the story lines don't bother >me. children don't always get solid moral instruction and they >grow up to become adults who make decisions without the >benefit of it. simplicity is a very effective way to build up >people's confidence with the basics. what bothers me is that >the storylines are developed in a way that makes any kind of >message seem trite. > >