legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79560 posts
Tue Jan-03-17 10:44 AM
1. "wtf... cmon, they couldn't find anyone else for this? " In response to Reply # 0
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
5. "You don't think so? Are you sure his acceptance wasn't due..." In response to Reply # 4
RE: except thurgood's appearance wasn't a part of his story
, partially, to his fairer skin? During that time, his appearance would have been tremendously beneficial to him since lighter shaded Black people were more highly thought. It's unfortunate but true. So, should his story not be told as authentically as Nina's was?
6. "A central part of Nina's story" In response to Reply # 5
was the difficulty she had in getting work because she did not fit certain beauty standards. The Saldana pick was lemon in the wound because they chose someone who does (and benefits from it) to play that part. Essentially, the highlighted that Hollywood hasn't changed that much from Nina's time. It's easier for actresses who look like Zoe Saldana to get work than those who look like Nina Simone.
Nothing like that appears in the Marshall story. Was it arguably easier for him because of his complexion? maybe. But it wasn't explicit like it was for Nina. And it wasn't a necessary or important part of his story (his contemporaries were civil rights activists and attorneys some of whom were darker).
7. "RE: A central part of Nina's story" In response to Reply # 6
You're 100% right about Nina's story, but Creole's point about Marshall's fair skin is also very valid. He represented the NAACP who has a long history of choosing light faces. In his day, you were most definitely thought more highly of solely due to being light, so the depiction of him as a darker skinned guy, alone, is revisionist history on many levels.
11. "His complexion is certainly a part of his story..." In response to Reply # 6 Tue Jan-03-17 01:44 PM by Creole
>Nothing like that appears in the Marshall story. Was it >arguably easier for him because of his complexion? maybe. But >it wasn't explicit like it was for Nina. And it wasn't a >necessary or important part of his story (his contemporaries >were civil rights activists and attorneys some of whom were >darker).
Does it have to be explicitly stated to be a part of someone's story? The way Black folks were treated then is no different from today. Nobody is saying outright that you're better because you're lighter than them. No one is gonna say that you're being chosen because you're lighter than the rest of the options or that the texture of your hair makes you better or more attractive/appealing. And since they won't explicitly state so, it's a nuance that is central to our very being and which should be evident in the story of Mr. Marshall even if it is only implied.
Otherwise, folks shit on Saldana for no reason at all before even giving her performance a shot to tell the story.
Edit: He was chosen to be the face of Brown vs Board of Ed for a reason. That case was consolidated with others but, for some reason, he was chosen by the NAACP to be the face of it all. And he's the one we always hear of as being behind the victory without there being mention of the folks who were attached to the case. From what I KNOW and have seen, these folks ain't necessarily light skinned.
22. "not in the same way" In response to Reply # 11
Saldana's casting reinforces everything that was believed and said about Nina's appearance during that time, does the casting here have the same effect?
24. "Inaccuracy is inaccuracy..." In response to Reply # 22
I understand what you're saying. Let's just not negate the significance color plays or has played. Fair representation across the board
Folks bemoaned a brown-skinned Saldana for playing a darker brown-skinned legend. They did it before allowing the acting to tell the tale. That shouldn't matter if the story was most important. If accuracy was the most important, Chadwick nor Saldana should have been cast in their respective roles.
We'll see how it pans out though. I'll, more than likely, not see the film either since I am not a fan of his work just like I am not a fan of Saldana's.
28. "I think my point was, it wasn't just about accuracy" In response to Reply # 24
with Saldana. It's not like folks were complaining because she was too tall or too short to play the part. It was the fact that they were inaccurate in a way that seems to reinforce everything Nina Simone fought against that matters.
Portraying darker-skinned black figures as light-skinned, mulatto or even white is another tactic used to keep the "blacks never do accomplish anything" theme running.
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