Ugly Racism: Hunger Games Comments, Trayvon Martin vs. Beautiful Swan: Lil’ Buck and Yo-Yo Ma
28 Mar
It’s building. Today, I saw more and more Facebook posts about everyone’s sadness and frustration over the Trayvon Martin murder. Today it seems the media is all about trying to slander Trayvon’s name, ruin his reputation, blame the victim.
Other forms of ugliness took shape today, too. The Root,posted news of how some Hunger Games fans were very upset that one of the main characters in the books, Rue, is portrayed by a black actress in the film. Apparently, there are a lot of tweets and posts on fan sites consisting of racist rants, and major disappointment over black actors playing characters in the movie that the readers imagined were white.
I have not read the books yet, but many of my friends that posted said it clearly states in the book that Rue, and several characters in the Hunger Games Series have brown or olive skin. My twelve-year old daughter who saw the movie over the weekend didn’t mention anything about it to me,until I asked her if she was surprised Rue was black. She said she knew that she was from the book, and was sad about what happens to her in the movie.
The ugliness of racism was boiling over today on-line. It inspired my Facebook Poem Of The Day. (As some of you know, I make up fb poems from a compilation of my friends’ status updates)
FACEBOOK POEM OF THE DAY (made from your posts)
seems like the conditions
are perfect for fires
be careful not
to start any
hunger games: black characters
upset fans
and that makes me sad
with a stranger stalking
what were trayvon
martin’s options
so sick of this
blame the victim mentality
what’s it like to be
so clever all the time
trust me, it sucks
the best cure for
whatever ails ya
breathe
before you conversate/
argue/discuss
bundle up!! spread joy!!
unity tonight!
new day..new hope!!
I need to counter the ugly with the beautiful. Yesterday, my friend Ellen posted this. A collaboration with street dancer, Lil’Buck dancing to The Swan by cellist, Yo-Yo Ma. No words needed. Just watch what art can do.
