Comments on: Angry Letters: ‘Akeelah and the Bee’ http://www.ericdsnider.com/blog/2006/05/01/angry-letters-akeelah-and-the-bee/ Eric D. Snider's blog. Fri, 18 May 2012 02:42:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Margaret Opine http://www.ericdsnider.com/blog/2006/05/01/angry-letters-akeelah-and-the-bee/comment-page-1/#comment-73173 Margaret Opine Mon, 05 Nov 2007 01:02:42 +0000 http://www.ericdsnider.com/blog/2006/05/01/angry-letters-akeelah-and-the-bee/#comment-73173 November 4, 2007-- I consider this discussion, debate and exchange a good one for Americans who hope to gain a worldview and perspective more akin to our written fundamentals scoped in our indices. Still the issues of “race” lives in some of us, but some of us have honestly moved on. (We've at least moved on to "ethnicity" instead of the unproven thesis of "race." We have enough evidence before us all to see all people the same -- as people). Now that's a rather jump in our perspective since some of us began in the game as less than human for centuries -- now that's the fault of intelligence that lived long ago -- and that is the greatest reason for us to inspire to grow. Having said that, Eric brings up an issue for more discussion, debate and exchange: SINCE AFRICAN AMERICANS (HAVE BEEN)* BARRED FROM THEIR NATURAL POTENTIAL AND DEVELOPMENT (FOR CENTURIES) SHOULD WE NOW EXPECT THEM TO MEASURE UP TO THE SAME LEVEL AND PROPENSITY AS EVERYONE ELSE IN AMERICA (INCLUDING THEATER AND MOVIE PRODUCTIONS)? Well, first of all African Americans are still barred from developing their potential in many environments in the U.S. (Our country is still living on skin-color codes and creeds.) Having said that however I should add quickly that many of those environs are in the domestic setting. . . in the homes of African Americans. Also, I just as well add the churches of African Americans and in the lax of organization and support. It appears to me that some of the most racist people we have in the country today are African Americans through African American mentality (ies). I'll concede to this factor. Nobody -- believe me when I say: NO BODY can putdown African Americans like African Americans and nobody expects so much out of African Americans like African Americans and that expectation is commonly called "excellence." I assure you that the "presentation" of "Akeelah" was meant to be "excellent" with very high standards though Eric says the story-line has been done before. [We could say that about the Christmas Story but we never tire of it.] Let me add quickly what I have said before: A third of people will function at one level, another third at another level and so on with a world view that either brings them into mainstream or along side of it or out on the periphery. (This is true of all Americans. This will be true with the people who immigrate to America. (This is more like a cliché than an accurate study.) The point to make with this is: (a) people are different and similar in their worldview no matter their creed and color and we are likely to notice these differences and similarities now in our American views based on income and sociopolitical principles and practices. So, (b) all people do not respond to atrocity, oppression and the like, in the very same ways. So, some white-Americans are stuck in past-times and some black-Americans are stuck there too. TO ANSWER ERIC'S QUESTION DIRECTLY: I can assure you that some black people are of the mind that they can compete on an even keel if they have been misused and abused and treated uncivilized for a thousand years but some will say this African American adage and euphemism: "If I beat you, or if I come out even with you . . . after centuries of oppression and atrocity then that must mean that I'm twice or three times as good as you." These African Americans do not want to be “white” or be as “good as whites” . . . these are the African Americans who actually think they do better than anybody including white people. (Some white people feel the same about themselves.) But, I can also assure you that some PEOPLE . . . some HUMANS, so some African Americans too will say this when asked the question: "You have held me behind for centuries now you expect me to catch up -- well, I can't. I can never catch up to you after you have held me back so long." That's how people's minds will find its place. You can go to China and find some Chinese people reasoning in this way: it is human to do so. Each baby born in American starts anew (fresh), at zero, but the environment molds the child. The environment is domestically and America abroad. SO, should black people be allowed (given) some slack in their productions and in their potential for excellence? I assure you that some African Americans would be angry at just the suggestion that they need the playing field skewed for their benefit but some would want life to stop for at least a century to allow them to catch up. But this is not black . . . this is human! What most African Americans say (that I have interviewed) is this: "Just don't tally with my score because my skin is dark. That's all I ask. Let me play the game fairly; I don't want nothing that is not mine (like somebody else I know) and gain a benefit from my skin color." Data from IMDbase.com: "Akeelah & the Bee" (2006) topped at about 18K (most of the box office was earned in the earliest weeks), with a rating of 7-8 (on a 10pt. scale); people voting was over 5,000. "Akeelah" should be listed as an American Classic because of the subject matter, the solid performances and because of issues like: single-motherhood, low-income parenting, some help from teachers and child potentiality. November 4, 2007– I consider this discussion, debate and exchange a good one for Americans who hope to gain a worldview and perspective more akin to our written fundamentals scoped in our indices. Still the issues of “race” lives in some of us, but some of us have honestly moved on. (We’ve at least moved on to “ethnicity” instead of the unproven thesis of “race.” We have enough evidence before us all to see all people the same — as people). Now that’s a rather jump in our perspective since some of us began in the game as less than human for centuries — now that’s the fault of intelligence that lived long ago — and that is the greatest reason for us to inspire to grow.

Having said that, Eric brings up an issue for more discussion, debate and exchange: SINCE AFRICAN AMERICANS (HAVE BEEN)* BARRED FROM THEIR NATURAL POTENTIAL AND DEVELOPMENT (FOR CENTURIES) SHOULD WE NOW EXPECT THEM TO MEASURE UP TO THE SAME LEVEL AND PROPENSITY AS EVERYONE ELSE IN AMERICA (INCLUDING THEATER AND MOVIE PRODUCTIONS)?

Well, first of all African Americans are still barred from developing their potential in many environments in the U.S. (Our country is still living on skin-color codes and creeds.) Having said that however I should add quickly that many of those environs are in the domestic setting. . . in the homes of African Americans. Also, I just as well add the churches of African Americans and in the lax of organization and support. It appears to me that some of the most racist people we have in the country today are African Americans through African American mentality (ies). I’ll concede to this factor. Nobody — believe me when I say: NO BODY can putdown African Americans like African Americans and nobody expects so much out of African Americans like African Americans and that expectation is commonly called “excellence.” I assure you that the “presentation” of “Akeelah” was meant to be “excellent” with very high standards though Eric says the story-line has been done before. [We could say that about the Christmas Story but we never tire of it.] Let me add quickly what I have said before: A third of people will function at one level, another third at another level and so on with a world view that either brings them into mainstream or along side of it or out on the periphery. (This is true of all Americans. This will be true with the people who immigrate to America. (This is more like a cliché than an accurate study.) The point to make with this is: (a) people are different and similar in their worldview no matter their creed and color and we are likely to notice these differences and similarities now in our American views based on income and sociopolitical principles and practices. So, (b) all people do not respond to atrocity, oppression and the like, in the very same ways. So, some white-Americans are stuck in past-times and some black-Americans are stuck there too.

TO ANSWER ERIC’S QUESTION DIRECTLY: I can assure you that some black people are of the mind that they can compete on an even keel if they have been misused and abused and treated uncivilized for a thousand years but some will say this African American adage and euphemism: “If I beat you, or if I come out even with you . . . after centuries of oppression and atrocity then that must mean that I’m twice or three times as good as you.” These African Americans do not want to be “white” or be as “good as whites” . . . these are the African Americans who actually think they do better than anybody including white people. (Some white people feel the same about themselves.)

But, I can also assure you that some PEOPLE . . . some HUMANS, so some African Americans too will say this when asked the question: “You have held me behind for centuries now you expect me to catch up — well, I can’t. I can never catch up to you after you have held me back so long.” That’s how people’s minds will find its place. You can go to China and find some Chinese people reasoning in this way: it is human to do so.

Each baby born in American starts anew (fresh), at zero, but the environment molds the child. The environment is domestically and America abroad.

SO, should black people be allowed (given) some slack in their productions and in their potential for excellence? I assure you that some African Americans would be angry at just the suggestion that they need the playing field skewed for their benefit but some would want life to stop for at least a century to allow them to catch up. But this is not black . . . this is human!

What most African Americans say (that I have interviewed) is this: “Just don’t tally with my score because my skin is dark. That’s all I ask. Let me play the game fairly; I don’t want nothing that is not mine (like somebody else I know) and gain a benefit from my skin color.”

Data from IMDbase.com: “Akeelah & the Bee” (2006) topped at about 18K (most of the box office was earned in the earliest weeks), with a rating of 7-8 (on a 10pt. scale); people voting was over 5,000. “Akeelah” should be listed as an American Classic because of the subject matter, the solid performances and because of issues like: single-motherhood, low-income parenting, some help from teachers and child potentiality.

]]>