Ian Farwell - Core Post #4 - Did "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" Work to Lessen Oppression or Promote it?

Upon review of the readings it appears as though central idea is the cross over star. The text seems to illustrate how specifically Robeson is considered a cross-over star, because he doesn't bring black culture to the eye of white audiences so much as readily fits within the already preconceived white idea of what a proper black discourse (Uncle Tom Figure) ought be within a white world. Comparing the other reading on Michael Jackson, this reafing seems to show how Michael Jackson did not cross-over the way Dyers sees Robeson to have done. Mercer rather sees Michael Jackson as being one of the first black stars to really bring black music to the appreciation of the white world. Rather than cross-over, Michael Jackson, according to Mercer, could be more seen as blending rather than crossing. Interestingly, when Michael Jackson Died, and Jamie Fox hosted the BET music award, Fox said "He belonged to us." This was interesting because it really shows that even today there is a perceived dichotomy by some between the black and white culture or discourse in the US. The idea that a man, or his achievements, belongs to anyone, if not everyone, is very interesting. People cheered when Fox said that Jackson belonged to them. I wonder what Michael Jackson would think if the idea that he belong to someone.
The other Reading talks about the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. The reading seemed critical of the film on many levels, actually I think is what almost all the character representations that were discussed. The reason I wanted to change my Blog post to this weeks screening is because this movie touched me on a personal level. I myself am married to a women who's mother is from Belize and father is from Vietnam. So, I really was interested to see the film to maybe better understand the historical context of my own marriage that some would call "interracial," even though I feel like my marriage is a marriage that contains only one race, the human race. What I found most interesting about the film was that it seemed like it had good intentions, and I think it did really do a great job and illustrating the tension between "interracial" marriage within the nuclear family structure. However, I had two really major criticism of the film. One, had to do with the treatment of women. I think that Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, unless the film makers were trying to be satirical about the oppression of women, really did a poor job of illustrating how wrong it is for women to be treated with such disdain. I think if people left the film feeling that the world was a better place, because in the end Spencer Tracy's character gave in and condoned the marriage, then I think we still live in a sad world that needs change. The women in the film were treated horrible. I think, if anything, the film's mother character (Hepburn) illustrated the problems when she said that this was the first time she disagreed with her husband that her daughter should essentially marry a doctor. Why not stand up for the way the father figure completely degrades non-white/male people black or female? Its like everyone is waiting for his opinion at the end, but he shows no real sense of humility. He is still the dictator proclaiming his dominance over black and female culture. It almost screams that interracial marriages are only ok if the White Man says so. Everyone is still left at the end of this film less anxious as a result of the final white authoritarian decision.
The second criticism had more to do with simply asking the question of whether the film really addressed reality with it's character representations. I think the class reading called Sydney Poitier's character a "Prodigy," and would have to completely agree. I will reveal the rest of my criticism in this are within the questions below?

1) Does a black man have to assimilate to white culture in order for an interracial marriage to be justified?
2) Why must black men wear a suit & tie with little if no style in order to be acceptable in white culture?
3) Is a father a good man if in the same breath he can approve her marriage and tell her to "Shut-up."

I wish someone would have told the father figure to shut-up in the film, I think he had done enough talking for the entire year.

---JAMIE FOXX Claiming Michael Jackson...


One can see Jamie Foxx claim Michael Jackson as if MJ was a possession, and claim that he merely "Shared him."