Another day, another mountain of bad press for Nate Parker and Fox Searchlight. If there’s any kind of silver lining for Hollywood, it’s that The Birth of a Nation is not the only film out this year featuring critically acclaimed performances from black actors. AOL did a rundown of some of the films which should be considered as a backlash to the #OscarsSoWhite stuff: the film Loving, Denzel Washington’s Fences, Taraji Henson and Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures, Lupita Nyong’o in Queen of Katwe, Will Smith in Collateral Beauty and more. Those are just some of the films to note when someone says “But Nate Parker was the only one who should have won an Oscar this year!” So, let’s get to today’s Nate Parker headlines.
Toronto is not Team Parker. While TIFF is going ahead with their gala premiere of The Birth of a Nation, TIFF’s organizer has made it clear that they will not give Nate Parker a forum to explain the 1999 rape case, or why he chose to work with Jean Celestin, who was initially convicted of raping an 18-year-old Penn State student. TIFF’s spokeswoman told media outlets that a press conference for the film is “definitely not going to happen,” and she made it sound like that was the organizers’ choice. Fox Searchlight insists that the no-presser thing was their call, and they never do press conferences when it’s not a world premiere. Fox Searchlight also says that Nate Parker will be available for press, just one-on-one interviews (like, a TIFF junket).
Oscar voters aren’t interested in seeing the film. What will probably be the first of many announcements from Oscar voters, an Academy member from the executive branch named Marcia Nasatir tells AOL: “Personally, I find it really hard to separate the man from the film when he wrote, directed and starred in it. Do I want to see a movie from someone who has committed an assault against a woman and who I do not think recognizes his guilt? Right now, based on what I’ve read, I would not go to the movie.”
Harry Belafonte is suspicious. Much like Al Sharpton, Belafonte thinks there might be some kind of campaign against Nate Parker. Belafonte’s comments are so disappointing here. He says: “It’s interesting because it’s coming out the same time the film’s coming out. Of all the stories you can tell, why are you telling this story? And if he was somebody who had committed a crime and got away with it, but he faced the justice system. The fact that (the system) may have screwed up, the fact that it didn’t really take care of justice, the fact that he should have been punished or whatever is history. The fact is that he was confronted and then he did go through the process. Why are you bringing this up now? What has he done that requires this kind of animus?”
And finally, there are some people coming to Nate Parker’s defense – some of his former Penn State classmates. You can read their comments here at The Root. I didn’t really understand their argument – I think they’re saying Nate Parker didn’t even know the school was being sued for not properly protecting an alleged rape victim… from Nate’s stalking and harassment.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
I can’t even express how disappointed I am in Harry Belafonte right now. I love the man. And because that’s how it seems to go recently, I’m sure a CB poster will tell me something horrible I’m not aware of about him now. Again with the suspicion based on timing. THE MAN GAVE AN INTERVIEW!
I want Nate Parker’s career to sink. I feel terrible for everyone who worked on that movie (except the other criminal) but he needs to be punished somehow. I don’t care how. And then maybe film festivals can move on to Woody Allen and Roman Polanski and ALL those other disgusting people.
Totally agree.
Also, I would think that Harry Belafonte, as someone who was present for the civil rights movement, would get that facing the justice system is not the same as justice being served. Did he forgot that, among others, Emmet Till’s killers technically faced the justice system as well? And why exactly can’t people feel angry about injustice? Because it coincides with a movie? 😑
Anyone born in 1930 is going to have some old-fashioned approaches to contemporary concerns, *and Belafonte’s occasional indulgence of respectability politics is well-known.* (see edit) I did however learn yesterday (credit to ONTD/Twitter) about his comments to Eartha Kitt, which was disappointing to learn both because of how he treated her personally and also how dismissive he was of black women. But apparently a fair bit of that pre-60’s civil rights activism had a whiff of that men-first incrementalism attached to it.
**Edit: I thought I had better sources for this. I want to retract this bit before the edit option times out because I don’t have evidence to support it, and I think I mistook Belafonte’s comments on Jay-Z to create this false impression in my mind.
Sadly, a ton of people who claim to “support” black men do it by berating or minimizing black women (not all, but plenty do). There’s a blog called What About Our Daughters, which is written by a black, female attorney that documents this kind of thing. Gina (the blogger) might be a little conservative for some, but she’s often on point. She’s always adamant that a black man never get a pass for violence against a woman (of any race, but she focuses primarily on black women). I don’t always agree with her, but she does a lot of decent work.
Harry was a certain kind of awful to Eartha Kitt. To paraphrase, she was still warm in his bed when he told her not to take their relationship too seriously – that he preferred white women.
It reminded me of how Parker spoke of the victim during his interview w/ the cops – that he wouldn’t date her / she wasn’t his type (but fair game to double team her with his wrestling buddy)
Whoa. I’m going to have to read up on this.
I’m just going to lie down. It’s past 5 p.m. after all. *opens wine* I hate the world some days.
This. I’m joining you bc I just can’t with the defenders of this butt face anymore….
I was wondering if someone could ask Belafonte about all those KKK members who ‘faced the justice system’ but got off after committing crimes in the past? The white racists that got off after lynchings cause that’s how our system worked? Ask him about those white cops who killed black men without cause and got off but were faced with an inquiry?! Why be upset with any of that- they faced the system after all. Why the hell do we need civil rights in a world like his?! Gtfo.
Et tu, Harry Belafonte? my shit list 2016 is growing longer with each passing day. I am afraid by december I wll need another roll of toilet paper.
Good to know.
But this statement here coming from someone in the Academy: “Personally, I find it really hard to separate the man from the film when he wrote, directed and starred in it.” >>> I want to clap, laugh, and throw up at the same time. Did no one ask for thoughts on Allen, Polanksi? Or, Mel Gibson (less serious crimes but still repugnant)? And these are just people that have been exposed.
ETA: Harry Belafonte’s response was disappointing.
To be fair, we don’t know who this person is. They are obviously speaking only for themselves. We do not know his or her opinion on Allen, or Polanski, or anybody else. Just pointing that out.
Yeah it’s statements like that that feed this conspiracy shit and really do make you take a side eye. NOW you have a hard time separating the person from his Art?
Well someone alert Woody Allen, he has a red carpet coronation scheduled for 3.
Well in part this can be explained by the fact that he is just coming up. Allen is a dinosour and it is harder to throw someone out of an exclusive club that not let new people in.
I just posted the same thing, using the same people as an example. I forgot about Mel Gibson, but did add Jon Hamm.
and don’t forget Brian Singer! who else? Tom Cruise, who actively condones the use of slavery in his so called church. John Travolta? him too, he was accused of sexual assault as well. the list is endless
It is a single member who might even have problems with Polanski and Allen also. The meber sounds like a woman from the fake name and THR recently posted an article that the men of the academy are still on his side mostly.
“What has he done that requires this kind of animus?”
He raped a woman and then stalked and harassed her!!! That’s what he has done, Harry!
Don’t forget that after he raped her, he invited his buddies to rape her as well! You know, just boys being boys.
Harry Belafonte makes no sense. He’s made comments in the past about the justice system’s failings in convicting innocent people. If he accepts that sometimes the justice system can wrongfully convict an innocent person, then why not also accept that it can wrongfully acquit a guilty person? People are angry about Nate Parker, partially because the weight of the evidence seems to show that he did it, but also because of the stalking and harassment after the fact, and also because he still seems to maintain he did nothing wrong. Maybe if he was able to admit to something, people would be more forgiving. Even Kobe was able to say, “I understand why the woman feels violated, and I apologize to her for that.” But Parker can’t even do that.
Huzzah! Tiff!
Jamilah Lemieux had an Important Point to the Harry Belafonte thing and that tempers this need I have to drop him like Im dropping every dude that even Slightly gives me this Business and is that: Civil Right Leaders that went through things like COINTELPRO Might view the world different
The real thing me and almondjoy were discussing Last night that left us flat on our backs was this : starting from there she’s created a series of articles http://demetrialucasdoyley.com/writingwork/him-youre-looking-at-it-like-a-black-girl-white-girls-are-entirely-different
All i can think after reading and checking the facebook and comment threads was: So EXACTLY HOW MANY GROWN MEN ARE LATENTLY RAPEY OUT HERE FFS!?!?
I read the article and shared it with my network. Very interesting indeed. Eye opening….
Honestly I’m shocked that it seems to be so.. prevalent a View (ridiculous Lopsided and erroneous as it is!!!?!) also though The following convos, the fact men really don’t seem to understand consent? Ughh Tummyaches!!
The one thing i didn’t find super offensively wrong is that bit about black women having a different more sexually reserved mores than other ladies but that I also feel is in broad strokes, and it has much to do with Church Misogynoir and other things that have brewed many of us (not I tho!!- I’m super not that LOL I wonder if it’s also my Caribbean- relatively non religious Upbringing?) to not get anything near close to being the Sex Starved Jezebel stereotype we’ve been written out as through History, that perception might also drive part of that crazysauce argument in that post
Many. I tended bar/worked as a waitress for years during uni and the things they tell you, the things they talk honestly about when you stand behind a bar and they will never see you again … it didn’t inspire much confidence in men. These were good guys on the surface. Some married with kids and they honestly loved and respected their wives (although we could argue about that). But they would still holler and clap others on the shoulder for telling borderline rapey stories. For “admitting” – because it’s just us and a shot glass – that secretly all men want certain things in a woman, do certain things to them. And really, sometimes women don’t mean it when they say no. So. Many. Guys. Of all ages and ethnicities/races. It gave me a small insight into things I never wanted to know about. It’s like, HOW do I make sure my significant other doesn’t secretly think “I mean she say yes at first.”?
That legit makes my hair stand on end! cause what you say it’s true “on the Surface nice/together men” sh*t is REAL
Thanks for that link btw. It …. brought back some memories of those nice guys telling horrible stories. Ugh.
People will yell at me for it but I really think unless women stop participating in these games of “chase me” etc., this consent debate won’t end. I hate that debate. Consent, to me, is too low a bar. I’ve said this on another post here weeks ago. Why aren’t we all going for enthusiasm? Men need to respect a no without ANY hesitation. Back away immediately. And women need to learn that wanting sex and liking it and saying you want and like it is okay. If a guy reacts poorly to that and calls you names, he’s an assh*le and not worth your time. You may have less sex if you stick to these basics but it’s probably going to be better.
Communication about sex is so f*cked up (or non-existent) and it doesn’t need to be. I know that realistically it’s just not that simple and frankly, there are “nice” guys in my circle of friends who I never want to talk to about these things because … well, I just don’t want to find out. Based on my experience, if I apply my own little statistic, there are at least 2-3 who hold some f*cked up views about women and sex.
Also, the concept of the wh*re or slut needs to die. I’ve ruined dinners for not accepting the use of that word around me.
LMN & QQ: I had job where my office shared a wall with the server room. IT bro-grammers would go into the room (it had an electronic combination) to hide out & gossip. The server room was very noisy because of all the AC needed to keep the equipment cool & functioning., so the guys spoke at high volume The walls were paper thin. The things I heard on the other side of that wall would make their women in their life cringe.
Also, their boss was a woman. It was part of her job to monitor internet use and report employees who visited unauthorized sites on company bandwith. So many men surfed for porn (they didn’t have filters installed back then) She only had the authority to send the reports to HR, who delegated the reports to the person’s manager to “deal with it”. The company claimed to have a “Zero Tolerance” about this sort of thing, but none of the men (& it was ALWAYS men) who violated this policy were ever terminated.
Awful days, those were.
Come Thru littlemissnaughty, i for one have nothing to yell about Enthusiasm and Consent and just a more full sex education than “Penis goes in Vagina and you get pregnant” should be taught, sex as a Pleasurable experience for both parties and whatnot
An enthusiastic YES to enthusiastic consent. Someone recommended this essay to me a while back.
https://markmanson.net/fuck-yes
(I hope the address makes it past the moderator)
Thank you for the link. I had a suspicion a lot of guys thought like that, but man. Seeing it all laid out, that is just horrible. The Madonna/Whore complex. the white women are this, black women are this, the whole using whore again and again…
I don’t think I could continue calling this guy ‘my boy’ after he spilled all that.
Oof Tell Me!! the person that said “Your Friend is Hot Summer Garbage” wasn’t even a second wrong!!
That was a terrifying read.
That hurt my soul. Like, just… How am I gonna get through 2016?
@QQ I went to Penn State and saw many of the things described in that article. Shocking doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Cross reference the rapey men with extremely homophobic men. Y’know, the ones that worry that “It’s every gay man’s fantasy to turn a straight man”.
Ok I just inhaled a ton Demetria’s articles.
While I think she is pretty wonderful… this is eye opening, and vomit inducing and oh my god I don’t think I can live in this world any more where people think like this.
The second article where the man talks about a girl getting raped in the same bed as him, and not saying a thing because of man code, and you don’t cock block ever.
How does everyone deal with this? I want to hide under my bed forever and watch Kimmy Schmidt and forget most people suck so bad.
The problem is we need to start treating all rape cases the same. We have set up this system of inequality where we judge not by the severity of the crime but by how lax the Justice system and society is towards the perpetrator.
We have set up expectations in society that ‘sure, it’s rape, but why is this rape okay and this rapist is still championed but the only guy getting his rightful punishment and exclusion from society is the black guy?’
I think it all comes down to how ‘useful’ (read: how much money can you still make for someone else) you are and when vs. it being an odd passing note in the cases of other white celebrities.
Note, I am not in anyway excusing Nate Parker, I have nothing for him, but people believe these conspiracies because we give them a world where judge after judge tells a young white rapist “Yes you’re guilty but you seem like a good boy and I don’t want to hamper your future so no jail time.”
If there is no equal punishment then perceptions of crimes become warped. Society has said for too long that rape is excusable sometimes so long as there’s a football to kick or a genius movie director to produce films, as a result sadly some do not think “Good! A rapist is being punished!” but “Is this punishment because of the crime or because this man is black? Is his ‘usefulness’ to society now gone so now it’s okay to punish him?”
I just want to live in a world where all the rapists get punished, I’m tired of being happy one second and then disappointed the next when these same supposadly forward thinking organizations shrug and smile for their personal favorite rapists.
But I think the issue here is that Nate Parker is not being “punished.” The justice system ran its course. Parker can never see the inside of a jail cell for what he’s done. He could admit everything tomorrow, nothing can happen to him. Nate Parker actually got BETTER than Brock Turner – at least Turner has a conviction. Nate Parker got squat. So I think in this case, the outrage about “equal punishment” is misguided.
And up until now, he has suffered no adverse consequences. He was able to write a movie, film and star in it, get it serious promotion, etc. – until this resurfaced. I don’t think there’s really any way to argue that Nate Parker is being “punished” for his crimes. His film won’t get a red-carpet gala screening? I don’t see that as punishment at all.
Yup. Legally, Parker got away with it. He has yet to show any real remorse for his crime, which suggests that, in his mind, he really feels like he did nothing wrong. The fact that he’s still friends with his fellow rapist (Jean Celestin, who was convicted) and continues to work with him reveals a lot about his shitty character.
He is a rapist, period. And does an unrepentant rapist rape once and never again? I highly doubt it. I ask this question because in the courtroom transcripts, his victim mentioned something revealing:
“I did see Nate and him like a week after the rape. I saw them propping up a drunk girl walking down to McDonald’s and they saw me and they turned and walked the other way.”
The other day, somebody elsewhere brought up Kobe Bryant. Bryant, when his charges were dropped, released statement that said something along the lines of “I thought what happened was consensual, but obviously, she did not feel the same. I made her feel violated and I am sorry for that.” At least Kobe acknowledged that the woman involved, and her feelings and apologized for what was, at the very least, a horrible case of miscommunication. Nate Parker couldn’t even do THAT. He could have at least said, “What I did was wrong. Even if it did not rise to the level of criminal wrongdoing, obviously, she felt violated and hurt, and I apologize for my actions.” It’s not that hard.
I don’t get why he can’t apologize, especially now. She’s dead – she can’t sue you or anything. She’s gone from this Earth. She can’t criticize you anymore. You totally control the narrative now, except for her words that live on in the transcripts. And even now he can’t admit to anything.
Yes- this comment so much!
I mean, there’s a rape scene in that movie. I don’t really think anyone with any inkling about this scandal would willingly sit through that rape scene knowing that the guy who directed it and the guy who wrote it has this case. I feel bad for Gabrielle Union.
I don’t think the rape scene is actually shown in the movie but it is FICTION. Nat Turner’s wife was never gang rape. Mr. Parker and his friend made it up for what effect, I don’t know.
It was for dramatic effect & entertainment- which makes me want to puke. This guy is worse then your run of the mill rapist (who deserves a place in hell). This guy rapes, invites other people to rape his victim as well, has no remorse & then harasses & stalks her.
Belafonte should hang out with some rape victims and ask why we are mad at the system. WTF?!?! Rapists get off with no punishment all.the.time. It’s about 98% of the time. Why would we be mad when then get off scoot free or just a slap on the wrist when the judge knows they raped but doesn’t want to interrupt their college life?! Why wouldn’t we just sit back and let the system not punish these guys and then say shrug ‘justice’?! Maybe he should read up on why we needed civil rights more…..
I agree with you – I feel bad for the actors who put their heart and soul into this film without realizing who they were working with.
The rape/rape scene connection is sickening.
I just feel like, it’s unfair how much negative press he’s getting atm.
I understand and I certainly would never condone violence, abuse against women but he has been through the law system and it’s just sad that an act he did years ago will damped what could have been his moment.
It’s not even about race cos I’m black and I’m defending him, I know how much other people from races have been reprimanded on blogs and comments eg Woody Allen (don’t think he actually raped anyone but he has some kind of controversy)
What Nate did is evil but, we should also know that past mistakes should not be used as a life sentence of a persons character.
It all just makes me sad
Woody Allen is a pedophile.
“but he has been through the law system and it’s just sad that an act he did years ago will damped what could have been his moment.”
What utter nonesense.
He’s been through the legal system? So have George Zimmerman and several white cops who killed Black civilians. All acquitted. I assume then you are fine with their behaviour? I mean why does BLM keep bringing it up? The court acquitted them all! You weren’t there! 🙄
He’s moment has been dampened. His victim doesn’t get a moment, she’s dead.
Rape is not a mistake. You can even murder a person mistakenly but you cannot ever ever rape someone by mistake wtf is this ? He raped a woman, stalked her and she was driven to suicide. He deserves everything bad happening to him.
@ Myafroworld
Please go support your rapist elsewhere.
THAT’S what you find sad about this situation? Unfair? Really?
Ugh, just UGH.
O.M.G. With this nonsense. I honestly can’t even – what’s sad is he & his cowriter got away with raping, stalking, harassing that all led to this woman’s death. THAT’S WHAT IS SAD. Not the fact that he made a CHOICE to rape her & invite others to the same. It was his CHOICE to stalk her & hire a private investigator to discredit her. It was HIS CHOICE to try and “get ahead” of the story and use his 6 year old daughter as a shield. It’s was his CHOICE to still act like HE’S the victim in this. The victim had her CHOICES taken from her …focus on that not how ‘sad’ it is poor lil Nate is getting his due.
-I hope her soul is seeing this and getting some measure of peace that we aren’t blind to her injustice-
Sorry for the yelling but this pissed me the hell off 😤
Good. The more people connected to film industry speak out about this and boycot the movie or at least reduce the amount of attention to Parker, the better. At least everyone is not going about their bussines as if nothing happened (case in point- Woody Allen or the perve Terry Richardson). Ant that Academy voter is right, the big part of it is not only about what he did but his total lack of remorse. He is not a change man, a changed man is someone who admits and accepts the guilt and then atones. If he really cares for the story he is telling in the movie he would have went away and asked the studio to build some alternative promotion strategy for this film maybe then some people would actually see it or at least maybe that would divert some of the attention towards the issue of race and slavery. But no. He just wants it all for himself. That’s how changed and humble he really is. I hope though that as things progess the mayor theaters and festivals cancel the film viewings overall. I deffinetly am not planning to see this. Nor anything else he has ever done.
“Why are you bringing this up now?” This what the men defending him are saying, did these people read the Deadline interview No ONE bring up this, Him and his film distributor setup the initial interview that blew this up they should know it’s not a conspiracy it was a business decision.
I don’t think it was a poor decision to make him have this interview.
The wheels came off the bus because of what the interview revealed. A man who can’t accept what he did, who sees himself as the victim and who doesn’t hesitate to throw the women forward as human shields all the while blind to the fact that his victim was someone else’s daughter, sister, mother. He couldn’t even use the right words for what happened even if he does see himself as the victim.
The entire episode happened to *him* and *he* is suffering, not that he caused it. Not one word about his accuser even if he thought she was mistaken. Not one word about the fall out affecting anyone else except him. It read like that Judge saying a teen rapist shouldn’t be punished because of how the punishment would agfect said teen rapist and not a word about the raped victim.
With that salvo, everyone went searching for the transcripts which are writ black and white such that even IF there were a kennel of doubt about what happened, his behaviour AFTER the fact was utterly evil. No two ways about it.
And then there is a dead girl, so traumatised by events that she had nowhere except the road she took.
And his response to hearing of her death is STILL self-serving and utterly lacking in empathy or responsibility for his part in her tragic short life.
Given the gravity of the situation, it was absolutely right that he faced down this bomb, but someone on his team should have made it very clear to him what line to take even if he didn’t personally believe he had done anything wrong. That’s what highly paid publicists are for.
Heck, he could have gone down ‘i’m sorry she felt hurt though that wasn’t my intention’ sorry not sorry explanations and it would have been better than what he said.
woah what?
woody allen? roman polanski? just to name 2.
Brian Singer anyone? Jon Hamm who abused a guy in college? some frat thing??
come ON.
of course, the above named are white. so there’s that.
Michael Jackson ,R. Kelly and Mike Tyson to name a few.
Chris Brown
2pac, Chuck Berry, we can continue the list going on.
What about Southside with You? Has anyone seen it? I heard it was cute, but not all that great.
I realize Woody Allen and Roman Polanski still have careers and have sexually abused/raped women BUT this is a start. The Birth of A Nation was supposed to be the film of the year getting Oscars and Golden Globes etc. Now it’s tarnished with controversy. It has nothing to do with race; it has to do with RAPE. Harry Belafonte, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson make EVERYTHING about race and their arguments are ridiculous.
“What has he done that requires this kind of animus?”
He did an interview about the rape. Of course the press is going to walk right through once he himself opened the door.
Yesterday i read in a site that supposedly there is a brutal rape scene in the movie which was not even there in the memoirs of Turner and I am honestly recoiling. I hope he suffers for what he did , in his career and otherwise.
It’s not in Turner’s memoirs because Parker made it up. Never happened but I don’t think the scene is in the movie, at least that’s what I read.
They filmed it at least.
all black men need to remember that they dont get the same privileged passed like sheen, wody, polanski, gibson, richardson. why because he is black. nothing has changed. black men cant move how the other races can. just look at this mess and tell me it aint tru.
Mike Tyson, Chris Brown, Ray Rice and R Kelly say Hi.
Welcome to celebrity privilege. 🙄
I think there’s a couple of NFL players to be added to that list…
Don’t forget Terrence Howard, and ?Bill Cosby got way with sexual assault for decades before something was done about it and it took more then 57 women to fo it.
@Flowerchild, actually, didn’t it take comedian Hannibal Burress making a comment about Cosby to even start doing something about it? IIRC, people didn’t take any of his victims seriously until he spoke up. SMDH
Ray Lewis.
Shouldn’t you be saying that those other men should be punished to the same extent as Parker? Instead of saying that Parker should get a pass like those men? No one deserves to get a pass for violating other people.
im discussing the public reaction. parker was tried and acquitted. no one deserved to be violated. this is why we have double jeopardy laws, yet the public is convicting him now. its all a shame and sad.
@ H3R H1GHn3SS
Yes as they should because the justices system failed to do its job because of a outdated technicality.
Do you feel the same way about the black lives matter movement? All those police officers were trialed and got off. Do you feel sad for them too.
“parker was tried and acquitted” Yep, just like George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. I am sure you think “a shame and sad” the public is convicting Mr. Zimmerman now…..right?
volunteering at tiff is gonna be a blast this year….
According to a lot of film writers I follow this news actually isn’t quite in response to the revelations so much as standard procedure- very few TIFF movies are getting press conferences and the ones that do are world premieres exclusive to Toronto, while BOAN already screened at Sundance. It’s not as if it was always scheduled to have a conference. So I’m not so sure that this is indicative of feelings towards the movie in Hollywood.
I see the paid lackeys are back.
Flowerchild, are you referring to my post above yours? I’ve been around here for a while and have said before how much I dislike that Polanski, Allen etc have celebrated careers still. I hope very much that this is indicative of changing attitudes in Hollywood, I’m just not sure it necessarily is. Sorry for not making that clear. If you didn’t mean me, I also apologise and will take myself back to the Devil Wears Prada section.
No I wasn’t referring to you and don’t take yourself back to the Devil Wears Prada section.😂😂😂
Mr. Belafonte, even if the the justice system screwed up…so.did.Mr.Parker; he has all but said it…just won’t ACTUALLY say it. Until then he is not someone inclined to garner the support he wishes to have. I am appalled by it and as to the question why now? He has a larger platform, a larger group of people HE is asking to “know” him, through his work, his thought process, his opinions and “we” are not/were not all in the circle of knowing of this instance of appalling inhumanity. We are now are…aware, that is. It is a damned shame on many levels, the top one being the young woman who was treated like she didn’t exist, her humanity taken from her. Until he accepts his part in that, really accepts it and stops trying to assuage his own conscious, he is going to come up against this time and again. I can’t feel too much pity for that.
I do however feel for all those who worked so hard on this project and are bearing a brunt of something they had nothing to do with.
I thought about this, and I don’t think that Nate Parker is being treated differently from Polanski, Woody Allen and other white male abusers because he is black, as many are implying.
I think he was unlucky (I am talking about his position/perspective, of course, not mine) enough to be found in this “uncomfortable” situation in a time when he was just starting to climb the ladder. He isn’t a household name. Sure he was about to rise to fame, had multiple critical accolades; his movie was Oscar-bait. BUT he is not that rich, popular, or connected enough to get out of this mess. Both Allen and Polanski were established directors when they found themselves accused of abuse; they were already Hollywood bonafide. Many famous people had already been “compromised” by working/collaborating with them. These people could not allow to have their own names smeared by the scandal.. So, in a way, the system HAD to protect them. They could count on the support and protection of the industry above it all. As sad and infuriating and wrong, this is the difference.
The same thing is happening with, say. Ryan Lochte. Johnny Depp. I could name more.
That’s a very good contextualization. Plus, Parker’s movie is offered to us while we’re still smarting over the Stanford rapist case and others similar, so the timing is not favorable. Oh well, small violin.
I agree with your assessment. And I’m speaking in terms of how the general public is reacting. That being said, I don’t doubt that there are white individuals who would give Gibson or Sheen a pass and not Parker–but that’s a different story…
Race certainly impacts it (how can it not?), but I suspect a large part of it might also be the timing. Twenty and thirty years ago, we didn’t have as much social discussion about rape culture and the importance of consent. The Internet also didn’t exist, which gave victims and their supporters a voice that they didn’t have before. Polanski, Allen, Cosby, etc. all benefitted from that closed circle of celebrity life. There is no private in celebrity these days, so anything questionable goes through the grinder.
I also.said yesterday that oscar.voters are.being tre hypocritical.and the double standard is in full swing.
That said, there could be no better target of such than Nate Parker
What’s up with the periods?
For.emphasis.?.
I think I prefer the poster to answer. If that’s Ok with you.
It.was.a.joke. S.M.D.H.
Joke hasn’t landed. Trolling detected. Bai.
Duly.noted. Have. A. Nice.Day.
Too bad about the movie, really. When I first heard about a Nat Turner movie coming out, I was instantly interested. It’s a dark story, it’s an important story, and I don’t think we, Americans, are good at absorbing such parts of our history that make us utterly uncomfortable (or terrified, if you’re a 19th century plantation owner). So I was curious how Turner’s rebellion will play out on screen and with the public, in the absence of white saviors, happy endings, or even an overarching moral, either than oppressive violence begets annihilative violence. Turner himself was a pretty mysterious figure, a mix of freedom fighter and religious nut, and it could have been the role of a life time.
All these are moot points now. Not only I don’t want to contribute financially to validate a man who got away with rape, but he’s in the title role, and to dissociate the character from the person is too much to ask.
Hey guys, I have a serious question. I’m single and at some point I’d like to be in a relationship… Except I’m having serious issues believing good men exist in this world. My father was horrible so I can’t look to him for any kind of example. And lately it seems like we’ve just been bombarded with horrible examples of how misogynistic men can be. While I have good male friends, I don’t know how they behave in relationships and, besides, just because they’re good friends doesn’t mean they’re good people. So my question is for the single ladies, how do you not give up searching for a partner? I’d rather be alone and happy than be with someone who I can’t respect – which is apparently the wrong attitude to have.
Actually I 10000000000% agree it’s better to be alone and happy, safe, secure etc than be with someone who isn’t good for you so whoever is saying it’s the wrong attitude can bite me 😎
But to answer your question the absolute 1st thing I do when I meet someone new is scroll thru their social media and if there is any posts that are antithesis to my beliefs they immediately go into the ‘Hell No’ section of my life – if there isn’t anything then eventually thru conversations I can determine compatibility.
But that’s just me….
Co-sign. I’ve been single for a while now, and while I wish I wasn’t, I’d rather be alone and happy than in a relationship that sucks with a guy that’s a jerk. And social media posts don’t always tell the full story; I started dating a guy who I thought was very forward-thinking, chill, etc., whose values matched mine… then he made a couple of comments that were so blatantly racist about a particular group, and tried to play them off as jokes. I could not get past it. At all.
Thank you for the response. It’s hard not to get cynical when we’re constantly bombarded with examples of misogynistic behavior from men.
Speaking as someone who has been happily re-married for 14 years to a man who is as much a feminist as I am – take heart. There are good guys out there. I am raising a son and he already knows at 12 what consent is, and how even if he is not directly involved, to go and intervene if he sees anything resembling assault. And I will mention it here even though it feels like a different topic – whenever a man who is close to his family (and mom in particular) is discussed he gets labeled a mamma’s boy and viewed negatively. I would suggest that someone who was raised by a strong mother, who is still close to her and loves and respects her will be a much nicer guy than most. Obviously this is not a rule set in stone or anything… just saying.
And one of the easiest way to find out what kind of a man he is is to casually discuss any one of these situations we talk about here – Depp, or Parker, or Polanski or Allen, or any of the many athletes who have been accused of rape. See how he views the situation and you’ll know fairly quick.
Belefonte must treat his women equally as shitty as Parker.
This is a good start. I hope that this Academy member continues this line of thinking. The next time Woody Allen or Roman Pulanski are up for awards, they will deny them his/her vote. I’m appalled and disappointed by Nate’s behavior then and now. I just can’t get past it enough to support this movie, but let’s not be naive here. His downfall has been mighty swift. It’s not because the crime was so appalling. These are the same outlets that fawned over the Pianist and gave a convicted rapist an Oscar. They barely covered Bryan Singers’ child rape allegations. I can be against Nater Parker and admit that the quickness with which a lot of people in the media has, rightfully turned on him, has a lot to do with his race.
Something that is really getting me here is how Parker and his convicted rapist writing partner (oh, and to go off on a tangent: two men have sex with a not fully conscious woman; one of them is convicted of rape and the other is acquitted: how does THAT work?)
Anyway, the writing partnership comes up with a script about a powerful time in our nation’s history, about a powerful historical figure underrepresented in our school lessons, and his own true story isn’t enough.
Nope, this ‘acquitted’ rapist/alleged stalker and his convicted rapist partner have to ADD a gratuitous gang rape to the story line! They choose to fridge the wife in order to empower the man, a trope so depressing that alone would keep me from seeing the movie.
And he thinks it is either a conspiracy or ” just bad luck” that these events from 17 years ago are being brought up now.
No, Nate. It’s your words. Your lack of remorse. Your incomprehension regarding the rape culture that got you acquitted, that you are still guided by when you think “let’s add a gang rape here in the story, that’ll really motivate our hero.”
Because his real life wasn’t motivation enough.
Fuck that man and his raping buddy. He deserves every bit of flack and fall out for the crimes he committed and then some.