February 27, 2019
The 2019 Oscar winning movie has been, shall we say, quite controversial. Here is a summary of much that was deemed problematic in this country trying to come to terms with race relations:
More cautious criticism but also pointers to a more trustworthy retelling of the story now showing at the Smithsonian channel can be found here:
https://www.theroot.com/the-green-book-guide-to-freedom-documentary-provides-a-1832866861
I am not writing much about it, because I’ve done so before and the sources above are informative, but also because I want to share what made me laugh, laugh hard.
Here are some of the spot-on the responses to a tweet by Jemelle Hill, staff writer at The Atlantic, after the announcement at the Oscars. They are various clever permutations from a Twitter thread ( with senders’ names cut for brevity.)
- Green Book thinks you’re articulate and can assimilate well, but don’t move to where it lives.
- Green Book was uncomfortable voting for a black governor in Florida and Georgia.
- Green Book wants you to see both sides.
- Green Book understands there “may” be Injustice but doesn’t like how and when you protest.
- Green Book is very concerned about the level of gun violence in Chicago
- Green Book thinks it’s incredible you’re NOT the first in your family to attend university
- Green Book moved to this neighborhood for its vibrance and culture and also calls the police at least three times a week.
- And enrolled their children in a charter school.
- Green Book loves Kanye
- Green Book has evolved into “not seeing color at all.”
- Green Book is all for diversity in schools but doesn’t think their kids should be used in some experiment.
- Green Book needs to see a permit.
- Green Book is acutely aware of Reverse Racism.
- Green Book is not racist, but….
- Green Book thinks we should stopp talking about identity politics.
- “Green Book wants to know why you can use N-word but Green Book can’t
- Green Book just wants to wait for all the facts, okay? And then
- when they come out, it’s in Green Book’s best interest to look into what happened before the camera started rolling.
- Green Book never owned slaves and doesn’t see why it should be punished for things that happened centuries before it was filmed!
- Green book think Colin Kaepernick is misguided, but seems like a smart articulate guy who really believes in what hes doing
- Green Book wants to know where you’re *really* from.
- Green Book truly believes that all movies matter.
- Green Book and Howard Schultz grew up in the same projects
- Green Book going around saying it “knows Spike Lee” without any further context
- Green Book sometimes calls Jamie Foxx “Will Smith”.
- Green Book claps on the 1s and 3s.
- Green Book went to Avery and has a mixed cousin that attends Hillman
- Green Book OBVIOUSLY hates that word and didn’t mean it that way, it was just caught up in a heated gaming moment.Green Book was chained to a black woman at a college protest 50 years ago.
- Green Book thinks you’re “the help”.
- Green book believes all lives matter
- Green Book donated to the NAACP this month at work
- Green Book wishes you would just get over it.Every time someone brings up slavery, GREEN BOOK yells, “I wasn’t there!”
- Green Book told me to pull my pants up
For music today read this: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-music-of-don-shirley-is-more-resilient-than-any-green-book-cliche
and listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XhvYb8jnxw
Photographs are from New Orleans.
