29/10/2020
Georgia describes her take from ’s ‘Malcolm X' and the themes that have stuck with her.
"Spike Lee’s Malcolm X made me realise that ‘black’ is a loaded term. ‘The definition of black’ is a scene from the film that has always stayed with me, where a character compares all the connotations of the word ‘black’ with those of the word ‘white’. Under the word black, the dictionary reads ‘hostile’, ‘enveloped in darkness’, ‘fouly or outrageously wicked’, ‘disgrace’, ‘dishonour’, and ‘culpability’. Comparatively, white is described as ‘innocent’, ‘pure’, ‘without evil intent’, ‘harmless’, ‘honest’ and ‘honourable’.
“To use words with these kinds of connotations to categorise people is proof of the insidious nature of racism. Without realising, these connotations inform our understanding of ‘so called’ black people, suggesting they are ‘outrageously wicked’. Brown and yellow are seen as derogatory terms, so why do we still use the word ‘black’?
“This film also initiated my interest in Spike Lee’s films. Although his depictions of women are at best, problematic, his films tell the black experience from a black man’s perspective. Black people aren’t just hustlers, slaves, rappers or gangsters, they are three dimensional people. Best of all, they aren’t just waiting for a white man to come in, ten minutes before the end, and save them. Da 5 bloods has recently come out on Netflix if you want to start your Spike Lee education."
