The buzz over the summer blockbuster "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" only grew Wednesday as some said two jive-talking Chevy characters were racial caricatures.
Skids and Mudflap, twin robots disguised as compact hatchbacks, constantly brawl and bicker in rap-inspired street slang. They're forced to acknowledge that they can't read. One has a gold tooth.
As good guys, they fight alongside the Autobots and are intended to provide comic relief. But their traits raise the specter of stereotypes most notably seen when Jar Jar Binks, the clumsy, broken-English speaking alien from "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," was criticized as a caricature.
One fan called the Transformers twins "Jar Jar Bots" in a blog post online.
Todd Herrold, who watched the movie in New York City, called the characters "outrageous."
"It's one thing when robot cars are racial stereotypes," he said, "but the movie also had a bucktoothed black guy who is briefly in one scene who's also a stereotype."
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- retro_Syl
- added this
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yeah the bad buzz of these two stupid robots kept me away from the sequel entirely. i just think it's dumb and i would probably have left the theater.
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Nowadays you can't call it racial profiling cause there's just as many white people who talk and act like that. No one gets mad when cartoons have the slack-jaw hick stereotype. It's just comedy lighten up! Our president's black people! There is no more racial profiling
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- sophisticatedyouth
- 5 months ago
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I can't believe this is even such a talked about issue. Anyone who saw the first transformers saw Jazz, and knew going into this new one would have wacky racial robots somewhere.
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- themotivateddropout
- 5 months ago
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anyone seen this link??
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Its strange to see this, as I was speculating this issue with my friends after we left the Wimbledon Odeon on Tuesday.
It was one of the first things I noticed during the movie. I was thinking that I should let it slide, but they're personas were just too much; the 'can't read' dialogue bit got me though -- So I took a little offense to it.
Besides this, it was an Awesome movie from start to finish, IMAX screen-style wooo!
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- Skyscraper08
- 5 months ago
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Get serious, it was definatly not racist.
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- Mount_Zion
- 5 months ago
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The gold tooth is a bit much. Its the gateway drug to using characters like Jar Jar Binks.
I'm on the fence about the racism thing. I mean is it racism? Maybe, but also maybe people are taking it too seriously?
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Some people need to get a life
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just what the world needs.... more whistles being blown.
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Dumar The Rising....Coming Soon
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- DumarTheRising
- 5 months ago
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I noticed someone up there say there because of the president is black there is no more racism. I hate being judgmental but that's very naive. I hate pulling the race card out like a red flags in a soccer game but these two robots have stereotypical characteristics that ppl unfortunately associate with the black community. Gold teeth, speaking ebonics, inability to read...sounds like 50 years ago.
It's racist if other races were portrayed with their stereotypes not just because it's about the black community. -
I think its a bum rap, you just have check under the ,....uhm,... "hood".
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Hahaha, does no one remember the first film when one of the main autobots was a positive portrail of a... er, black car?
"This looks like a good place to kick it", he said just like real black people might do, as he ticked demographic boxes.
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I probably in my life never see the movie but been hearing about the claim of prejudice. i live in the country where there are exaclty two Afro Americans living in the big town near me. Prior I have lived in Philly but its been over 25 since I left the city. Our view of other cultures comes from movies, tv, youtube etc. Back in the city the young people of all colors wore and acted like the latest movie release that made it big. I would think that the portrayals were just of a popular thing that was current in certain parts of the country and with Afro Americans. If you think its prejudice don't go. The option is yours. Besides, the Afro American community does not need any role models from Hollywood or the music industry, right now you have a true role model, one with integrity running this country and with all the bullshit lies going around about him, he needs the support of his community and the counrtry in whole. Finally, we get a leader who knows the Constitution and is now tearing it apart, can communicate with foreign leaders, speaks the English language. the movie may show bias but nothing like what Obama is going through. Stopping the lies is where the time and effort should be placed.
