All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!(Part II)

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Well, that film did manage to kill him - along with many other people who worked on it. It was a stupid place to make a movie even if it didn't have any other issues.

Yeah. A modern day equivalent would've been shooting a film near Chernobyl a decade or so after the nuclear plant blew up.

[jetengine]

I understand, and it is a bit odd. I think the Shakespearean world seems to have gotten away from the Othello requirement (I don't see any Braunaugh films with him as Othello) recently, but I bet not completely.

Fun fact - Laurence Olivier's protege was Derek Jacobi, who in turn mentored Braunaugh.

I wouldn't know, I'm not super into Shakespeare productions but obviously historical context is kind of a big deal. I mean the modern stuff is very questionable (your telling me you cant find a black opera singer in 2015?) but because of the whole "Its the arts, its cultural" thing and the non comical nature (Othello doesn't fall into the Minstrel stereotypes) I can see people being less offended by it.

[PaulBullion]

The arts work on a meritocracy dude. Its literally that simple if shitty. If you cant hire a black guy because none are good enough do you cancel the show, have a white guy (which loses the point) or give him make up. I mean this is the same form of entertainment where men played women for years. Especially when the whole point isnt to parody African Americans (minstreling) but to show how human Othello is, during a period where socities werent exactly teeming multiculturally. Its cultural inertia.



Oh I agree its just the arts are a bit weird, the above mentioned Cultural Inertia etc. I mean if we're calling out Shakespeare then literally every classically trained actor is now a racist.

Black actors and actresses were discriminated against for decades, still are in many cases. To say that you took a white actor and painted his black face because all the black actors were worse than he is ridiculous. And racist.

[jetengine]

Black actors and actresses were discriminated against for decades, still are in many cases. To say that you took a white actor and painted his black face because all the black actors were worse than he is ridiculous. And racist.

I'm referring from a buisness perspective. If you trump up a ton of money and the only black singer you can find is terrible then you either take a loss or run with it. Is it shitty ? Yeah. But as mentioned the arts tend to get a pass because their culture. Now thats IF you cant find one. Highly unlikely but I'm giving a potential scenario here so cool it on the racism accusation. I'm not a booker for classical opera, I've no clue what the ratio to white/black opera performers are and I've no clue what context that shows hiring issues are.

Could they be racist ? Yeah theres a good chance. Could they also have a shallow pool of talent to work from ? Quite possibly, I wouldn't know.

[Dalak]

BLANK-face is still an issue, as Cloud Atlas proves. No pool is that shallow when people just want to put makeup on big-named Actors.

[PaulBullion]

I'm referring from a buisness perspective. If you trump up a ton of money and the only black singer you can find is terrible then you either take a loss or run with it. Is it shitty ? Yeah. But as mentioned the arts tend to get a pass because their culture. Now thats IF you cant find one. Highly unlikely but I'm giving a potential scenario here so cool it on the racism accusation. I'm not a booker for classical opera, I've no clue what the ratio to white/black opera performers are and I've no clue what context that shows hiring issues are.

Could they be racist ? Yeah theres a good chance. Could they also have a shallow pool of talent to work from ? Quite possibly, I wouldn't know.

Yes, the business perspective of blackface explains why Gods of Egypt did so much better than Black Panther.

[KOSLOX]

I'm referring from a buisness perspective. If you trump up a ton of money and the only black singer you can find is terrible then you either take a loss or run with it. Is it shitty ? Yeah. But as mentioned the arts tend to get a pass because their culture. Now thats IF you cant find one. Highly unlikely but I'm giving a potential scenario here so cool it on the racism accusation. I'm not a booker for classical opera, I've no clue what the ratio to white/black opera performers are and I've no clue what context that shows hiring issues are.

Could they be racist ? Yeah theres a good chance. Could they also have a shallow pool of talent to work from ? Quite possibly, I wouldn't know.

There is a small talent pool and The Met doesn't really make any effort to expand it.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...raps-blackface

[jetengine]

There is a small talent pool and The Met doesn't really make any effort to expand it.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...raps-blackface

So both then. Racist and intentionally creating a limited pool to justify it.

[Gray Lensman]

So both then. Racist and intentionally creating a limited pool to justify it.

Plus the third leg - playing certain roles is seen as a mandatory rite of passage for any serious performer. This one might not have racism as a reason but it certainly ends up with the same result.

[Coin Biter]

Portrayals of Othello in theatre/Otello in opera are a complex and interesting subject

I think the major opera houses will continue to phase out blackface, so the singer will play it with his natural skin colour now. (Which is easy enough to justify by the fact that the character is referred to as a Moor, a term historically used to apply to many light-skinned as well as dark-skinned Muslims.) But it's one of the biggest roles in opera, and the most famous dramatic tenors will always want to play it.

On stage - yes, I think blackface won't be used by a major theatre company, although the legacy of the role and the text will mean that the issue will often be considered by the production - there was a production some years ago when Othello was played by a white actor, and the other parts by black actors, I seem to recall.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Othello is more of a case by case basis. Blackface in this country is problematic mostly for its historical use in minstrel shows.

[Mister Mets]

A college classmate of Justin Fairfax has come forward to accuse him of raping her.
https://twitter.com/Bencjacobs/statu...81682842116098

There are friends who are willing to corroborate that she told them about the rape at the time.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

I’ve only driven through Virgina, but at this point I might be next in the line of succession for the governorship

[Mister Mets]

Cory Booker is now calling on Lieutenant Governor Fairfax to resign.

https://twitter.com/CoryBooker/statu...05695756886017

With multiple allegations of sexual assault, this is the right call.

And in case anyone asks, this was my standard with Kavanaugh.

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post3926734

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Cory Booker is now calling on Lieutenant Governor Fairfax to resign.

https://twitter.com/CoryBooker/statu...05695756886017

With multiple allegations of sexual assault, this is the right call.

And in case anyone asks, this was my standard with Kavanaugh.

https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post3926734

Resign? Just like that? Without going through due process first? Guilty without the opportunity to be proven innocent? Kill that noise. Fairfax should be afforded the chance to tell his side of the story, and so should his accuser, just like with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford. And if it turns out Fairfax was a scumbag, THEN he should resign, and not before.