Birth of a Nation (2016)

[Ginger]

I didn't watch the 60 Minutes interview, but I gather that he changed tactics from faux remorse to being adamant that he's not sorry because he has nothing to be sorry for.

The New Yorker just published a scathing review of the movie by the way.

[Neurochick]

I don't know how I feel about this movie. Maybe the problem is that Parker stars in it as well as directed it.

I have heard many youtube videos where black people, men and women say that bringing up the rape is yet another way for white people to demonize black men. It's not as that hasn't ever happened; how many black men were killed because some white woman falsely accused them of rape? What about what happened to Emmet Till?

But then I remember this girl who went to my college. I didn't know her because she was younger than I. One day someone asked me if I knew what happened to her and I said no, but she was never on my radar so I really didn't notice. So she told me this girl was gang raped and because of that she left school. I asked if she went to the police and was told, "of course not, who would the cops believe guys who went to ____ school, or her? Besides," I was told, "some of the guys say that she's saying that just because she's pregnant." So she left school; that was over thirty years ago and I never knew what happened to her, or if she was pregnant, I never knew if she went back to college or what. She was black, and I believe the men who raped her were also black.

So I'm torn about this. I would like to see a telling of Nat Turner's story but I don't know, maybe someone else will tell it and I'll see that movie.

[kanding]

I'm watching 13th right now, and Ana Duvernay brings up that very point, Neurochick. The belief that black men are raging sex beasts has historically been used to keep them on the fringes of society and put them in prison.

[nemmie]

I have to say, watching 13th on Netflix changed my mind on how I felt about seeing this film (I was on the fence before). I'm going to separate Parker from the work itself, and see it. I feel like it deserves its due outside of his personal bullshit.