Michael Bay says those two characters are for the kids.
Michael Bay had an interview with the Associated Press were he was made to defend himself against racial allegations. These charges steam from two of Bay's secondary robot characters, Mudflap and Skids. People seem to think that these two characters promote offensive racial stereotypes. Michael Bay does not disagree, he just doesn't see anything wrong with it.
These two robots have all the trimmings from enormous jug ears, bug eyes, and a enormous gold tooth sticking out of one of their faces to speaking in high pitched voices that remind you of Chris Tucker in Friday. Mudflap and Skids are voiced by Black actor Reno Wilson, and comedian and voice talent Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants). The dialog suggests that the two robots will start popping a cap in another robot.
"We're just putting more personality in," Bay told the Associated Press. "I don't know if it's stereotypes - they are robots, by the way. These are the voice actors. This is kind of the direction they were taking the characters and we went with it."
New York times critic Manohla Dargis wrote that the characters speak with "conspicuously cartoonish, so-called black voices that indicate that minstrelsy remains as much in fashion in Hollywood as when, well, Jar Jar Binks was set loose by George Lucas."
With that being said by the so called critic, I do not remember any racial tension with Jar Jar, in fact he was played by a Ahmed Best who in fact is a African American. If it was such a huge problem why wasn't this discussed and addressed back then?
Every race has their own quirks. That's why Dave Chappelle was so successful (My favorite Comedian by the way), he made fun of everyone. No one race was saved from Dave. My Name Is Earl is about a trailer trash White guy. I don't remember hearing the same above mentioned critic blast that for stereo typing white people. This is all a bunch of bull shit, and a easy way for the New York Times to make some headlines which results in money. In which they should be ashamed of themselves for.
Hey Manohla, Obama is President now, time to move yourself out of the racially hyped past and into the equally make fun of all races present. I think if Obama made a statement about this situation he would say "If African Americans do not want to be portrayed in this light then maybe they shouldn't have One gold tooth sticking out of their mouths and speak without the back street slang, no more popping caps in people talk. Also if White people do not want to be portrayed as trailer trash, then white people should move out of the trailer and quite doing it with your sister or the kid licking the short bus window."
Michael Bay goes on to defend himself by stating: "I purely did it for kids, Young kids love these robots, because it makes it more accessible to them."
In closing I would like to say "Cant we all just get along?"
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jman1977
6/24/2009
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