"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
There a lot of great works of literature that people should read that they probably haven't but I don't think shame is the way to get more people to read them.
Actually, I think shame is a great motivator for these things. Obviously nothing else has worked. Casual mentions, cultural references, historical context... Shame works every single time.
I was pretty sheltered growing up and didn't even have cable but I know all these things!
But once I had cable I binge watched VH1's I love the 80s or whatever so that's probably how I learned about MJ and the Pepsi fire considering it happened when I was pretty young. I probably also learned a lot from pop up video.
THIS ALSO. I love the 80s, people! This is also where they talked about Roots.
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
THIS ALSO. I love the 80s, people! This is also where they talked about Roots.
I was OBSESSED with I Love the 80s, I Love the 70s, I Love the 90s, etc. And I Love the 80s Strikes Back!
I have such a fond memory of there being a marathon of I Love the 80s on my sophomore year of college. My roommate was gone for the weekend, so H (not yet my husband) stayed over, and we pretty much spent the weekend in bed watching the marathon, playing Mortal Kombat on PS2, and doin' it. Best weekend ever. I still remember it fondly.
OH, you'd better hope there's not an I love the...marathon on tv. I WILL CANCEL PLANS.
They even just did I love the 2000s. I watched it. Fuck it, I'd watch it again.
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
Post by lyssbobiss, Command, B613 on Jul 22, 2014 22:34:39 GMT -5
Oh, and from the list of movies? Glory, you guys. I've seen it so many times. I'm still literally unable to fucking can. It just breaks me every single time.
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
There a lot of great works of literature that people should read that they probably haven't but I don't think shame is the way to get more people to read them.
Actually, I think shame is a great motivator for these things. Obviously nothing else has worked. Casual mentions, cultural references, historical context... Shame works every single time.
Shame may work for some things but not for books.
I felt shame to read the Brothers Karamazov and gawd. I hated all 20 pages i could muster through.
I'm just generally pop culture ignorant. You ask me if I've seen a movie, chances are no. So I'm a mixed bag of, duh, of course I know that. Everyone does. And, um, uh, never heard of it. This goes for white culture, too.
I do know of alex Haley/roots and have read and watched excerpts. I've also seen the roots in concert. (And smoked with George Clinton on his tour bus. That has to count for something, right?)
I didn't know about mj and his hair, but I knew about Ben (and captain eo!)
I've seen a number of movies on Sou's list (and subsequent additions like do the right thing), but I'm missing a bunch, too.
I know my music, though. I took both history of jazz and history of american music in college which obviously is strongly influenced by black contributions.
But, I'm completely ignorant of movies like waiting to exhale. I was strongly in my school work/pleasure reading only stage at the time.
I'm not a big fan of Glory. I understand the significance, I've seen the whole thing, I know the big moments and the quotes. But as a whole, nope, don't care about Union Army Ferris Bueller.
Yeah, I've heard of Roots and I think we watched most of it in school, but most movies I've not seen and most books I've not read. I don't think I've seen a single thing on Sou's list and that's about 5 years worth of movie watching for me, so no.
I'm not great with things like MJ's hair either, but I pick up a lot from context and general discussion. I use a LOT of movie quotes that I don't know the origin of.
I've only seen I think 6 of these, but I have seen Lean on Me approximately 400 times, so does that count?
Lol this is me except with Coming to America. I love that movie so much.
ETA I've even been to the real McDowells in Elmhurst! Except it's actually a Wendy's.
Ditto to both of these. I've seen Lean on Me at least 400 times and Coming to America probably even more.
James Earl Jones is the King of Zamunda, people. Forget those puny roles like Darth Vader and Terrence Mann. He is The KING. of. ZAMUNDA.
(Oh, and Mufasa but somebody remembered that, I think.)
Man, he has an amazing voice. Him, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman and Dennis Haysbert. Love them one and all.
I weep for the lost generations that have not seen, read nor even heard of Roots. I saw the original airing and it's one show that has always been one of the first I'd say when asked what is one "must see" show. It was a truly historical event. It was almost as watched back then as the lunar landings just a few years prior. We'd all gather around the television every night to watch.
I'm not a big fan of Glory. I understand the significance, I've seen the whole thing, I know the big moments and the quotes. But as a whole, nope, don't care about Union Army Ferris Bueller.
THANK YOU. Terribly overrated, in my opinion.
I remember watching this is high school, and my history teacher, obviously irritated that this was the movie he was allowed to show, prefaced it with "this is a civil war movie starring Ferris Bueller and Wesley from The Princess Bride. Enjoy."
Can Sou's list get pinned, with recommended additions? I would definitely add 12 yrs a slave to it, and Black Boy.
And I am going to go sit in the corner because I have read the autobiography of Malcolm X a couple of times, have it on my bookshelf at home, and I never paid attention to who Alex Haley was. I am glad i came into this thread so now I can check myself before I wreck myself.
I saw pieces of Roots when it aired in the early 80s but mom sent me out of the room during the violent scenes. I will see about renting it somehow if I can while DD is on vacation.
After Malcolm X I think every white person should read Black Boy by Richard Wright. That book changed my life. There is no way a white person can ever truly empathize with what it was and in some places still is like to be Black in America before and even after the civil rights movement. But I felt Wright crafted the book in such a way that we can get closer to understanding.
Post by irishbride2 on Jul 23, 2014 7:28:52 GMT -5
H had two major instances where he endeared himself to me for life.
The first was senior year of college when he went out in a snow storm to hunt down Do the Right Thing for me. He went to three Blockbusters before he found it. (now all three of them are closed)
i've seen Glory and Guess Who's coming to dinner but I admit that I saw the latter bc I adore Katharine Hepburn.
I have heard of Alex Haley and Roots but havent read or watched it, although I remember when Queen was on and I think I watched that. Maybe not the whole thing but definitely parts of it. Maybe half?
Post by laurenpetro on Jul 23, 2014 8:51:34 GMT -5
I suspect I'll catch the same shit here for not having read/seen Roots or 95% of that movie list as I do at work when I remind everyone that I haven't seen any of The Godfather movies.
I suspect I'll catch the same shit here for not having read/seen Roots or 95% of that movie list as I do at work when I remind everyone that I haven't seen any of The Godfather movies.
I haven't seen these, any of the Lord of the Rings movies or Harry Potter.
I suspect I'll catch the same shit here for not having read/seen Roots or 95% of that movie list as I do at work when I remind everyone that I haven't seen any of The Godfather movies.
You know, really the only point we were making is do you know the references.
If I post a gif of Michael Corleone in his red cardigan sweater, do you get what that means? Of course you do, you're Italian lololol
I suspect I'll catch the same shit here for not having read/seen Roots or 95% of that movie list as I do at work when I remind everyone that I haven't seen any of The Godfather movies.
You know, really the only point we were making is do you know the references.
If I post a gif of Michael Corleone in his red cardigan sweater, do you get what that means? Of course you do, you're Italian lololol
I probably wouldn't, lol. I haven't seen any of the "musts" for Italians either,
Whenever we talk about standards of beauty and black people I think of that miniseries Queen. I think I've only seen white people mention it so maybe its something thats good for cluing white people into things?? I saw it is middle school so I can't say if it was good or not.
We read the book and then watched Roots in my high school History class my Junior year. It suprises me that this wasn't common. The teacher dedicated a good chunk of the semester to it.
I need to go back and read the rest of this thread now.