'Tropic Thunder' Trailer Allays Blackface Fears

False Alarm

Here's the trailer for Tropic Thunder, the upcoming comedy starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Nick Nolte and Robert Downey Jr, who, as you can see, is featured in blackface.

We've been worrying for a couple weeks that the blackface element might ruin a perfectly bad movie, but – and we're loath to admit this – after watching the preview, we kinda, sorta don't mind the face paint anymore. We even giggled at the line, "Man, just because it's a theme song don't make it not true."

Crisis: what to hate on now? Where's our steadfast indignation? How about we get disgusted about a war comedy during actual wartime? Yeah, that's the ticket. War isn't funny.

Mar 19, 2008 · posted by Cord Jefferson · Link · 7 Responses

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Tagged: Blackface, Movies, Robert Downey Jr, Trailers, War

Comments (7)

No. 1 · blackmistressdiva

"Crisis: what to hate on now?"

Now, THAT made me giggle. Good line. And so true around these parts sometimes.

Posted: Mar 19, 2008 at 11:34 am

No. 2 · JillyBean819

Ughh, I watched the trailer for a total of 30 seconds and cut it off. Looks a bit too retarded for me. Sorry.

Posted: Mar 19, 2008 at 2:30 pm

No. 3 · sloane

just because you, cord jefferson, don't have a problem with robert downey jr. painting himself brown, doesn't mean i shouldn't have a problem with it either.

Posted: Mar 19, 2008 at 3:29 pm

No. 4 · souldecirce

ooh, ooh, ooh. i know what to hate on now:

comments that falsely attribute words and ideas to the editors. e.g., this post wherein no Cord said nothing about how other people should feel about rdj's blackface, but then post no. 3 happens.

although, strictly speaking, i've always been hating on comments like these. nothing new for me.

Posted: Mar 19, 2008 at 3:44 pm

No. 5 · susie

i'm in agreement with Jilly.

Posted: Mar 19, 2008 at 7:19 pm

No. 6 · ananzi

thank you sloane! i thought i was the only one who had a problem with this…

dear cord jefferson,

did you also find his caricature of a Black man cute-especially that Black voice? or perhaps it was the stereotypical angry-jungle-kung fu-fighting Asians speaking in broken english that made your mouth crack a smile. oh no. i'm guessing it was the other "real" Black guy who was there for comic relief.

God bless you and God help you. this is where I get off the stereohyped train. when a Black blog that seemingly (seemingly being the operative word) discusses and questions racial politics and race in pop culture, "giggles" at a gross distortion of the Black community which further propagates the twisted images created about us (with our help of course, as you have proven so poignantly here), it is only further proof that something ain't right. The world is coming to an end and our Ancestors who fought so hard so we didn't have to giggle at this crap must not only be turning over but weeping in their forgotten graves.

Posted: Mar 19, 2008 at 8:13 pm

No. 7 · sloane

@souldecirce- i have a problem with jerks who come out of left field, when i'm not even addressing them, and who obviously don't know what the fuck i'm talking about.

it was written by cord jefferson, or at least posted by him so he's responsible for this commentary. the commentary implies that the trailer IS SO ENTERTAINING it should negate the feeling of being offended by the fact that robert downey jr. is in blackface. in fact if you're literate the title of this post states : TROPIC THUNDER TRAILER ALLAYS BLACKFACE FEARS. my post was simply a rebuttal to that statement. don't hate; READ, honey.

Posted: Mar 22, 2008 at 4:47 am

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