But-but-but Viola played a maid waaaah!

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I think as African Americans we should start approaching art from an artistic standpoint and stop looking for our next moral outrage. We also have to get over the idea that just because a movie sends a good message that the movie itself is good. I have seen a lot of films that contained good moral messages, but were horribly directed, written, and acted.

Why do you guys not bring that up?Why? Because these people don't care about that. They don't even care about Viola Davis' "demeaning" characterization. All these people care about is, well, frankly as you put it, WAAAAHH! All they wanna do is whine and complain. Just like little kids. And when they get their way, such as Obama becoming President, it still ain't good enough for them. They'll still find something to whine about. If somehow, Hollywood had nothing but blacks in the front office and were making black films, they would again WHINE!

I wonder, where were these people when The Color Purple got snubbed in 86 in favor of an inferior film, Out of Africa? A little whining back then would've been justified. The reason is simple:

Then it wasn't, but today, WAAAAAH has become a fashionable thing!

I graduated from the college of the streets, I gotta Phd in how to make ends meet.

Oh look, here comes the most shameless tap-dancing Uncle Tom on IMDB. Yeah, black people this, black people that, black people WHINE and scream like babies, as you put it "just like little kids."

Also, yeah Obama is President, black people should be happy and satisfied, and thank the white man for slavery because the savages that they are got to live in America, what else? maybe white people should pack the left-overs from their dinner tables and send it to the ghettos where those ungrateful black people live.

Spoken like a true white supremacist. Infact you do realize you insult black people more than the hardcore white supremacists I've seen, yet you still claim to be a black person. Really, your posts are just too bizarre to ignore, there's no way I can believe you're indeed a black person.

Groomten you are just proving him right. And how is he an Uncle Tom. You are proving him right because you keep saying Viola Davis' character is a mammy, stereotype, and you hope she does not win the Academy Award. I have no problem with your opinion but the OP is right because you have not said anything positive about her past roles and her future roles coming up. She is already hired for three upcoming movies.

Alright see, how many times will people explain to you that black actors/actresses get rewarded for playing negative black stereotypes?! Tavis Smiley made the point that the real argument lies in the "NON-EXISTENT balance." How come these black actors/actresses don't never get praieses from the mainstream for playing morally upstanding characters? How come they didn't care for Malcom X but gave Denzel an Oscar for Training Day? How come the same white people praising The Help made excuses for why they will not watch RED TAILS and pointed out historical inaccuracies and called it a feel good movie for black people.

Oh, yeah, RED TAILS was a bad movie, so was The Blind Side, but they love the Blind Side so much that they watched it multiple times. Also, Precious got loads of mainstream media attention and praise, however any black-themed movie where the black characters are not depicted in a pathetic light is ignored and hated by the mainstream.

I read several posts on the message board of LAW ABIDING CITIZENS, from white people who said they just couldn't find her (Viola) believable as a Mayor, yet these same white people are all too willing to find her believable as a MAID, can't you see the weirdness of that? How come a morally upstanding non-suffering succesful no-nonsense black character is often scorned by the mainstream? yet the numerous suffering pathetic subservient characters of Morgan Freeman get loads of praises.

Remember The Green Mile, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Shawshank Redemption, Precious, The Blind Side,etc... tell me what you think white people found very attractive about those black characters in those movies that they were so willing to watch. Let me tell you, they were SUBSEVIENT POWERLESS SUFFERING characters who went "Yes Sir, Yes Ma" all through the movies. Heck Will Smith was made to take the Bagger Vance role as a ploy to make him "LIKABLE" to white people, even white professional film critics complained about the role. Can't you open your eyes to see that there is indeed something wrong in a society where black people have to be depicted in a pathetic light for the "dominant race" to find them likable. Even many right-wing conservative commentator have highlighted this ploy by Hollywood to potray black people in a sorry state, hence these conservatives coined the term WHITE GUILT MOVIE (like a new genre of movies with liberal racial messages), some racist idiots have said "they always want us to feel sorry for white people, well I'm tired of that."

There is a lack of balance, white actors/actresses have won awards for playing both good and bad, but black actors/actresses have OVERWHELMINGLY been celebrated for playing negative black stereotypes, from welfare queens to drug dealers.

Sure this woman would get loads of offers to play awesome roles but see if they'll give her any awards for playing those cool roles.

While I cannot comment on Red Tails or the Blind Side because I have not seen them. I agree with you that Malcolm X should have won Denzel Washington the Academy Award. The reason he didn't win is because it was a career award for Al Pacino (which was very obvious). As for Law Abiding Citizen, that part was written for Viola Davis and I fully agree with you there. I believed she could be the mayor. Another reason for praising The Help and not Red Tails I believe is because we all knew The Help was not a real story. If it was the KKK and more brutal situations would have occured. Red Tails however was based on a true event and from what I hear, suffers from various historical inaccuracies. While she may be given a nomination for future roles, I highly doubt she will win anytime soon because the Academy is full of *beep*

I really think the problem you have is with white Hollywood. I do agree that black people get rewarded for negative roles more so than white people. I have to say Hattie McDaniel, Mo'Nique, James Baskett (honorary oscar), Halle Berry, and Denzel Washington have won for roles that were negative but showcased their great acting ability. However, Whoopi Goldberg, Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx, Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Lou Gossett, Jr. and hopefully Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis all played positive characters which also showcased their acting abilities. From what I said, the good outweighs the bad so their is hope for people who are thinking as you described.