Preciously Blindsided
by Ajani Husbands
I initially was writing an article about the use of food stamps spilling over into non-Black America, but given the recent ABC blog article debating Precious versus The Blind-Side, I had to switch gears. There seems to be a lot of animosity towards Precious and a lot of love to The Blind Side. And who can blame the masses for that? The Blind Side is heroic. It is warm, encouraging, heroic, hopeful. Precious is the opposite. It’s dark, twisted, demeaning, depressing. So why should we even cast a passing glance towards Precious?
For the same reason I purchased a book on lynchings. We gain very little from walking away from reality. By reality, I don’t mean that Precious depicts the way Black people live by and large. Instead, I mean the reality that some people’s lives are indeed this tragic and twisted and a solution is not always as clear as Sandra Bullock walking into a classroom with grit and determination.
This doesn’t make The Blind Side a bad movie. It comes in a long line of stories of gritty, inner-city determination of an outsider struggling to make a difference on students who have lost hope. There is a place for this in society. It’s inspirational for teachers and mentors. It’s an analytical tool for the classroom. And sometimes it’s rooted in reality, Stand and Deliver being a prime example.
And yet, it is not all-encompassing. Society needs to see Precious, to come face to face with the crusted underbelly of America that is left to the wayside. Just because it’s not pretty doesn’t mean it’s not there.
More Americans than ever are on food stamps (see? I still incorporated my original article). Unemployment is holding steady at a depressing 10%, and there are no new jobs. The Precious story will become a lot more common and we need to be familiar with it.
Are there solutions to the Precious situation? Absolutely. They are not easy to find and they often require digging deep down to change the very infrastructure that birthed such situations in the first place. As difficult as these solutions may be, though, they are there and can be implemented.
The first step is coming to grips with a reality that is often too gruesome to look at up close. Go watch Precious.
December 8th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I thank you for this entry, and the last (including Soulja Boy’s ridiculous lyric!). I’m just so annoyed that these topics arise in 2009, soon ‘10. Absurd. Once conscious, it’s impossible not to recognize such ignorance, and more sadly, internalization of such bullshit.
December 8th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I did see Precious though and i was first struck by the rawness of the movie, how it was so unlike my black narrative as a Haitian immigrant. Then I realized that after moving to DC, I walk by several Precious’s on a daily basis and I never look at the twice- that realization was jarring as well. … See MoreOverall I thought it was tragically beautiful for bringing to the light some of the issues real people face but I did see some issues in it as well-specifically with the color complex that played out throughout it.
I also agree with you that the reality of urban life/struggle should be removed from a solely African American context in the media. Thus, I can see how a film like Precious can perpetuate stereotypes while it also breaks down doors. however, a film line the Blindside can also send the subliminal message that only the “great white hope” can save the Precious’s b/c they cant do it on their own. That theme has been with us even before movies like Dangerous minds
December 8th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I believe that you guys touched on some of the major themes both movies seem to consider: the tragedy of someone’s life circumstance and power of hope: in either overcoming these circumstances or finding the strength to be able to deal with them. Additionally, for society at large, The Blind Side may be more palatable because the situation and themes, though tragic, are more familiar. The alien and disturbing world of Precious forces one to confront things ugly and acknowledge their existence as a reality for some. Furthermore, the development and possible resolution is not neat, nor is it tidy. In fact, the commercial success of Precious may be do in large part to the centuries old obsession with the “other”. All this, before even addressing Hollywood’s obsession with the “white saviour” present in The Blind Side, as the person above stated: Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and now Invictus…
December 8th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
I’ve seen both Precious and The Blind Side and think both films are moving and incite reflection without considering the race of the protagonists. The critics of these films are so concerned with the color they see on screen that they miss the universal messages of accountability, compassion, forgiveness, and fortitude that these movies bring across. Yes there will always be people who will look at a film like Precious and say ” Black people sure live some dark lives”; but there are plenty of others who see (and relate to) how the cylcle of abuse begets more abuse and how you don’t always have to live your life as a victim. Same goes for The Blind Side, you can look at it like ” White folks are the only ones who can save little black children” or you can take away the message looking beyond a person’s exterior. Both movies are amazing, both stories needed to be heard, and both movies should be seen (just be prepared to go to a bar after you see Precious because you’re definitely going to need a drink).