Welcome To the Black Market

Last night I went and saw Quentin Tarantino's new movie Django Unchained. I am a huge Tarantino fan and have seen all of his movies from Reservoir Dogs to Inglorious Basterds (which were both really great by the way) so I knew that I would like this movie...and I was right. The movie is set around the 1850s and is about a black slave named Django, played by Jamie Foxx. Django is rescued by Dr. King Schultz, a bounty hunter who needs his help for a bounty. During their time together, Django reveals to Schultz that he was separated from his wife a few years back, and is going to search for her. After their bounty is finished, Schultz asks Django if he would like to be his bounty partner for the winter. "[I get to] kill white people and get paid for it? What's not to like?," says Django. After countless bounties, Django and Schultz set out to search for his long lost wife. I loved Django because he was so out of character for his time. An African American slave who was set free and made a living for a short while killing white men. People in the film were in awe whey saw Django riding a horse. Being a free man.

I have a soft spot in my heart for slavery. It kills me that African American's had to go through it. It makes me think of Mary Prince and Thomas Pringle's "Supplement to The History of Mary Prince." A narrative about an African slave and all the horrors she had to go through. From being whipped until she passed out to standing knee high in water until boils grew on her legs, Prince describes it all. Obama did a speech about slavery at the Constitution Center in 2008. He talked about the Constitution - a document that guaranteed rights to different groups all over the nation.

-In 1791, the Constitution granted freedom of speech under the first amendment
-In 1866, the Constitution abolished slavery under the thirteenth amendment
-In 1920, the Constitution granted women the right to vote under the nineteenth amendment

"And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protest and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time." - Obama

I absolutely love this quote from Obama because a law is not enough to guarantee someone's freedom. Even after African American's were granted freedom, they were still oppressed by Whites. They may of been free, but not equal. In a dominant white society, everyone is a slave to the Caucasian race. As of December 1, 2012, 72.4% of the population is of Caucasian descent. In California, 74% of the population is of Caucasian descent and in Los Angeles alone, the white population is at a staggering 50%. In a society like this, it is crucial to accept everyone as equals. It's just not fair to the minority. Little kids grow up in our society and see white faces everywhere they go. They are taught that white is beautiful, making them look at themselves and their race with hatred. Nellie Wong wrote a poem titled "When I Was Growing Up." Wong writes about her experience growing up as an Asian America in a white world and she grew to hate herself. She desired to be white and wore imaginary pale skin. She felt dirty, and thought that God made white people clean. As she got older, she felt special whenever a white man wanted to take her out on a date. This is not how someone should feel. People should be taught to love themselves for who they are. It's so sad to think that children are feeling this way all across the nation and world.

Knowing the truth about our dominant white society is something sad to think about, so watching movies like Django Unchained is refreshing. It seems like movies about slavery all seem so real. They show African American's being chained, whipped, and treated like trash by Europeans, so it was fun seeing it the other way around. Overall I give the movie a 9 out of 10. It would of been a perfect 10 if Dr. Schultz didn't die, sorry to spoil the movie, but I feel the need to express my anger at this. At least I got to see another Tarantino movie, that's all that matters anyways.

Django picture: guardianlv.com
Obama picture: trbimg.com
Obama quote: csun.edu/faculty/sheena.malhotra/Obama-Race_speech.html