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posted by martyb on Friday May 18 2018, @04:27AM   Printer-friendly
from the no-punches-pulled dept.

At theGrio, Spike Lee blasted Trump for not condemning the Klan and Alt-Right:

Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman was well received at the Cannes Film Festival, and the prolific director did not hold back giving his take on how President Donald Trump has contributed to a hateful, divisive culture.

In the movie, about a black man (John David Washington) who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan, Lee inserted a moving documentary montage at the end of the film about the conflict in Charlottesville, reports Vulture. The movie included a powerful ending messaging about Heather Heyer, the young woman [who] was killed when a white nationalist ran her over with a car during the protests.

“It’s an ugly, ugly, ugly blemish on the United States of America,” Lee said at the press conference for the film.

The story contains a link to a YouTube video of Spike Lee's comments at Cannes, as well as a transcript of that video.

[Note: Emphasis was in the source. -Ed]


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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by TheReaperD on Friday May 18 2018, @04:51AM (5 children)

    by TheReaperD (5556) on Friday May 18 2018, @04:51AM (#681010)

    Wow, I barely know where to begin but, I'll try. Though I admit that the name "Black Lives Matter" was poorly chosen, none but the most unhinged would advocate for killing cops and the fact that you would suggest they do says that you're either a troll or unhinged yourself (not mutually exclusive). Now, prosecuted for killing unarmed black men and actually being put in prison for their crimes? Absolutely. Though the videos that have come out don't tell the whole story, there have been several that there is no way that the acts committed were justifiable homicide and the fact that the cops in questioned walked away scott free shows overt racism and "blue bias," and people have a right to be pissed off that they're getting away with murder because it was a black man.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 18 2018, @05:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 18 2018, @05:32AM (#681020)

    ^ beep boop

    basically what the black community has been complaining about for CENTURIES! We white folks are just recently getting massively caught up with reality, and it is grim. It is terrible. It is horrifyingly fucked up.

    Unless you can come to terms with that FIRST then you can't really bitch about any movement and its supposed "scary" nature.

  • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday May 18 2018, @03:47PM (3 children)

    by Immerman (3985) on Friday May 18 2018, @03:47PM (#681214)

    How do you see "Black Lives Matter" as a poorly chosen name? It was named directly in response to the fact that quite obviously black lives DON'T especially matter in the current status quo. There's those who bitch and moan and pretend that it means *only* black lives matter - but that's total bullshit which anyone who spends two seconds on research or critical thinking can see. And there's the "All Lives Matter" folks - but they only crawl out of the woodwork to try to shout down BLM - you never see them actually protesting when people of any color get killed by institutional violence.

    Maybe they could have called it "Black Lives Matter Too" But personally that sounds week and whiny to me, hardly a rallying cry for a cultural battle - and make no mistake it's a battle, equality has never been given, it's always had to be fought for inch by inch through violence or political organization. And even if the revolutionaries are restricting themselves to non-violent conflict, the opposition will almost certainly not - as famously demonstrated by M.L. King, and so many less famous individuals. Equality is always paid for with the blood of the oppressed - they need a rallying cry to help make it easier to pay that price.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 18 2018, @04:55PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 18 2018, @04:55PM (#681256)

      And there's the "All Lives Matter" folks - but they only crawl out of the woodwork to try to shout down BLM - you never see them actually protesting when people of any color get killed by institutional violence.

      Well, actually, I sort of consider myself more of an "All Lives Matter" kind of a guy but I have no desire to "shout down" BLM. And, in fact, I think it is deplorable that black African-Americans and other minorities fear violence whenever they encounter law enforcement; it shouldn't be this way and it needs to change NOW. I must also point out that I find it deplorable that you suggest that the battle for equality could legitimately be fought using violence. I'm pretty sure that MLK would find it similarly deplorable too. Just sayin'.

      • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday May 19 2018, @06:24PM (1 child)

        by Immerman (3985) on Saturday May 19 2018, @06:24PM (#681628)

        Is a violent uprising of slaves against the masters who casually rape an murder them truly an illegitimate use of violence?

        Despite his rhetoric, even MLK intentionally harnessed violence - the violence of his oppressors, to his cause. His movement didn't start gaining momentum until he relocated his activities to a region where it met violent opposition rather than being tolerated. He sought out violent opposition to his peaceful protest to make his point on the public stage - after all "If it bleeds, it leads", and in a democracy you need to generate broad public engagement to orchestrate change. There's more than one way to spill your blood for the cause.

        And while I'm not especially happy about the fact, large steps toward equality has very often been historically won via more direct violence. There are other ways, preferable when they can be made to work, but direct violence is very often a quite expedient avenue when others prove intractable. Assuming you like the potential of this whole "democracy" idea, there's a few major steps forward you should appreciate - such as the signing of the Magna Carta, greatly limiting the power of the king as part of a peace treaty with rebel Barons, or the U.S. Constitution, which never would have had a chance to be drafted without first facing the violence of rebellion against Britain. The liberation of Canada, and even the spread of democracy through Europe has some of its roots in the example set by the USA. An example that it was possible to thrive without kings. To the UK and other governments, that perhaps there were more profitable routes to deal with other colonies that also wanted independence.

        Those wielding power will not always yield it willingly - and you may not always have anything substantial enough to barter with (as Ghandi did). What route would you then suggest to gain greater equality?

        • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Saturday May 19 2018, @06:30PM

          by Immerman (3985) on Saturday May 19 2018, @06:30PM (#681632)

          I should perhaps make clear that I am in no way speaking on behalf of BLM here - I no little more of them than impressions from the news.

          I'm speaking only as a white American guy with a passing knowledge of political history - a pacifist by preference with a grudging respect for the power of appropriately wielded violence to contribute to the greater good under particular circumstances.