Django Unchained

So with all the hullabaloo surrounding Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, the boyfriend and I decided to see it yesterday. And you know what? Although there was a stupid amount of violence, rap music, and slow-mo dog-mauling montages, I liked it. Admittedly, blood splatter doesn't offend me. After a certain point I did find the gun shooting scenes monotonous and uninspired. However if I had to pick my favorite aspect of the film, it would be Samuel L. Jackson's oily "Uncle Tom" performance. Leonardo DiCaprio did a great job as the villain and Christoph Waltz genuinely surprised me as the good guy. All in all, I think the movie was well-acted and provocative. The use of the "n-word" didn't faze me. After all...this is a movie about slavery. 

And that's where my movie review ends and my philosophic musings begin. Feel free to stop reading at this point because I can feel a rant simmering inside me.

I chose to open this blog post with Spike Lee for a reason. I think he's being a little ridiculous for trashing a movie he openly admits to never seeing, but he also has a point. I just happen to think his point is short-sighted. My beef is with America's obsession with racial politicking and also our knee-jerk reaction to gun violence. The lastest American tragedy in Connecticut has everyone up in arms about the wrong issues. Censuring Tarantino simply because he has violent gun scenes will not fix America's gun problem. Just like censuring the "n-word" out of books like Huckleberry Finn will not  fix America's racism problem. C'mon people! Think BIG PICTURE! 

I'm annoyed. We're so quick to "blame the media" for every little thing rather than sitting down with lawmakers and community leaders to discuss the weaknesses in our legislature, mental healthcare, and educational system. I guess it's easier to point our fingers at artists rather than implement responsible, mature policies that might actually make a difference in our national and state governments. This problem is so much bigger than a few stupid scenes in a movie like Django. We need adult conversations about change. Not knee-jerk reactions or scape-goating.