Cassandra

or

I see racist people.

Spent the day lost in an internet hornets nest kicked by Andrew Sullivan posting this link to this article from The New Republic:

The Racism of Beasts of the Southern Wild

by

Thomas Hackett

This film was/is the darling of the I love film set, claiming prizes all over the map. So as soon as it hit Netflix we watched. Where as the vast majority of folk saw a charming little movie about a plucky little six year old making her way in a tough world, I saw classism and out and out hood wearing racism, but had felt all alone, other than Neil until I read this.

A sure fire Rorschach test of a movie, I guess - with viewers seeing different things. I see rich white YOUNG film makers finding valor and delight in the noble savage, when in real life poverty is not really all that glorious.I call it poverty porn, and Hollywood loves it. I would love some input on this from others that have seen the movie.

In all the reading we did on this today, Disney's 1946 SONG OF THE SOUTH kept popping up as well. I even called it a modern day SOTS right after seeing it. SO- we watched it tonight, on youtube. When I was looks like 4th grade my whole class went to see it, school trip. But it has had such a bad rap the last decade or so, that Disney will not even allow it to be sold or viewed in North America. It is NO WHERE near as racist or patronizing as BofSW....