MovieChat Forums > Selma (2015) Discussion > The Past

The Past

posted 10 years ago by steve0810
11 replies | jump to latest

Why do we choose to keep living in the past? Why do we keep acting like all white people are out to get black people? If we want to move forward, we truly have to move forward. At work, a black person told a white person, "You have to work harder because of what your ancestors did to mine." If black people continue to view white people as someone who is out to get them, and treat all whites that way, then whites are not going to value blacks as people. How about everyone respect with everyone? The truth is issues in America are made issues by people with money. Oprah uses her money to tell us how black people are still persecuted.

[–] LnineB 10 years ago

The past is our past. We can't forget it because we never resolved our issues with race, sex and social class. Every major civil rights leader were murdered during that time, how can we say we solved anything.

[–] steve0810 9 years ago

I understand that we must never forget the past, but if we choose to re-write or to never move forward, then how can we ever make progress. The white treatment of blacks was terrible, but we have come a long way. We must not deny or ignore that progress. We also can not hide the fact that only 52% of the slaves were black. The other 48% were white, Latino and Native American. 14% of slave owners were black. 23% were Native American. The country with the most slavery right now is Kenya, where 85% of white citizens are enslaved. Our country has come a long, and there has been a lot of white people who supported civil rights. It would have never gotten passed without white people's support. Why do we insist on making films that are US vs. THEM?

[–] silvercreature 9 years ago

You say you understand it but your attitude seems pretty dismissive to me. This movie is about what it's about, and I don't see how having its story told in any way "denies or ignores" the racial progress that's been made in America. Don't you understand that's it's because of the very events portrayed in this movie that some of that progress has happened? The Civil Rights Movement was about people of different races coming together in equality - the people who saw it as Us Vs Them were those who opposed it.

You know, I watch a lot of World War II movies and on the message boards here I'm not seeing Germans endlessly complaining the way people like yourself do about movies depicting things such as slavery, segregation and the Civil Rights movement in the US. The past is indeed the past but it's extremely relevant to the present as well as the future.

[–] cstu11 9 years ago

The country with the most slavery right now is Kenya, where 85% of white citizens are enslaved.

What in God's name are you blathering about?

[–] cocoa-bean 9 years ago

"Then whites are not going to value backs as people"

Don't you see that's been the problem all along?? Even to this day! We need to keep making movies like this to remind us... We need to be reminded so history is not repeated. We need to be reminded of the great sacrifices these people made for OUR equality. There are thousands of people trying to tell this country that they are not being treated with equality. Listen to them instead of brushing them off with percentages and talks of slavery in African cultures. Yes, of course things are much, much better, thanks to great men like MLK and many others, but we still have a long way to go. We need more empathy. Just because you have not experienced or seen racism as portrayed in this film does not mean it doesn't exist anymore. It's easy to say "move on" when you are not the one that actually has to move on.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ikuzobenkei 9 years ago

Agreed. We have to stop living in the past to move forward. No more history films or period pieces. No 300, no Troy, no Patriot, no J Edgar Hoover, no Lincoln, no Public Enemies, no Django, no Gladiator, no 12 years as a Slave...........none of that crap that makes us contemplate about the past. We MUST MOVE FORWARD!!!!!

[–] tom245-32-153383 9 years ago

AMEN BROTHER!

Every time black people see a film like Selma or 12 Years a Slave, they are only going to get more angry and believe they will never be accepted into society. Look to a future where everyone is treated as equals and the race problem will soon disappear.

That said, its probably just a murica thing. People over here, in England, don't really care about race and we get along fine. I even have 2 black friends. Crazy eh?

[–] DelovelyX 9 years ago

What, so black Americans shouldn't learn about their history because "they're only going to get more angry"? I'm English too and never learnt about Selma, so I'm glad that movies can show and teach us about history - history which if ignored, would only be repeated.
And racism does still occur in England, wyd?
I'm not even gonna address the 2 black friends nonsense, LMAO.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgrHlQAUgAEymKj.jpg:orig

[–] tom245-32-153383 9 years ago

I totally forgot that the IMDB forums is full of self-righteous jerks that think they are intellectually superior to everyone else. You have a different opinion to me, no need to be a sarcastic prick about it.

Yeah doing a film on black history is fine, but to do it in a way that victimises white people today, for the things their distant ancestors did many years ago is not helping the current situation on racial equality.

For example The Birth of a Nation (1915) about the "wonderful" KKK, caused a massive upsurge in the their membership and caused riots and lynchings all over America. This year, a remake is being released with the roles reversed. Of course it won't have the same effect, but it sure will make black people angry at white people. Just like 12 Years a Slave and Selma. Heck yeah things were bad back then. But back then is not today and these film-makers are trying to draw unjust parallels and make drastic statements of black inequality in today's complex and completely changed world.

[–] DelovelyX 9 years ago

Did you seriously call me a jerk? 😕
I really don't understand how Selma victimised white people today. It only portrayed the real life fight for black suffrage in Alabama. The film depicted many white people who fought on MLK Jr's side, who suffered for it. Can you elaborate?

it sure will make black people angry at white people. Just like 12 Years a Slave and Selma.

??? I'm not black but I was angry watching those films because that's what they're supposed to do - cause an emotional response, as with the scene of the bombing of the four black girls in Selma. But how have black people shown anger towards white people today?
And don't forget that a lot of the racist white people, such as the Klansmen, who committed brutalities during the fight for civil rights are still alive today. Many of whom did not face legal punishment, such as the men who killed the two white ministers in this movie. Let's not act like all white people today are innocent - the 60s weren't that long ago.

these film-makers are trying to draw unjust parallels and make drastic statements of black inequality in today's complex and completely changed world.

I don't see how 12YaS did this, but Selma was very apt in its parallels with today's police brutality... because it does still happen in America in 2016.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgrHlQAUgAEymKj.jpg:orig