Superman

[Skipper]

just as they believed the offensive black pimp stereotype was equally something to give audiences that warm chuckle.

By the way, but does a young person who sees this film for the first time usually realize that this character represents the stereotype of the black pimp of the 70s? Because it seems to me that in all the reaction videos I've seen no one has made this association. They probably just think "Ah, the wacky fashion of the 70s!"

 

[Tosk]

Everyone who complains about the guy being a pimp is a racist. Stop assuming that stereotypes are accurate!

 

[USS Firefly]

By the way, but does a young person who sees this film for the first time usually realize that this character represents the stereotype of the black pimp of the 70s? Because it seems to me that in all the reaction videos I've seen no one has made this association. They probably just think "Ah, the wacky fashion of the 70s!"

As a kid I just thought he was a cool dude

 

[Skipper]

As a kid I just thought he was a cool dude

Ditto. As an Italian kid in the 70s, I didn't even have the cultural reference to make the correlation.

 

[Skipper]

I rewatched the scene. He was with two scantily clad girls in a very flashy car. I can understand why someone would make assumptions about what area of business his job was...

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[Skipper]

From the shooting script

EXT. ALLEYWAY

An incredibly garish BLACK PIMP exits an alley doorway, stoned, stops in awe as he, sees: SUPERMAN in full costume heading towards him, determined.

PIMP
Say, Jim! That is a bad outfit...

SUPERMAN
Excuse me...

With a burst or energy SUPERMAN rises from the ground, flies up into the night sky. The PIMP watches in wonder.

PIMP
Wait a minute, Jim! Who's your tailor, baby? Who cuts your threads?

 

[Set Harth]

jesus

 

[Skipper]

jesus

By the way, I just realized that the only black character with a speaking part in the first two Superman movies is a pimp.

It was a different time.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

By the way, but does a young person who sees this film for the first time usually realize that this character represents the stereotype of the black pimp of the 70s? Because it seems to me that in all the reaction videos I've seen no one has made this association. They probably just think "Ah, the wacky fashion of the 70s!"

We (black people) viewed it that way in 1978. One of this Western society's most damaging heirlooms forced on black people was/is the racist stereotypes relating to alleged "expected" and/or "natural" criminality. Rather than have a black person run into Superman with surprise--as anyone else would--the one black character in the film is a fucking pimp. Yes, that character was always viewed as a pimp (which was one of the most abused racial stereotypes in 1970s media), since we were not blind to / naive about White Entertainment's deliberate effort to demonize black people as deviants. What's even more glaring is that the pimp--one of the worst kind of people in society--was purposely contrasted with one of popular culture's most marketed images of the Heroic, Pure, White Justice figure (particularly the marketing of Superman in that era / film), hammering the scene's message--in the body of a black man--that he "naturally" aspired to be a criminal, instead the choice made by his costumed opposite, which all should dream of being, yet the black man did not. Of course he didn't.

There was no excuse for the screenwriters, the Salkinds, Donner, et al. to use that stereotype at all. Black people took to the media to rally against such stereotypes in that decade, so this was not a case of "well, that was a different time...". It was always the time for the oppressed to fight against imagery / messaging so offensive, yet I know some (not meaning you) will attempt to gloss over / reduce its negative impact, all to defend a particular character / film image, or attack the one addressing it.

From the shooting script

EXT. ALLEYWAY

An incredibly garish BLACK PIMP exits an alley doorway, stoned, stops in awe as he, sees: SUPERMAN in full costume heading towards him, determined.

PIMP
Say, Jim! That is a bad outfit...

SUPERMAN
Excuse me...

With a burst or energy SUPERMAN rises from the ground, flies up into the night sky. The PIMP watches in wonder.

PIMP
Wait a minute, Jim! Who's your tailor, baby? Who cuts your threads?

Exactly, Deliberate racist stereotyping in Superman the Movie.

 

[Ovation]

Where I grew up in Canada, physical punishment at school was allowed--and I'm sure there were regulations--until 1980.

In heavily restricted protocols (and virtually zero use—the rare cases always got media coverage from the mid 80s and I don’t recall any case in the 90s), it remained legal in Quebec in the 90s after I began teaching. The protocols, as I recall, were as follows:

1. Teacher had to file a report detailing the perceived need for its use. A quite lengthy document.
   
2. The document required review by the principal and a vice principal and revisions were often requested.
   
3. The final revision required unanimous approval by the principal and the original vice principal consulted (no “shopping for a harsher official”).
   
4. The punishment (strap or paddle) could only be administered by the principal in front of the vice principal, requesting teacher, and another vice principal (or teacher in smaller schools with only one vice principal).

The whole thing could take weeks. Any use of corporal punishment outside the protocol was considered criminal assault. The key thing that kept the “fear of punishment by strap” remotely effective was the fact students were not made aware of the protocol’s existence. Essentially, the protocols were designed to make corporal punishment disappear through bureaucratic weight in lieu of changing the law itself as public support for corporal punishment, in the abstract, remained popular enough to delay its total abolition.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The African America Pimp actor was born in Florida, but the movie was filmed in England, so?

1. They found a needle in a haystack.
2. They paid his airfare from Tampa.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

As my mum often says if they do it to an animal they will do it to a person.

This would only work if the world was all only vegans.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The African America Pimp actor was born in Florida, but the movie was filmed in England, so?

1. They found a needle in a haystack.
2. They paid his airfare from Tampa.

Yeah, he lived his entire life in Tampa until he was somehow cast in Superman.
Wiki says they filmed in New York City for five weeks. I suspect Bo Rucker might be a New York based actor since some of his subsequent work was filmed there

 

[cooleddie74]

To be fair, that WAS a "bad" outfit.

 

[Skipper]

Interview to the actor who played the black pimp

 

[JD]

This would only work if the world was all only vegans.

Yeah, I think there are a lot of people out there who are incredibly abusive towards animals, but would never touch a person.

 

[fireproof78]

My overall point was that parents need to stop acting like they're equal at all times to their own kids - they're not. You're the parent, and they're the child. They need your guidance, but also some "tough love" at times. So step up, quit being scared of what they will briefly think of you, and take charge.

There is more and more research evidence for positive guidance rather than strict punitive measures. My mom read a book called "For your own good " that unpacks some it.

Reminder, I received corporal punishment as a child but that doesn't mean it's the only way.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Interview to the actor who played the black pimp

Thank you for digging that up. It was a wonderful read.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

There is more and more research evidence for positive guidance rather than strict punitive measures. My mom read a book called "For your own good " that unpacks some it.

Reminder, I received corporal punishment as a child but that doesn't mean it's the only way.

I never said it was the only way, but I do think its extremely unwise for anyone to deem it all as abusive, and toss it aside on a whim.

 

[JD]

There is more and more research evidence for positive guidance rather than strict punitive measures. My mom read a book called "For your own good " that unpacks some it.

Reminder, I received corporal punishment as a child but that doesn't mean it's the only way.

I will confess, we did try a shock collar on one of our dogs, but we only shocked her a very very small handful times, we felt guilty as hell afterwards, and it did absolutely no good. We were just getting desperate at that point and it was a last resort, and I see the fact that it didn't work as just more proof that that kind of negative reinforcement doesn't work.
When it comes to both kids and animals, I think it's better to have them listen to you because they want to, not because they're afraid of what will happen if they don't.