What is it with Michael Bay and racial stereotypes?

[MacLeod]

It seems like Michael Bay's movies are often filled with racial stereotypes. Not just for blacks but for pretty much any character or person who isn't a white person of either American or British background. There's plenty of times when some other European, Asian, and other ethnicities don't come through his movies unscathed.

Does he really think all Scottish people speak with a thick brogue, or that all black women are heavier-set and boisterous three-snap loud mouths, and all black-men are rambling lecherous people who say "Dayum! Um-um-um!"

Think of some of the stereotype robots from the Transformer movies, pretty much any black character from any of his movies (usually background characters, sometimes secondary characters). The Rock, Transformers, The Island plenty of characters stand out as being racial or national stereotypes.

Other than the white people, normally (as I said Americans and British people tend to fare better than most other European nationalities) all other characters are just broad caricatures like they're from a Mickey Mouse cartoon from the 40s.

And I don't think he's racist, nationalist or anything like that I just think he has the mind of a 10-year-old and doesn't realize he's being slightly offensive.

Your argument is already partially flawed, Scotland is part of the UK, hence all Scots are also British.

 

[The Castellan]

My question is: When did strong racial caricatures become okay? Aren't Speedy Gonzales cartoons never shown anymore due to possibly offending Hispanics? Isn't the infamous TV adaption of the "Amos and Andy" show -featuring white actors in blackface doing broad caricatures- seen as offensive due to the overwhelming caricature that they are? What about Japanese people being portrayed as squinty-eyed with horn-rim glasses and buck teeth? There's countless ways various races and ethnicities have been offensively stereotyped over the decades (and, not to say I think the Speedy Gonzales cartoon is one of them) and all have been pretty much stopped because of how offensive they were.

How are Skids and Mudlaps really that much different than Amos and Andy or the common "monkey-like" visage Africans were given in drawings and cartoons from the days where racial stereotyping was more accepted and common.

Actually, I have NEVER met anyone of Spanish/Mexican descent that were upset by Speedy Gonzales, not one. In fact, they loved the character. I personally think the ones upset by Speedy were paranoid, white folks who, like soccer moms, the FCC, religious groups, parent groups and so on who thought they knew what they were doing....but actually were not, and were actually just being morons.