Acting White: King Kong Meets Fay Wray, Side Bar #3

Some people are pissed about LeBron and Gisele together on the cover of Vogue. Now it is not hard to see the cinematic symbolism of big dark scary LeBron (which he is) and wispy, fair and pretty Gisele (which she is). Does it play off stereotypes? Yes. Are there ‘kernels’ of truth supporting those stereotypes? Yes. Does it create sexual/racial tension? Yes. Does tension sell? Hell Yes. Is it in good taste? Perhaps not. Is it racist? Well, yeah - but hold on a minute. I am proposing that some race-plays are reasonable, in context. In fact, drawing boundaries of acceptability for things racial is good for us, as it gives us room to recognize race without threat of insta-banishment to the dungeon of political-incorrectness.

James C. Collier

Addendum HatTip to the Field Negro and his buddy Tom. The only difference, unlike Fay Wray, Gisele looks ready to party.


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