[MB28888]

How come you don't see minorities in love scenes in the movies and on TV? Is it too taboo?

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Name : MB28888, Gender : Male, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Ann L. Lowenstein]

What movies and TV shows have YOU been watching? On 'NYPD Blue', Jimmy Smits continued that show's long proud tradition of male butt shots just prior to a sex scene on more than one occasion, and on his new show, 'Cane', he's not exactly chaste. Last I checked, Will Smith has gotten a fair amount of action in several of his films, and so has Denzel Washington. In fact, I can't think of a single minority star over the age of consent who hasn't had at least a 'kissy-poo-make-out' scene at some point in the last decade.

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Name : Ann L. Lowenstein, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Animist, Age : 37, City : K.C., State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : Administrative Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[RhondaOutlaw]

I get what MB is saying. Love/sex scenes are not the problem. Lack of black characters in caring, loving, respectful male/female relationships IS the problem. Luckily, there have been a few movies out recently featuring black people in good relationships...or working to make them good/better. And I don't know how many Denzel Washington movies you've seen, but I can tell you that Denzel has not gotten plenty of "Action" as you call it. Training Day-scene hinted at action, no explicit scenes Remember the Titans-no action The Bone Collector-no action Hurricane - no action He Got Game -no action The Preacher's Wife - no action - he portrayed an angel Courage Under Fire - no action Devil in a Blue Dress - one "action" scene Crimson Tide - no action The Pelican Brief - no action

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Name : RhondaOutlaw, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 41, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Account Representative, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[RaphaelS.]

Pay close attention to what Darnell Hunt said. I believe he is right on the money. Sure, Denzel is in a lot of movies, but he is rarely portrayed as an actual romantic partner. In The Pelican Brief, there was clearly sexual tension between him and the female protagonist, but they were never allowed to actually hook up. If he had been white, it would have been a no-brainer that they would have been in bed before the end of the film. He is "safely" placed only with black women, which is not bad in and of itself, but the reality is that interracial relationships are very prevalent now but still rarely portrayed on the big screen. Black men are sexualized but not romanticized. The way we are portrayed on screen helps perpetuate stereotypes. I think Spike Lee's movies during the 80s and 90s actually contributed to the problem, because he has also never made any secret of his belief that interracial relationships are wrong -- so he portrayed the sexual situations but always had something bad happen as a result. He never allowed interracial love to blossom and the couple to have a happy ending together. One movie that I believe was pioneering in this subject matter was Anaconda. I will never forget that the first time I saw it, I was surprised that Ice Cube actually got the girl (Jennifer Lopez) in the end. This movie was unusual for its time, as the black guy survived to the end, came out the hero, AND got the girl. Normally when white people create the movies, the black character is one of the first to die, and he definitely doesn't get the girl. Even though the movie wasn't exactly Oscar quality and won't be highly remembered for much, this one thing still stuck in my mind, because it showed that Hollywood was becoming more open-minded about these things. I have also noticed that they are just now beginning to portray interracial relationships in commercials. This is something that for a very long time I would NEVER see, up until very recently. These are things that most people probably don't even notice, but they influence us on a subconscious level and should not be underestimated. I think I am particularly sensitive to these things because I am in an interracial marriage, and we deal with prejudice from many different types of people, including my own. Our marriage is very loving, so it will survive the ignorance of the people around us, but I think Hollywood and the images spewed at us by our media help contribute to a lot of people's false perceptions.

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Name : RaphaelS., Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 34, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : Web Developer, Social class : Middle class, 

[Damon]

This question was asking for the truth, not P.C. indignity. The truth, in as much as everyone goes around the core issue, is that a great many people are still uncomfortable with it. When I saw 'Traffic' about a decade ago, you could hear people SQUIRMING in their seats at the vision of a black man's very darks skin and tongue all over a young white girl in bed. And this is L.A.! The same thing happened during 'Showgirls' in 1995. In as much as a majority of people like to claim it's "no big deal" to them, THEY would not have interracial relations themselves. And to see it on screen, bringing to mind themselves in that position---apparently makes them squirm. HOLLYWOOD KNOWS THIS. Latin and white appears to be somewhat acceptable together, Asian and white have always been welcomed (at least since the 1930's). But put a white person with a DARK SKINNED black person and people are either replused or masturbating. It is rarely, if ever, taken with a grain of salt. It is one reaction or the other. It must be a "skin contrast" thing, I don't know. It is found to be either 'disturbing' or incredibly 'sexy.' Therefore, yes, it it sill taboo.

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Name : Damon, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Religion : Atheist, Age : 38, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, 

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