Transformers' Jive-Talking Robots Raise Race Issues

LOS ANGELES — "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" introduces some 40 new mechanized characters of all shapes, sizes and even sexes _ but it's a pair of jive-talking 'bots that critics are singling out as more than just harmless comic relief.

Skids and Mudflap, twin robots disguised as compact Chevys, constantly brawl and bicker in rap-inspired street slang. They're forced to acknowledge that they can't read. One has a gold tooth.

...

Director Michael Bay insists that the bumbling 'bots are just good clean fun.

"We're just putting more personality in," Bay said. "I don't know if it's stereotypes _ they are robots, by the way. These are the voice actors. This is kind of the direction they were taking the characters and we went with it."

TV actor Reno Wilson, who is black, voices Mudflap. Tom Kenny, the white actor behind SpongeBob SquarePants, voices Skids. Neither immediately responded to interview requests for this story.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/transformers-jivetalking-_n_220005.html

:sarcasm:

"We're just putting more personality in," Bay said. "I don't know if it's stereotypes _ they are robots, by the way. These are the voice actors. This is kind of the direction they were taking the characters and we went with it."


Wonder what a robot needs a gold tooth for?

Bunch of bullshit...

I hated that robot in the first "Transformers" movie with his "what's happening, little bitches?" BS that he said to the two kids. When he got blowed up I was like, "ohh, that's a shame."

Give me the old school Transformers any day!

Especially Jazz voiced by the incomparable Scatman Crothers.

ETA: And Bay takes the usual tactic white people accused of racism/racial insensitivity have chosen since the beginning of time: He accuses the accusers of "being too sensitive."

"Listen, you're going to have your naysayers on anything," he said. "It's like is everything going to be melba toast? It takes all forms and shapes and sizes."

Way to go, Michael.

My husband is a projectionist so we got to see it. AWFUL.

These stereotypes were much worse than Jar Jar. The design of the robots themselves was appalling. Big eared, Big lipped, Gold Tooth, Illiterates.

And just as I voiced confusion at a robot having a gold tooth, I'll go ahead and add my utter confusion as to why they would need to have "big lips" either.

Maybe I can convince my husband, who's dying to see Transformers, to go see "Year One" instead. That just looks stupid more than offensive.

How can you screw up Transformers?? Honestly! But they managed it! Two and a half hours...ugh...and the autobots were barely in it. About six times during the movie, I turned to my husband and said "This is the WORST MOVIE EVER" and about three times I had to shake myself awake.

...but that's such a cool perk--seeing movies for free! :hi:

for THAT"

...why the stereotypers always select things like that? good tooth, wave caps, bandanas, speaking w/ebonics/broken english, etc. (not just this feature, but others that have done this previously)?

:rofl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRTghXjlXts


The direction of voice actors can't be blamed for the fact that a couple of robots were thrown in the movie that added nothing but stereotypes to the film.

Here's a couple more highlights from the article-

"It could easily be a Transformer that uploaded Kevin Federline data," Wilson said. "They were just like posers to me."

If they were posers what were they posing as?


"I purely did it for kids," the director said. "Young kids love these robots, because it makes it more accessible to them."

There weren't enough robots in the film? Transformers wasn't accessible enough to kids?

think Jar Jar Binks. I find it difficult to believe that these film professionals are just that clueless about race issues in America. :eyes: From a more cynical point of view, it's more deliberate mocking of a disrespected demographic group to reinforce accepted stereotypes for entertainment. From the Jim Crow era to the present, black people have often been targeted for negative stereotypes. Translation: If "those people" are really like those staged stereotypes, then they really don't deserve to be treated like intelligent human beings with basic rights. Too often, those feelings are translated into negative actions. :(