If you had not been paying attention Russell Simmons just had a moment!
On his youtube channel he released a comedy video which depicted Harriet Tubman in what would be classified as "Slave Porn!"
He has since removed the video and issued numerous apologies so we are not here to throw more fuel on the fire but to learn from this experience!
Let's assume said video took an ample amount of time to think about and then write about... Then let's factor in the process of casting, filming and editing this project with other rational human beings!
Question: During this apparently long process that involved more than one person did anyone along the way even think that this was a good idea?
See what had happened was... Somewhere within the chain of command or the chain of creativity the ball was dropped repeatedly which speaks volumes of the problem beyond just the final cut!
In one of Aaron McGruder's Boondocks episodes Martin Luther King came out of a coma decades later and had what had to be one of the funniest moments in cartoon history... The catch was that McGruder although shocking in his writings took a liberal responsibility to make this a unique message not just a passing comedic stab!
Martin Luther King was shown to be upset with the state of things in Black America as he probably would be if he were alive today and gave a classic speech about why!
Depicting Harriet Tubman in a literal porn film (Yes it was a film within a film) ignores the rape aspect of slavery and shows a real poor sense of taste on Simmons part!
The fact that his mindset even went there for this film says things that are troubling at the core of his or our being if one finds this funny!
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is a re-imagining of the 16th Presidents personal agenda but it does make him out to be a certain type of hero and really does not offend anyone on the science fiction level so you easily separate the make believe!
Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards or Django Unchained takes liberties with real history and plays with it to alter the outcome as revenge dramas of what could have been!
Milton Davis inspired Steamfunk has Harriet Tubman depicted as a MMA fighter with raw martial arts skills with the expressed intent to draw more attention to her heroic deeds!
Showing Harriet Tubman engaged in dominatrix style sex with her slave master to gain leverage for The Underground Railroad is wrong on so many levels!
People have different views on race, religion, rhetoric and historical events but their are lines that one can cross that could very well destroy careers and burn bridges like forever!
As much as black folks like to end careers for white people who cross the racial parody lines there should also be standards for black entertainers who push envelopes that do not need pushing!
As many of us continue on with our creator owned projects we must be mindful of whatever we put out there and should make sure to use the self edit and self delete button where applicable!
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