Recently, Jordan Peele, direc-
tor of the hit movies “Get Out”
and “Us,” got a lot of attention
for saying that he plans on con-
tinuing his pattern of casting
Black people for his leads. He
goes on to say that he has noth-
ing against white guys, but won’t
use them in his films because he
has “already seen that movie.”
When I saw somebody post his
words on Instagram the other
day, I was shocked that he was
so blunt about his decisions, but
also glad that someone powerful
in the entertainment industry is
dedicated to opening the door
for Black representation.
When I read through the com-
ments, the reviews were mixed.
There were some who were
against his words, (arguing the
typical “but if someone of a dif-
ferent race said this, it would be
seen as racist) while there were
some who appreciated his stance
in the same way I did. The com-
ment that struck me the most
was when someone went on to
say that his Peele’s comment
and subsequent actions were
no problem because Tyler Perry
has been doing the same thing
for years. In this context, they
were right. However, in general,
I wouldn’t even think to equate
the two. In my mind, Jordan
Peele is no Tyler Perry. And the
proof is in what they produce.
Almost every prominent art-
ists has trademark aspects of
their works. Peele’s is social sat-
ire and elements of suspense/
thrill. Perry’s, on the other hand,
is baby mama drama, unfaithful
partners with STDs and domes-
tic violence. Now don’t get me
wrong, I’ve enjoyed my fair
share of Tyler Perry movies and
sitcoms (I used to watch “Meet
the Browns” very faithfully).
I also get that these stories are
real for some people, and they
deserve to be told. However, it
is pretty obvious the different
manners in which these power-
ful men have chosen to regularly
represent the Black community.
This is something that hs
actually
started
to
disgrace
Tyler Perry in recent years. For
decades now, Black people have
been typecast into negative por-
trayals. Most of the roles we are
set to play are either characters
that are a personified version of
our stereotypes, some kind of
villain, or an irrelevant sidekick.
The only exception to this is
when we are slaves. So it’s start-
ing to rub people the wrong way
(myself included) that this Black
man with a multi-million dollar
platform is using it to reiterate
demeaning images. And these
images continue to impact how
we are seen on the screen, but
also how we are perceived in
real life. I understand that his
extremely successful platform
wouldn’t exist in the first place
without the type of work media
that he creates. However, many
artists change their tune after
accumulating
enough
main-
stream success. For example,
Beyoné played it safe for so many
years. But when she became a
bonafide and irreplaceable icon,
her music started to showcase
her as one of the most overt-
ly pro-Black musicians in the
industry today. Perry has/had
the option to do this, but he
hasn’t.
Peele, on the other hand,
has built his empire by casting
Black people in more unique and
inspiring roles. He puts them in
positions that include charac-
ter development and relatabil-
ity. You go through the movie
actually rooting for somebody.
His films have introduced Black
people into new roles and new
genres. He entertains his audi-
ence without having to bounce
around in a dress.
Tyler Perry’s works definitely
have a time and a place. They
definitely serve as a good source
of
entertainment
sometimes.
However, with Perry being one
of the only Black directors in
Hollywood, I needed a break
from the typical. And that’s
what Peele is.
To me, it is obvious that Jor-
dan Peele is no Tyler Perry. And
to be quite honest, I’m glad.
9
Thursday May 16, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com MICHIGAN IN COLOR
Jordan Peele is no Tyler Perry
We know no cause for
KAYLA THOMAS
MiC Blogger
OMAR UDDIN
MiC Columnist
PHOTO COURTESY OF Rich Fury/Invision/AP
Every day is a battle
for a war
with no known cause
We arm the trenches,
rifles in hand,
toying with the spiritual symbols
around our necks,
shooting invaders —
sometimes alone and
other times in masses —
that seem to live for our
suffering
Out of ammo,
we fall victim
and they ravage the city
we’ve built behind us,
pillaging
And once we’ve found
and neutralized them,
we look ahead once more
to rebuild
a city we know no cause for
There are times we feel helpless
watching as the demons
destroy everything,
unsure of whether we should or can
rebuild —
what the whole point of it is
One might be compelled to think
all this suffering
and hassle
is to one day realize
why that city ever existed,
clinging on to that bliss that might be
With Perry
being one of
the only black
directors in
Hollywood,
I needed a
break from the
typical. And
that’s what
Peele is.