Who is the next Boogie Man? posted by Khalif 1/22/2015

Spike Lee In Conversation: On Hollywood, the NYPD, the Knicks, and Islam

LINK:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/19/spike-lee-in-conversation-on-hollywood-the-nypd-the-knicks-and-charlie-hebdo.html

I've posting this latest interview/conversation with the famous African American filmmaker Spike Lee because I thought it provided an interesting perspective about the topic of fear and violence in America; an issue we touched on briefing in class.  The article highlights Spike Lee's newest micro-budgeted film "Da Sweet Blood of Jesus";  a remake of Bill Gunn’s cult film Ganja & Hess that centers on Dr. Hess Greene (Stephen Tyrone Williams). The link also discusses some of the changes in the Hollywood film market, Islamphobia in the America, police brutality in New York, my lowly game-less New York Knicks and some personal insight about Spike Lee's past films.  I felt Spike comments shed a little light on the pattern of fear and violence in America by making this statement:
"Here’s the thing: the United States is always going to need a boogie man. The Native Americans, black people, immigrants, the Nazis, Russia and the Cold War, and now it’s Islam."

Its hard to anticipated how students will react to the overall discourse of oppression in regards to race, gender, and class in our society. But I hope by examining this text combined with some of the contexts of Spike Lee's contemporary films we can open a discussion about the struggle to claim a national or cultural identity against aggression in America.  Also focusing on how these issues are linked to some of the geopolitical problems in Europe.

(Trailer from the interview)
"Da Sweet Blood of Jesus strikes me as a metaphor about black assimilation in America."

On a Lighter side I'm happy to be the first to post here and looking forward to reading other USC students post. Fight On!!.... as we struggle to expand our minds against the rigorous expectations of our USC professors and TAs.

POST By Kelly (Khalif) Simley

The Face you Make when you've arrived at class on time ready for lecture, discussion, and your writing assignment...Then you notice an email that your professor has cancelled class for today.