Although it’s troubling that Tyler Perry movies and TV shows portray negative stereotypes of Blacks, he’s not the true issue. I’m a firm believer in balance, and there is no balance in Hollywood. Nobody would complain about Tyler Perry if there was an alternative. The lack of variety in Black movies and TV shows is not the fault of Tyler Perry. Looking at the bigger picture, Hollywood is the true problem. You don’t usually hear whites complain about shows (and yes they do complain) because if they don’t like a movie or program they just watch something else. If you’re not a fan of the ignorance of “Jackass” then you watch “30 Rock” or “The Office”. Black’s simply don’t have options and because we don’t have options, people complain about the few options we do have. Hell, we begged for “The Game” to come back and people constantly rip the show. Some people loathe Tyler Perry, myself included, but does that mean it shouldn’t be on TV or the big screen? (YES, but probably not) It’s just an option, one I would not choose (without a glass of Crown Royal on the rocks), but it’s an option none the less.
When “The Cosby Show” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” aired on television, both portraying a positive image of the Black family, many Blacks criticized the shows for being “fake” and “not realistic”. I think the Black community needs to realize that it’s not the shows or movies, it’s the industry. Blacks don’t get enough opportunities in the industry, there aren’t enough Black shows or movies, and we definitely don’t have enough options. Just look at Black movies for example, they’re all comedies, romantic-comedies, family, or hood movies. It’s nothing wrong with those types of movies, but where are the other genres (Action, Adventure, Crime/Mystery, Disaster, Drama, Documentary, Fantasy, Horror, Musical, Science Fiction, Thrillers, etc), where is the balance.
I guess my point is, let’s not blame Tyler Perry for the lack of Black television shows & film in Hollywood. True, much of the criticism he gets is well deserved but he really isn’t the problem.
- J. Rose
