Black Hollywood Tropes

 

I've been thinking about Black Hollywood lately and celebrate the enormous bankroll that Black producers, directors, writers and performers command in motion pictures.

We've come a long way since Blacks were relegated to the margins of movies, entering the frame only to play maids and butlers, slaves and criminals.

Oh, Blacks still play these roles, but the maids put doodoo in their hateful employers' desserts, the butlers are in the White House, the slaves cut their masters' throats and the criminals, well, they run the world.

We've moved on from stale tropes but don't mistake, Hollywood being Hollywood, other tropes have moved in.

Here are a few movie tropes I feel I see a lot:

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to use profanity.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to mention religious faith.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to mention something grandma said.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to "speak street."

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to be in a scene in which someone's face is slapped.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to be stylishly dressed.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to be physically adroit.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to have a partner of another race.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to die violently.

Black characters in a mixed cast are more likely to have fewer lines of exposition.

All of this is less true of pictures written and directed by Blacks -- but in the main, it still holds true.