9/11 film 'omits' Black hero

Post by **Mister Gee** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 10:53 pm

I don't know if this has been put up elsewhere, but it certainly raised my eyebrows.

http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/a ... -hero.html - World trade centre "omits" Black Soldier '

a sad state of affairs

Peace gee

Post by **robfharris** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:57 am

Mister Gee,

I heard about this a couple of weeks ago... how "cold" is that!!!
Reminded me about an interview with Muhammad Ali in Esquire Magazine's 50th aniversary issue a couple of years ago. The writer noted that Ali would be remembered forever. Ali said; yeah 1000 years from now they may talk about a man that was heavyweight champion of the world, how he was stripped of his title because he did not believe in a war, and later was proved right worked to win his title again... but when they tell the story, I will be a white man instead.
The reporter was baffled and asked Ali how could it ever be lost that he is Black.
Ali replied... "They did it to Jesus, who am I compared to him?"

Post by **EddieHill** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:32 am

Mister Gee, I watched the second plane fly into the World Trade Center on CBS News live as it happened. I will not forget the horror for the rest of my life. I will not watch any Hollywood made movies about the World Trade Center being blown up. The black heros of 9/11 should be honored in an more respectful format anyway.

Post by **walrusjk** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 6:42 am

robfharris,
I'm an Ali nut. Have been since I was a little kid. There's no film of Jesus and lots of Ali. He'll be remembered for who and what he was forever. Let's face it we don't even know if there was a Jesus. It's like that game where you sit in a circle and whisper a word into the person next to you and by the time it comes back around it's something different.....

Post by **robfharris** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:40 am

walrusjk,
The statement I made was from Ali, I didn't make it up, just want to make that point before it goes any further. Do I believe it will be lost that Ali is a Black man, no I don't but how can anyone be sure.

I used it as an example of how if you look at history the role of "black men" gets belittled. The "act" may live forever, is what Ali was trying to say; and I felt that it related to the change in race that was made in the 9/11 movie, perfectly.
If you believe in Jesus or not I am not going to debate. But the region of the world that Jesus walked, and at the time, would have made it impossible for Jesus to be anything other than a man of color. But when you see pictures of Jesus today, he is painted to look "Caucasian". Considering a couple of billion people on the face of the earth, hold strongly to their faith in Jesus Christ as the savior of their soul, but seem to at ease with turning their back on the fact the Savior more than likely had the same features and skin tone of a "rapper" or someone that "fits a description". It was a very powerful statement.
As I've stated on here before, Ali (along with Richard Pryor, Bob Marley, and Fred Hampton) is someone I admire and has set an example that I hold up and strive for. So when Ali said that he believes that the fact that he is Black over time will be tossed aside (not because it doesn't matter, but because he understands the world does not like to give Black men credit for acts of courage) and compares it to the obvious denial of what Jesus had to look like... makes me see that though it may not be deliberate, there is an obvious disregard to letting people see ALL the acheivements of African-American men.
This is not the first time it's happened in movies, will not be the last...

YouTube · Post by **bingolong** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:19 am

Mister Gee,
figures....

Post by **tamra** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:55 am

Mister Gee,

this is pretty sad, but not surprising. Ten Commandments anyone? from ANY translated scripture: Moses was married to an Ethiopian woman (that's black all day long), and the final sign God gave to Moses which God told Moses would surely move Pharaoh to free his people was to place his hand against his chest and it would turn white, and then back again. but funny, how that final sign got omitted. surprised the words Hebrew and Israelite were used in movie.

thought that would have been changed to another name not related to their ethnicity. Hollywood and many confused people keep replacing hebrew w/jewish, one is an ethnicity, the other is an organized religion.

but as for World Trade Center, I am having a very hard time believing the military couldn't be contacted about specific details about Jason Thomas. how you gonna build a movie around someone's life and omit THEIR life?!

Post by **Mister Gee** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 9:23 pm

robfharris,

I understand where you're coming from rob. As you say, the issue isn't about whether or not Ali has been documented as being black, it's more about how black achievements in general are reflected upon in the following years.

Case for example, many black people's contributions to fighting in World War 2 are barely recognised in the several films that have been made about it.

It's almost like a Sphinx's nose getting metaphorically broken and reshaped throughout time.

Peace gee

Post by **Murphdogg** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 10:48 am

walrusjk, I'm a history nerd, the man Jesus did exist he's mentioned in enough non-christian writings during the time of his life. Now whether he was a supernatural being is up for debate. With all respect to Mr Ali and everyone..He most likely was neither black nor white, he was probably arab..which I recon could be considered ironic.