France Bans ‘Think Like A Man’ For Lack Of Diversity
Since its release in theaters last month, Steve Harvey’s best-selling book turned movie, ‘Think Like A Man,’ has raked in over $73 million dollars and won the praises of fans and critics all over the country. This country that is. Over in France, a country notorious for its lack of racial tolerance, they have decided to essentially ban ‘Think Like A Man’ from French theaters due to, wait for it, lack of diversity.
*Insert blank stare here*
Nevermind the fact that there were a few non minority characters in the film (even if their parts were small) and that Gabrielle Union and Jerry Ferrara’s characters were in an interracial relationship, France feels the all black cast is doing nothing to promote diversity in French culture. To try and help us understand where the French may be coming from, Global Voices offered some insight saying,
Surprising as it may be, the answer lies in the fact that the film has an all-black cast. French cinema is often pointed at for not fairly displaying all components of the country’s multiethnic population. Although the recent success of the movie Les Intouchables, which earned French African actor Omar Sy the Cesar award for Best Actor in 2012, caused great pride and hope among French nationals from Africa and the Caribbean, it was not to be the turning point for a deep and lasting change.”
Still feeling like France needs more people? Well French blog People Bo Kay also weighed in on the controversy:
The French state has had a sociopolitical strategy which favors interracial relationships rather than valuing communities. In the comedy ‘Think like a Man’, the focus is on black couples. Black actor and producer Tyler Perry’s movies are never scheduled in any French movie theaters or are only released in DVDs, even though he has been used to leading the US box-office, as with ‘Why did I get Married’ and ‘For Colored Girls’. The French society acts hypocritically, when it refuses to show movies from black producers who earn millions from conveying a positive message to the African diaspora through their films.”
Hmmm, definitely sounds like France didn’t get the memo that African Americans are people too. This is just messy all the way around.
Thoughts?
by: Danielle
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