Revenge of the Fallen The Twins: Racist?

[dark_b]

I didn't hear about anyone getting pissed over a dumb redneck towtruck in the movie Cars.
So if Reno Wilson was okay with doing the voice for the character of Mudflap, then who cares? If he can do it, then I'm sure you can get over it too.

you mean Mater?
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0009195/

if the same character was in TF2 people would complain. but i dont have a problem with this but i know that it would happen.

 

[JAK®]

Once again, the twins are simply another example of 'wacky' token black characters that appear far too much in modern media, which is seeping into real life expectations of how black people 'should' act.

I saw it too often at school. Black kids in my class were seen as 'players' or 'gangsta'. Never mind the fact this is England and they came from Jamaica and Kenya. Both kids started acting that way eventually.

 

[Da-Scribe]

Once again, the twins are simply another example of 'wacky' token black characters that appear far too much in modern media, which is seeping into real life expectations of how black people 'should' act.

I saw it too often at school. Black kids in my class were seen as 'players' or 'gangsta'. Never mind the fact this is England and they came from Jamaica and Kenya. Both kids started acting that way eventually.

Again, I won't deny that their personalities are adapted from an aspect of black culture. But to say they are THE black characters is to say that the more noble and/or intelligent robots are not. You could just as easily say that Optimus adapted his personality from black political figures..but you don't. No one does. Sorta sets our culture back when you make those observations.

 

[LostSon88]

The twins are racist cariactures ... Bay and Spielberg should just retire ... they've lost their abilities as competent filmmakers.

What's more racist is people like you who characterize their attributes to one particular color of skin.

When I saw the film, I didn't see the twins as two "token black guys"...I saw them as two wannabe gangsters that could have constituted ANY race.

 

[Episode29]

What's more racist is people like you who characterize their attributes to one particular color of skin.

When I saw the film, I didn't see the twins as two "token black guys"...I saw them as two wannabe gangsters that could have constituted any race.

That argumentative statement is so far beyond tired that it's flat-lining. It's also a whiplash emotional response that simplifies the whole argument.

 

[chaseter]

A whiplash emotional response that simplifies the whole argument is saying that a gold tooth, illiterate, and dumb robot represents black society.

Throwing the race card is the very definition of a whiplash emotional response.

 

[Wiseman]

Throwing the race card is the very definition of a whiplash emotional response.

 

[chaseter]

Why don't white people get a race card?

 

[JAK®]

Again, I won't deny that their personalities are adapted from an aspect of black culture. But to say they are THE black characters is to say that the more noble and/or intelligent robots are not. You could just as easily say that Optimus adapted his personality from black political figures..but you don't. No one does. Sorta sets our culture back when you make those observations.

This is sort of the point I'm making. Optimus Prime's famous quote "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" could easily have been said by Martin Luther King.

So why do people not see Optimus as being black? Because the 'gangsta' stereotype is more widespread in western media. That's why it's despicable. Because of characters like the twins, people associate their characteristics with black people.

 

[SpiderByte]

I'll be honest...I DID like them in the Devastator scene when they were busting him up a little.

Anyone that size who can take on Movie Devastator and live is okay with me.

 

[Nathan]

Devastator was disappointing though. He was just a giant, slow as hell, vacuum cleaner.

 

[chaseter]

I said that his name should have been Excavator

 

[Sawyer]

The Twins were IMO the worst part of what was a pretty good movie. Every scene they showed up in, I just sort of rolled my eyes.

 

[terry78]

I think it would have worked better if they didn't have that annoying twang to their voice. If they sounded more like Jazz and cracked the same jokes it would have been much better.

 

[PyroChamber]

Something I noticed, in the movie, about the Twins; is it me or did it seem like the other Autobots didn't even acknowledge them? It was almost like no one even noticed they were there, as if they just followed the other Autobots and decided "okay, let's be Autobots".

And the only one that did acknowledge them was Bumblebee when he threw them out of that cave.

 

[Mr. Earle]

roflcopter!!!

 

[Episode29]

Something I noticed, in the movie, about the Twins; is it me or did it seem like the other Autobots didn't even acknowledge them? It was almost like no one even noticed they were there, as if they just followed the other Autobots and decided "okay, let's be Autobots".

And the only one that did acknowledge them was Bumblebee when he threw them out of that cave.

That happened with most of the robots in the flick. They rarely interracted with each other unless it was saying "Roll out" or fighting. My mind may be a tad hazy, but did any of them react at all to Jetfire?

 

[Mr. Para-Normal]

This is sort of the point I'm making. Optimus Prime's famous quote "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" could easily have been said by Martin Luther King.

So why do people not see Optimus as being black? Because the 'gangsta' stereotype is more widespread in western media. That's why it's despicable. Because of characters like the twins, people associate their characteristics with black people.

True but Hardcore Transformers fans and the legions of haters would REALLY be pissy if Optimus had the slightest aspect of having a so called black personality. I am black and the twins are a sterotype of the ghetto thug. I dont think they were trying to be intentionaly racist but if Bay thinks that all young people are like the twins then WOW that is stupid.

 

[kane9321]

I found them to be racist as all hell, I couldnt believe how blatant it was. I was totally pissed off. To add insult to injury...one had a gold tooth.

 

[The Guard]

Where in God's name does this "Bay must think all of this or that are like the Twins" nonsense come from?

How is that a logical assessment?

 

[JAK®]

Where in God's name does this "Bay must think all of this or that are like the Twins" nonsense come from?

How is that a logical assessment?

It's logical because the only other black characters in Transformers have been Bobby B and his 'mammy', Anthony Anderson's mishaps with the po-lice and Jazz crackin' it with the little ******es.

Tyrese Gibson has been the only competent black guy in both movies.

 

[The Black Goo]

I'm actually surprised this thread is still going, it seems like a lot of things are now just being repeated over and over. Another thing that surprises me is that with all these talks about the twins, not once has anyone mentioned Ironhide, who in fact is a big black truck and according to what some people say, "blacks" are known for anger issues... that and thee fact that he says "You best let me off this plane." There's a new topic for you guys. hahaha.

 

[The Guard]

It's logical because the only other black characters in Transformers have been Bobby B and his 'mammy', Anthony Anderson's mishaps with the po-lice and Jazz crackin' it with the little ******es.

Tyrese Gibson has been the only competent black guy in both movies.

No, that still makes no sense.

Directors and creators don't usually create characters just to show what they think ALL of a particular color or type of people are like. They create characters they feel will be interesting, or funny, or that people can cheer for.

 

[dodgers2213]

i dont think the Twins are racist characters...that would mean Michael Bay and the animators designed the Twins with the INTENT of pissing people off

BUT, i think they are ethnically insensitive and horribly stupid designs. Honestly, they were the least annoying for me out of the some 20 comic relief characters

 

[JAK®]

No, that still makes no sense.

Directors and creators don't usually create characters just to show what they think ALL of a particular color or type of people are like. They create characters they feel will be interesting, or funny, or that people can cheer for.

Of course Micheal Bay doesn't have a vendetta against minorities, and isn't purposefully inserting stereotypes into his films in order to suppress an entire race. I fully believe that Bay has no idea how his characters come across.

I'm not claiming that the Twins are purposeful racism. A result of ignorance? Possibly. A cheap attempt at humour? Most certainly. I still feel that they are negative stereotypes.