Now this makes perfect sense...

[Perd Hapley]

...because Black America now owns Annie, haters!

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/targets-ads-new-annie-inspired-760742


I guess Target's response was not terrible, but I really think it should been more along the lines of "Target's policy toward absurd, race-baiting accusations is to laugh at the mountebanks, and send them away."

[vaskidmark]

Anybody that can't spell the race of her oppressors/repressors properly (Caucasion (sic) ??  That's not even Ebonics!) needs to be laughed of the stage before their 15 seconds of fame expires.

stay safe.

[MechAg94]

She saw the ad and said to me, 'That's not what Annie looks like. How come the new black Annie isn't good enough? Does that mean I'm not good enough?'" Shelton told Yahoo! Parenting.

If the little girl actually said that, i have to wonder what that says about the girl's insecurity?  Somebody set her up for that sort of attitude.  

[Hawkmoon]

Never mind that Annie started out as a comic strip in 1924. Annie was white. Through several movies, a Broadway play that has had a couple of revivals, and something like 86 years of the comic strip itself, Annie has always been white.

So where was the outcry when some idiot made a movie with a black Annie? Isn't taking a 90-year story line and deliberately changing the race of the protagonists a form of racism? Of course, they'll argue that it's "literary license" but, if that's the argument, then why is it "wrong" and "racist" for Target to adhere to the original story line? It would be far more logical and appropriate for a red-headed white child to see Quvenzhané Wallis as Annie and respond with, "That's not what Annie looks like!"

[Perd Hapley]

Isn't taking a 90-year story line and deliberately changing the race of the protagonists a form of racism?

How so?

I was really taken aback to hear Rush Limbaugh being all offended at the notion of a black James Bond, just a few days ago. I just don't see the problem.

[Andiron]

How so?

I was really taken aback to hear Rush Limbaugh being all offended at the notion of a black James Bond, just a few days ago. I just don't see the problem.

Not saying they can't have a black Bond...  But just because you can do a thing doesn't mean you should.

[TommyGunn]

How so?

I was really taken aback to hear Rush Limbaugh being all offended at the notion of a black James Bond, just a few days ago. I just don't see the problem.

I take it you missed the thick sarcasm in his monologue ...... 

[Perd Hapley]

I take it you missed the thick sarcasm in his monologue ...... 

There wasn't any sarcasm. He really did think that a black Bond was a bad idea.

[Monkeyleg]

I think a black James Bond sounds like pandering. James Bond has always been a dashing white guy. It would be like having Bruce Wayne's name changed to Igor Strakinski.

It's not like blacks are lacking for great action movie heroes. Denzel Wasshington is a cottage industry unto himself. (Just finished watching "The Equalizer". Good movie.)

[BlueStarLizzard]

my only beef with the new Annie is the hair color. I don't give a hoot what her race is, but Annie was always a redhead.

and, for the record, I've met plenty of biracial redheads, so it's not like having a redheaded Annie that's not white is impossible.

[Perd Hapley]

I think a black James Bond sounds like pandering.

Well, obviously. I really don't care, since the brother in question is Idris Elba. How could you not want to see Idris Elba as James Bond?

[TommyGunn]

There wasn't any sarcasm. He really did think that a black Bond was a bad idea.

No, he didn't.  Rush doesn't give a ***** whether they do a "black" Bond or not.

[TommyGunn]

I think a black James Bond sounds like pandering. James Bond has always been a dashing white guy. It would be like having Bruce Wayne's name changed to Igor Strakinski.

It's not like blacks are lacking for great action movie heroes. Denzel Wasshington is a cottage industry unto himself. (Just finished watching "The Equalizer". Good movie.)

Does it hold a candle next to the 1980s series with Edward Woodward?   I loved that show, and just recently purchased the DVD set of the complete 4 year series and have been watching it.  Some great Stewart Copeland scores, intelligently written stories and  .... well, it sorta gets one looking at the Manhattan skyline of the 80s with the Twin Trade Towers still intact.   
I recall the TV adverts on the movie and can't say I was  very impressed.  Maybe I was wrong.   

[Perd Hapley]

No, he didn't.  Rush doesn't give a ***** whether they do a "black" Bond or not.

Okay, then what was his point?

[RoadKingLarry]

There wasn't any sarcasm. He really did think that a black Bond was a bad idea.

I'm now wondering if you listened to the same monologue the rest of us did.

[erictank]

Okay, then what was his point?

IIRC, he was quoting a studio exec talking about why Idris Elba wouldn't be James Bond.

[TommyGunn]

Okay, then what was his point?

He was making a point on how race has become involved in pop culture.
In the 1980s there was a series called "The Equalizer," starring Edward Woodward, a white (British) actor who played Robert McCall, an ex secret agent (supposedly CIA but refered to as the "Company") who had a sort of P.I. business protecting people who were in lethal trouble.
Denzel Washington  (black) played a character of the same name in a movie of the same title, though "revamped" for the silver screen.
There's nothing wrong with that.   
But what if "Roots"  was being re made with  a pop culture white actor as Kunta Kinte?   
It wouldn't work, would it.     IF Roots were ever to be re made there for sure would be a black actor portraying the main character BECAUSE race is so much a PART of that story.

And James Bond was a white British MI6 operative.   Well .... unless you need a black actor portraying him.
Is it so much a PART of the story?     

[Hawkmoon]

How so?

I was really taken aback to hear Rush Limbaugh being all offended at the notion of a black James Bond, just a few days ago. I just don't see the problem.

The problem is that James Bond was white.

What's next, a remake of Shaft starring Brad Pitt as Shaft? I wonder how the race baiters would react to that.

[dogmush]

For once I agree with Tommygun.

James Bond is a British secret agent. There are plenty of brownish orphans in the UK that could be scarfed up by MI6. In the '60's a black agent world have been jarring to the story just because of the circles he was supposed to move in. Now? Not so much. Race is ancillary to the story.  Besides Felix Lighter has swapped races already.

Shaft is a blacksploitation story. A big part of the story is the black cop can do things in the ghetto his white counterparts could not. A white actor wouldn't fit the story.

On the other hand you could remake say Lethat Weapon with an old white guy in Danny Glover's role, or a black guy in Mel's with no real change,  because their races weren't pay off the story.

Now that there are rich black guys to adopt Annie, it's non jarring that they swapped the actors,  although it's also not some racial epiphany that precludes ever having a white Annie again. The story can be told with either. THAT's the task triumph of civil rights,  that it doesn't matter.  As usual, the usual suspects can't take a win,  and have to continue to find some racial issue.

[Perd Hapley]

For once I agree with Tommygun.

James Bond is a British secret agent. There are plenty of brownish orphans in the UK that could be scarfed up by MI6. In the '60's a black agent world have been jarring to the story just because of the circles he was supposed to move in. Now? Not so much. Race is ancillary to the story.  Besides Felix Lighter has swapped races already.

Shaft is a blacksploitation story. A big part of the story is the black cop can do things in the ghetto his white counterparts could not. A white actor wouldn't fit the story.

On the other hand you could remake say Lethat Weapon with an old white guy in Danny Glover's role, or a black guy in Mel's with no real change,  because their races weren't pay off the story.

Now that there are rich black guys to adopt Annie, it's non jarring that they swapped the actors,  although it's also not some racial epiphany that precludes ever having a white Annie again. The story can be told with either. THAT's the task triumph of civil rights,  that it doesn't matter.  As usual, the usual suspects can't take a win,  and have to continue to find some racial issue.

Very much this.

Yes, James Bond has always been white, and making him black would be a change. But as far as I know (not being a hardcore Bond nut) there's never been anything sacrosanct about his race that makes him work as a character.

[Perd Hapley]

He was making a point on how race has become involved in pop culture.

I suppose that might have been his overall point, but he picked a very stupid way of going about it. It played beautifully into the stereotype of the old white Republican that feels threatened by the culture no longer being old-white-guy-centric.

Here's what I heard Rush say, starting at 39.39:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKBbzBORgD4#t=39m39s


And this is how it was received:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/29/rush-limbaugh-s-fear-of-a-black-james-bond.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galanty-miller/rush-limbaugh-saving-the-_b_6383038.html


Well played, Rush. 

[TommyGunn]

I suppose that might have been his overall point, but he picked a very stupid way of going about it. It played beautifully into the stereotype of the old white Republican that feels threatened by the culture no longer being old-white-guy-centric.

Here's what I heard Rush say, starting at 39.39:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKBbzBORgD4#t=39m39s


And this is how it was received:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/29/rush-limbaugh-s-fear-of-a-black-james-bond.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galanty-miller/rush-limbaugh-saving-the-_b_6383038.html


Well played, Rush.  

How long have you listened to Rush?

The idea of black Bond caused Limbaugh to exclaim on his show last week that Bond was “white and Scottish, period.”


While Limbaugh did concede that Bond was a fictitious character, he still insisted, “We had 50 years of white Bonds because Bond is white.  Bond was never black.”  Adding, “I know it's racist to probably even point this out.”

“Probably racist”? No, I’d say definitely. How else do you describe the notion that certain roles should be labeled as "whites only”?

Limbaugh then tried to defend his asinine opinion by asking if people would be okay if Nelson Mandela was played in a movie by Kelsey Grammer?  Well, it could happen, I guess. But since Mandela is a real person – as opposed to say, James Bond – it could prove difficult for audiences to believe Grammer’s Mandela when he complains about being discriminated against due to his skin color.

Really?  Some dingbat named Dean Obeidallah writes all that ineffable twaddle about a tongue-in-cheek rambling of a radio personality?   Calling Rush's opinion "asinine??"


  

Limbaugh makes comments like this because his right-wing fans require a non–stop diet of race-baiting red meat.

Good grief, this guy is a flaming moron!
Does this jackwagon realize that many of Rush's audience are liberals?   Many are libertarians?  
Does he thinks Rush broadcasts solely to KKK members?  


Rush has stated on several occasions that I know of that in order to understand, fully, what he's saying and doing, you need to listen to his program for something like three months straight.  Or maybe it was six?  
Well, three for conservatives ...six for liberals.  

Sorry, after that honeysuckle hogwash I refuse to even try to tackle The Huffington Post's reaction.
All I can say is I don't even know why they bother to try to analyze what they don't even have the IQ power to understand.

Limbaugh sometimes goes off on wild tangents from even my perspective.   He once made a comment about astronomy (having to do with the distance to stars, something I'd studied in college) that revealed he was completly ignorant about what is learnable about our universe.

But when he stays on political/social topics, he's got a lot of smarts .... certainly a LOT more than Mr.  Obeidallah!!!!

[Ben]

Well, obviously. I really don't care, since the brother in question is Idris Elba. How could you not want to see Idris Elba as James Bond?

Yeah, when I first heard about it, I immediately thought "race pandering", but Dogmush brought up some good points. Wouldn't have worked in the '60's, but we just had a female "M", so a black Bond would certainly work in the modern world. He might not go unnoticed in some Eastern European countries, but there are certainly a number of areas of the world where a black Bond could blend in even better than a white Bond if they wrote the storyline right. Plus, yes, Idris Elba would rock as Bond.

[Perd Hapley]

I've listened to Rush, off and on, since the early '90s.

[Hawkmoon]

Plus, yes, Idris Elba would rock as Bond.

Who or what is "Idris Elba"? I thought Elba was an island, to which Napoleon was sent in exile.