Autobot twins Skids and Mudflap strike a b-boy pose during their minstrel show.
According to a leaked memo, director Michael Bay is pissed off at Paramount Pictures for not putting enough hype behind his new sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Having seen it, we can't help but wonder if Paramount is keeping quiet because his flick about warring alien robots transforms into a vehicle for racism.
As if black people didn't catch a bad enough one from the Jar Jar Binks character in Star Wars Episodes I-III, Bay's Autobot twins, the "black"-voiced Skids and Mudflap, are the 2009 version of the Amos n' Andy minstrel show. It's hard to believe a big-money director would show his ass like this in what projects to be a much-watched blockbuster, but maybe he's gotten too comfortable hanging out with his boy Black-Ty. Whatever the rationale, it's clear that Bay is violating. How can we be so certain? Check out 7 reasons why Transformers 2 might be racist...
#1: "Skids" and "Mudflap" sound suspiciously like "skid-marks" and "mud people." Tell us how you really feel, cracker!
#2: Skids not only has old-school Raekwon bucked teeth, one of them is actually gold! We're assuming the rope chains and 40s for the action figures are sold separately.
#3: The twins constantly fight and snap on each other in inappropriate situations, like in the sacred tomb of the Primes. Sigh. Black robots just don't know how to behave in public, do they?
#4: Skids and Mudflap refer to Leo, the Latino college student played by Ramon Rodriguez, as a "shrimp taco." All black robots gotta be ign'ant though, right? That's just like the white devil to put his secret racist thoughts into the mouths of black robots.
#5: In the twins' vehicular incarnation, they're flashy compact racing cars. Black robots aren't concerned about the safety and security of their loved ones? Family sedans aren't "urban" enough for you?
#6: The hip-hop jive that Skids and Mudflap spew comes from the mouth of WHITE voiceover comedian Tom Kenny, a.k.a. the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants. At least if Mike Epps was the one bamboozling, talking about "bustin' caps," we could take solace in a black actor getting work.
#7: The twins make R. Kelly look like an advocate for literacy. When Shia LaBoeuf asks if the twins can read ancient glyphs, they nervously respond, "Read?! Nuh-uh..." "No, we don't really do much readin'!" (watch the exchange below) Well, not only can we read, we can also read between the lines: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen isn't a blockbuster, it's a black-buster!
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Shane June 23rd, 2009 at 04:19 PM
#5's a pretty damn big reach. Shoulda stuck with 6 reasons. Not to add to the racism, but saying a rice-rocket is a slight to blacks doesn't hold up. It's not like their cars are old caddy's and lincolns with hydraulics.
daniel June 25th, 2009 at 03:04 PM
ha. that's exactly wat i said. #5 doesnt work so just take that out. and i thought that if they really wanted to let it be known that these were black robots, they would put them in either a lowrider or a scraper. The movie itself was amazing though. I was with my black friend when i watched it and he mentioned that everything with the black robots would have been fine if they just took out the "we cant really read" part
J-Bro June 23rd, 2009 at 04:27 PM
i peeped a screening the other day. flick was definitely questionable with the racial overtones. good post.
suckitmarshall June 23rd, 2009 at 04:33 PM
What about the fact that Jazz was the only Autobot to die in the first one?
Rizla June 23rd, 2009 at 04:33 PM
You guys make a good point.... What about JJ Abrams and his stereotyping of asians not being able to drive right in Star Trek? You guys should do a "subliminally unintentional" racist moments in movies series...i'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find events to make a list...
youaintjack June 23rd, 2009 at 04:48 PM
this is nothing new cy-kill from go-bots is the og jive robot
MEGATRON June 23rd, 2009 at 04:49 PM
if you know whats up and you know the TRUTH all you can do is laugh at shit like this...its getting pathetic
getoverit June 23rd, 2009 at 05:08 PM
cry cry and cry some more i wonder how they came up with all these so called black characteristics...maybe cause its true just putting that out there
Araafinwe June 23rd, 2009 at 06:02 PM
Very true. If characteristics like this were not actually true, then it wouldn't be able to become a stereotype in the first place. And why are you bothering complaining about these two robots when there's that "racist" guinea pig in "G-Force?" I can only imagine what you have to say about that: Reason 1: Guinea pig sounds like Papua New Guinea, where there are black people! RACISM!!!
suckitmarshall June 23rd, 2009 at 06:16 PM
It's totally like the stereotype that white people are uptight, defensive and have no sense of humor, right? Wonder where that comes from...
Araafinwe June 24th, 2009 at 02:30 PM
Its true. A lot of white people are stuck up, know it all's with no sense of humor. But the thing is, there are black people like that, too. A lot of these qualites that are considered racism cannot be pin pointed to one race. I wont say stereotypes are a bad thing, but they are not something that should be a cause of anger. My main point is people who get upset over things like stereotypes in my eyes are like the people who get offended when some one says "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays". If your so blinded by your beliefs and opinions that you can't say "Hey, these are just words. I don't agree with them but I am not going to get pissed about it" then as far as I am considered you are a narrow minded person, white, black, regardless of race.
Araafinwe June 24th, 2009 at 02:33 PM
Concerned, not considered** How stereotypical of me, an uneducated over weight white american who cannot spell :]
Not so Pissed Black Guy June 24th, 2009 at 12:03 PM
I gotta admit, I agree. Those characteristics represented by the twin robots weren't pulled from some gross mis-characterizations of black people. You can find that kind of behavior exhibited by people of many different ethnic backgrounds, but we all know who the biggest perpetrators are. I could question why they were used to move the plot along (ala Jar Jar) but to act as if they shouldn't exist when we tend to be surrounded by the inspiration for these characters in real life is a fight that blacks are going to lose. With the advent of the instant video (ala youtube), racists and non-racists alike don't have to imagine/conjure these minstrels, all they have to do is log on. I was pissed at first when I was subjected to the "hood-trash autobots" but then I heard the President's actual name mentioned, as well as seeing other "black" autobots do their thing and it helped. At least the twins weren't the ONLY representation of our culture, and that went a long way with me. We shall see how the rest of the audience feels...
Personthatseesppltakingthingstooseriously February 4th, 2011 at 04:25 PM
Finally someone with sense on this topic! :D
are you serious? June 25th, 2009 at 03:10 AM
I agree with getoverit, all the steriotypes you mention sound exactly like the way black people act in my neighborhood, and besides, its not like you lost your job or were looked down upon because of a couple robots in some movie, just get over yourself and learn that the world shouldnt have to cater to your hurt feelings, there are worse things out there
it figures June 25th, 2009 at 09:56 AM
now what is funny is when there is a comment made about a charcter or something around that nature that is highly offensive we as black are considerd sensitive and need to "get over it" when we speak up about it.How can we "get over it" when we can get away from you blantly racist ignorant people? i agree with every one of those numbers because of how we are protrayed in the videos this is how we are suppose to be? WRONG. no not all blacks act like skid and mudflap but just the ones that get camera time, the ones who dont get proper education, the ones who dont think for themselves. THose are the ones who join the bandwagon who try to fit in no matter how it is social suicide. I am usually not the one who gets upset about racial comedy but this one was highly exaggerated and tasteless. Just because there were other so called "black autobots" who were in the film as well, do you remember them? nope you remember the two who is suppose to be a depiction of another race. is this how you view us as a race? is this how ignorant you all have become? yes put it in a big movie no one will say a word. well regardless of how you think it was alright i am speaking up and saying it was not alright. I cant blame you for joining the band wagon, for believing what you see on videos and poverty stricken places i have to blame my own race for letting it get this damn bad and this far..
Monty Brogan June 23rd, 2009 at 05:55 PM
@getoverit... Michael Bay, why are you cruising around Complex blogs? Or is that you Michael Richards? What have you been up to?
Dominican4life,bro. June 23rd, 2009 at 06:13 PM
Yo, if Michael Bay had Puerto Rican Autobots he definitely would've had them stealing hubcaps...
Haha June 24th, 2009 at 01:04 AM
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...Obviously these gringoes below didn't get that joke.
Lando Ettrick June 23rd, 2009 at 07:33 PM
"excuse me while i whip this out..." there is a history of caricatures of black stereotypes in major motion pictures for as long as there have been movies. hell, i would argue for as long as there has been blackface there has been this same brand of derision and mockery. it is always a bad idea to play into this type of social poison. but let's be real people it exists. after reading this article i was reminded that the high-stepping, smooth-talking jazz was also a "step-and-fetch-it" character in the last transformers movie - he was also the only autobot to die. not sayin'. i'm just sayin'. so the thing is there is alot of validity to the question and the points this article raises. and to be honest it's pretty f****d up if you think about it. but the thing is, by contemporary standards, it's kinda funny. or maybe its just that i wonder if this will be dismissed as "finding an opportunity for victimization" in a culture where these same characters are studies from people on 'reality tv' is this any worse than being subjected to Madea, or "Flava of Love" or New York from VH1's "I love New York" as they become spokespersons for all things black and of color simply cause they're on the idiot box? this is no kumbaya moment so i will distill my thesis to this: y'all seem to be on to something about michael bay's portrayal of 'urban' characters and stereotypes. but, in this case people will imitate what they see in this movie as much as he created what he must have seen in some form on tv. i am not calling for more roles for black actors. just better ones. if you are gonna use stereotypes at least broaden them a bit. as long as these types of characters exist on tv then those that make massive budget movies through enormous production houses for the self-medicating masses then he will do character research on people whose rason d'etre is to be famous by any means. self perpetuating nonsense. either way you look at it we have reached new lows of acceptance
DarrylStrawberry June 24th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
word.. fuck tyler perry and his big minstrel jubilees. and word to Roo.. the only reason ppl go watch this silly movie is for megan fox.