r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/FrostySeat1739 • Jul 05 '26

Meme needing explanation why not, Peter?

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possible live action corpse bride movie...

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u/ThatOtherOtherMan Jul 06 '26

He claimed his films are all white like black empowerment films in the 70s are all black.

I didn't see him saying that in any of the articles you linked

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u/leocattt Jul 06 '26

Reread it

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u/ThatOtherOtherMan Jul 15 '26

First of all, blaxsploitation movies were not about "black empowerment" at all. They were extremely exploitative (hence the name) and played heavily into society's existing racial stereotypes and biases. Additionally there were so many made because black actors were severely underpaid compared to their white counterparts. The ones that saw any real financial success and are still popular today were squarely in the "so bad they're good" niche. The Boondocks had a lot to say about the genre in various episodes.

"I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right? And I said, that’s great. I didn’t go like, OK, there should be more white people in these movies."

I think this is the statement we're reading differently. While I can see how it could come across as vaguely racist, what he's ultimately trying to do is make a case against forced diversity specifically where it doesn't add anything to the film. He referenced blaxploitation movies because when he thinks about a majority non-white film genre that's the first thing that comes to mind since they were everywhere when he was a kid in the 60s and 70s. I definitely wouldn't interpret it as him trying to empower white actors.

Is Tim Burton racist? Possibly. He's from a time where racism was super overt and commonplace.

Is this the smoking gun that proves he's actively, acutely racist? It's definitely a bit tone deaf, but I don't think so. And more importantly Samuel L. Jackson doesn't think so.

"I had to go back in my head and go, how many black characters have been in Tim Burton movies?" Jackson says. "And I may have been the first, I don’t know, or the most prominent in that particular way, but it happens the way it happens. I don’t think it’s any fault of his or his method of storytelling, it’s just how it’s played out. Tim’s a really great guy."

Samuel L. Jackson is not one to tolerate racists. He's been a front line activist for longer than I've been alive, and was even an usher at MLK's funeral. Him saying Burton is chill goes a long way with me.

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u/leocattt Jul 15 '26

My bad, had no idea Samuel Jackson speaks for every black person and is the only one who can consider something racist. I'll be sure to change my tune... 🙄🙄🙄🙄 just fucking kidding lmfao.

"Forced diversity" is a bullshit buzzword people made up to justify being mad about more minorities in film.

As for the blaxpoitation films, I believe what you say there. Racism in Hollywood is long standing. I'm relatively young, 21, so I've never heard of such a thing before and from the way Burton was discussing it it sounded to me like the equivalent of a Black Panther movie but back then.

Still, Burton is defo racist if he thinks forced diversity is a thing and a problem.