Madea vs. Miracle – The Stinging Polarity of Black Entertainment

Spike Lee recently called Tyler Perry and his art ‘coonery and buffoonery.’

Tyler Perry got pissed and called his artwork ‘bait’ for lessons on morality and community.

And so the question is, which audience do we want to be? Because obviously we can’t be in both corners.

Lee and Perry are both armed with the same mission in mind. To focus Black America under a lens and allow it to see themselves true and whole; and if other folks are interested, for them to get a sense of our hearts and our cultural triumphs. Both men want black people to see more of themselves and be happy with the portrait; I can imagine that they’ve felt in some small way, that their art has changed the world. If only through one changed life.

But like most art forms practiced and mastered by black artists, the pretext of giving your art to the world is that the world will be divided into two distinct and neat audiences for it. Those who hate it, those who love it. Those who get it, those who don’t.

And then you break down to the sub-cultures of those two groups, understanding that even the lovers and the haters are at odds with their distinguishing tastesf. A perfect example of the dichotomy of black artistry is ‘The Wire;’  which ironically, was created and written by a white man to slap dramatic theory into the cop and crime culture of Baltimore City.

Viewers of a certain background and circumstance appreciate the artistry of the series. They marvel over the dialog. They are tantalized by intricately-woven story lines and arcs. They are intrigued by the machinations of men and women who enforce and break the law, and the stark similarities and motivations of both.

And then there are folks who enjoy the show because the characters breed familiarity. Because they look, sound and react like they would on either side of the gun barrel or the arrest. They aren’t impressed by the literary or cinematic value of the work, as much as its raw emotional worth.

Never the two sides shall meet. Socio-ecnomic status, religion, education – a whole bunch of things work in harmony to make sure that certain sides of the tracks don’t get crossed in either direction. The more you toe these tracks, the more you disgusted become with the other perspective of consuming the art and using the art. You can’t watch ‘House of Pain’ because you find that the plot points jumped the shark midway through the third episode of the series. You can’t watch Madea because you are personally and culturally offended by a black man in drag.

You can’t watch ‘Black Magic’ because it’s too long, and too boring. You’re so glad you haven’t seen ‘Eyes on the Prize’ in years because it’s too sad.

The excuses and stubbornness find a quiet place in all of our hearts for all of our art forms. Hip-hop and jazz are two of the longest suffering art forms in the black community, for reasons that are closer than we might think at face value. Black literature has been divested of one all-encompassing covering and split into ‘Street Lit’ and ‘African-American Interest.’ And all of the division is a ruse to protect the community brands that we represent; either you are ‘real’ or you have ‘the common sense the Lord gave you.’ You either act black or act white.

There is no easy solution to the matter because the artists have fallen under the same spell that entrances consumers. And maybe that’s for the best; choirs from both congregations may be better suited not being preached at about what they like to hear on the radio and watch in the movies, just for the satisfaction of a few “educated” minds about the business of inquiry. The truth is that black entertainment is as tied to what we hope to represent, as what the entertainment itself wants to represent us to be. We are what we consume; and if other social factors influence those consumption habits, we ought to recognize that those were choices too; totally within our control and shaped by our willingness to accept new and present ideas.

We should accept that not all black themes are culture-advancing mechanisms, but at origin, they are all dreamed up to improve our lives and minds. What the studio does after that is anyone’s guess, but no project starts our with a “Let’s Exploit or Bore Black Folks” launch party. In the end, you do what’s best for you and your family. We’ll soon arrive at a point where everyone can agree on how to African-Americans ought best be represented in pop culture and entertainment; devoid of expectations and labels to hold us back.

And both Claire Huxtable and Florida Evans will be so proud of us.