Sharpton’s NAN Moves to Boycott “Django Unchained” Slavery Toys
Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN), through its LA president, Rev. K.W. Tulloss, had moved to boycott the “Django Unchained” slavery toys. According to because New York Daily News, they find it offensive.
Rev. K.W. Tulloss also stated that:
”Selling this doll is highly offensive to our ancestors and the African American community.”
Reportedly, the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, Inc. (NECA) and Weinstein Company had overseen the manufacture of the 8-inch action toys, complete with specific costumes and accessories. The slave action toys are dressed in the cast’s likeness.
In case you have been living under a rock, “Django Unchained,” is a film by Quentin Tarantino that received mixed reactions from moviegoers because some people found the plot and language offensive. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 89% rating.
The plot of the movie involves the story of a slave before the civil war, in his quest for freedom. Jamie Foxx played the role of Django. Aside from Jamie Foxx, the cast included Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel Jackson, and Christoph Waltz.
In the movie, the “N” word was used so often that during an interview with Samuel Jackson about the movie, he refused to answer the question unless the host said the “N” word. The interviewer did not, so the question was left unanswered. Jackson went on to say that if it was a good question, the interviewer should be able to say the word.
Some concerned quarters claim that Quentin Tarantino is exploiting slavery, and NAN would like to stop the exploitation by boycotting the sale of the slavery toys.
In another interview by Essence.com, Director Spike Lee said that he would not watch “Django Unchained” because “it’s disrespectful to his ancestors.”
NAN did not react to the film, but are now vocal about boycotting the “Django Unchained” slavery toys being sold on Amazon for $299. According to them, the toys “make a mockery of slavery.”
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I agree with Rev. Al …and his NAN and anyone who wants to boycott these insulting toys. It seems like we are going back to the days when they used to sell “Little Black Sambo” books, and trinkets that look like men in “black face” and the post cards with pictures of lynchings on them.
We have BARBIE’S DOLL HOUSE…so why not have a toy plantation house …with the figurines of massa whippin’ a slave…???? Or why not a toy SLAVE SHIP ???
SERIOUSLY…this is over-board, insulting and just crass commercialism. BOYCOTT this mess.
For once, Sharpton got it right! These “toys” are highly offensive. For the most part, Blacks have been supportive of the film. But this is taking it too far. I feel very, very offended and I am a bit p****d now that I spent my hard earned money to support a film by this greasy-headed, ugly a*s Italian b*****d!
The problem with Black folks? You never know what is going to get us butthurt. A producer decides to make a movie celebrating our stories and instead of encouraging or supporting those stories; some small slice of the African American pie manages to always get ‘upset’ sending mixed messages not only to the people who produce all this mess but to our very own community. A rapper like Jay-Z, Nikki Minaj says the word n—ger over 500 times per cd some of these rappers say it about 150 times in one 3 minute song and some of you clowns not only love it but buy it for your children. But when a movie about actual slavery comes out and shows the real hatred and pain behind the word. Your eyes start rolling and lips smacking? If there was ever a reason for any entertainment piece to use the word it would be in a movie about slavery. But noooooooo. As for the Doll/Action Figure issue. Are we going to pretend that some of you with the moral compass of a raccooon who allowed your kid under the age of 15 to watch an R rated movie with rape, murder, kidnapping and torture in it are now getting upset because they made a toy-line to go along with your stupidity? If you are dumb-azz parent that let your child watch a movie like this why wouldn’t they think you would not buy a toy to go along with it? Again mixed morality messages. So let me get this straight. Lucas makes a movie honoring WW2 pilots set in Europe about Black Men. Even though there were no Black Women there (there is always one of you saying that one existed) Instead of taking in the overall story. A boycott was started because they were no Black Women in the movie? Halle wins an Oscar for a movie getting bent over by a flaming racist who murdered her husband. Her passive aggressive, alcholic behaviour kills her Black son and she stays with the racist not saying a peep at the end of the movie. No protest or boycotts. Will Smith plays an alcholic, b*m super-hero that needs a white man and a leather jump suit to teach him how to act civilized and falls in love with a white woman. Also came with a toy line. Not a peep. What this whole situation seems to me. Is that many of you are still playing that forgive and forget game when it comes to the issue of slavery. You don’t like to admit that the very white folks that many of you love and worship now did this and your ancestor’s fought and survived it. Some of you are mad because most of the Black Women in the film didn’t have that creamy crack fibroid cancer loving chemical relaxer in their head to look like what you worship the most anyway (low key). Go ahead and boycott, do you really need to have someone tell you what to buy or what not to buy. Are we living in a society where you get to tell someone else because of your perception that they shouldn’t be allowed to make something? So a movie about a slave who frees himself and his loving wife where he kills all the white people shouldn’t have a toy line but a movie about a Jew who rises up and kills his oppressor the n**i can have plenty of toys, movies, books and comics? Real talk. Some of you just love white people so much that you can’t stand this movie just because it doesn’t show them in the best light. Someone had to say it.
you are right i have to agree with you some of us put up with what we call neagative vibes but when it comes to stavery that is a hole new ball game! we call each other b*****s and whores nothing is said .
From The Daily Beast article: ‘Django’ Selling Slaves as Action Figures [@http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/06/django-unchained-selling-slaves-as-action-figures.html ]
See how {San}Quentin on the QT disses ‘Roots’ while P*mpin ‘Django’ Slave Dolls…
}Quentin Tarantino is laughing all the way to the bank. Tarantino and his longtime studio chief-partner Harvey Weinstein took a gamble on transforming the atrocities of slavery into comedic, action-packed entertainment….
Tarantino’s and Weinstein’s audacious release of ‘Django’ action dolls could be perceived as adding insult to injury, especially considering Tarantino’s lack of regard for the legacy of Alex Haley’s epic 1977 mini-series Roots, which is American pop culture’s most prized depiction of slavery.
“When you look at Roots, nothing about it rings true in the storytelling, and none of the performances ring true for me either,” Tarantino told The Daily Beast’s Allison Samuels. “I didn’t see it when it first came on, but when I did I couldn’t get over how oversimplified they made everything about that time. It didn’t move me because it claimed to be something it wasn’t”
Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr., who starred in Roots, dismissed Tarantino’s critique, he was just “stirring stuff up” and making a “mockery” out of racism.
Gossett revealed that after seeing ‘Django Unchained’ at a Malibu movie theater last weekend, he walked out within the first 20 minutes. “Django is a very small speck on the horizon to what we should be giving energy to,” Gossett said… {
First of all “Roots’ came on ABC broadcast TV in 1977 during prime-time, & was shown to both Black & white audiences [totaling up to 100Million+ viewers - rivaling that of Super-Bowl Sunday] including CHILDREN & ELDERS! Thus ‘Roots’ had to realistically depict slavery & still pass TV ratings muster. something that {San}Quenton on the QT could NEVER Do because he lacks the ‘creativity’ to make a successful movie without abusing & misusing excessive Violence & the N-word!!!
IMO QT’s dissing of ‘Roots’ & Lou Gossett’s counter-response should be spread thru-out Black communities & near theaters showing ‘Django’ where Blacks frequent. The arrogance of this Guy! He Disses ‘Roots’ as NOT authentic while P*mpin ‘Django’ Slave dolls- It’s enough to tell {San}Quentin to his FACE- N-i-GG-a PLEEZE!!!
Other Django Considerations: QT dissed ‘Roots’ by saying ‘it didn’t ring true… -&- claimed to be something it wasn’t'… YET {San} Quentin on the QT claimed that his “Django’ would be an important film on slavery, but when called to task that ‘Django Unchained’ apparently turns slavery into a QT style JOKE- QT then claimed it’s really a combo of the original 1966 spaghetti-western ‘Django’, ‘Blazing Saddles’ & ‘Shaft in Ole Dixie-Land / Candie-land’- NOT really about slavery per-se’- HUMM!!! -AND- Apparently Jamie Foxx ain’t ‘Django’s” real star- because it’s the white German Dude who- Frees Django & gives him license to kill [only] ‘wanted’ white men, & who actually confronts the movie’s main villain [DiCapro's Candie] both intellectually & ultimately exacts justice by killing him- NOT Foxx’s Django- even though thee reason for going to Candie-Land is to rescue Django’s wife! Foxx’s Django instead just gets to kill off the 2nd-Fiddle Uncle-Tom House-Negro [Sam-Jack in black-face]! I’ve seen enough westerns to know that their real stars ALWAYS confronts & takes down their main villains. Thus IMO QT pulled a ‘Bait & Switch’ move on ‘Django’s” Black audience! [PS: Holly-weird just made it official who 'Django's' REAL Star is by nominating the white German dude {Christopher Shultz} for Best Supporting Actor- NOT Jamie Foxx]!