I haven’t seen anyone in the blog world mention their thoughts on the movie Django Unchained yet. Perhaps it’s because no one saw it. But that’s unlikely, because it’s one of the top movies in the box office and has been graced with some Oscar nominations. I supsect it’s more likely that no one wants to say anything about it even if they have seen it. In general, we tend to stay away from that scary subject. You know the one.

This is a condition that we all deal with in 2013. Not wanting to broach “that subject” because no one wants wrong things to be said or awkward moments to be had. Let me challenge you with this idea…

IT IS OKAY TO TALK ABOUT RACE.

IT IS GOOD TO TALK ABOUT RACE.

I could write novels on this subject, but since this is a weekend post on a food blog I will not bother to do so. 😉 I’m not here to preach to you, to tell you what you should be doing, or to teach or enlighten you. Not only would I be crappy at doing that, but you didn’t ask me to do so nor is it my job to do so. In case you haven’t noticed, I am indeed BLACK.

It’s shocking, I know. Try not to fall over in surprise. So my question to you is…if you perceive my race the instant that you see me, if the color of my skin is the first thing you would notice about me…WHY are we afraid to talk about it? I want to challenge you to go past the fear. Dare to be brave! You can do it. Because, in my humble opinion, the worst thing that anyone can do (no matter what your race) isn’t to say something “wrong” or “contreversial”, but to ignore the issue and pretend like it’s not happening at all. And that is precisely the plague of 2013 (and 2012, and 2011, and 2010, and…you get the idea), this era that some confused or maybe vision impaired individual labeled as “post-racial”.

And that, my friends, is why I loved Django. Even if I hadn’t liked the details of the movie itself (which I did), I am SO VERY GLAD that someone made a movie about slavery in 2013. So glad. Americans are experts at pretending like things never happened, and racial relations are a poster child for that fact. It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous, but slavery happened. It was ugly, it was cruel, it was messy, and it effects each and every one of us (yes, you!). But it happened. It definitely happened. As much as everyone would love to believe that a couple hundred years later things are all good and settled, reality is far from that. Reality is messy, and so was Django.

Does messiness mean that we can’t progress? Of course not! I’m a 25-year-old black woman with a white husband that’s graduating this year to be an attorney, and so far nobody has tried to murder me, so obviously progress is possible. It’s easy to sit back and enjoy life as a white person and hope that no one puts you in the uncomfortable position of ever having to talk about race. But consider the fact that not talking about it does not change what it is. Consider the fact that many of us don’t have the luxury of not dealing with it. The only thing worse than a problem is a problem that everyone pretends isn’t there. If you want to see a movie that reminds us about the very politically incorrect truth, please go see Django. It’s not meant to be a documentary, and it never pretends to be. It’s just a good movie that deals with a difficult subject.

Go see this movie. And go on continuing to be awesome people. I believe in you! The optimist in me has to believe in you. Because many of you, like myself, are the next generation. We are the people who will be raising the generation after ours. What we say and what we believe matters. So be brave! Talk about it. It’s a good thing. I promise. You will not spontaneously combust.

I went through a period in my adolescence where I really resented America. I was so frustrated with everything that’s wrong with this country, and felt at times like I wanted to run away abroad somewhere and lead a life with more free and enlightened people as soon as I turned 18. Since then I’ve learned to really appreciate what is good and beautiful about all people, American or not. Racism is real, but so is love. Discrimination happens all the time, but so do acts of incredible kindness. We are not perfect, but we are not made to be.

Anyone who wants to is more than welcome to comment! I would love your thoughts on the movie if you have seen it, or your thoughts on anything at all.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lauren