Affirmative Action Doesn't Need to Be Limited to the Present

A statement from Spike Lee at the Cannes Film Festival criticizing Clint Eastwood:

“Clint Eastwood made two films about Iwo Jima that ran for more than four hours total, and there was not one Negro actor on the screen."

Eastwood's excuse was that a black man didn't help raise the flag at Iwo Jima, which what Flags of Our Fathers was about. He couldn't come up with a legitimate excuse to the indefensible offense of not providing a balance of blacks in Letters from Iwo Jima, which was a portrayal of the Japanese Army in WWII.

When I heard about Eastwood's oversight I was as steamed as white rice (which is a very racist dish if you ask me..and nobody did ask me, but I said it anyway because Spike Lee is my new idol) because it reminded me of other instances of racism in movies that depict historical events.

For example, Roots did not provide ANY racial balance whatsoever in its depiction of slavery. All of the slaves in the movie were black. This not only gives the impression that slaves in early American history were black, but it screwed asians, latinos, and whites out of the opportunity to be cast for those roles in the movie.

All I have to say is if there is going to ever be a bio-pic on Barack Obama...Jackie Chan, Conan O'Brien, and Bea Arthur better damn well have a shot at an audition for it.