Live And Let Die classification

It's a thing I've always thought about but never brought up on any 007 forums or discussed at length with any Bond enthusiasts, not many on the streets out there actually, but,

I sometimes have thought that Moore's first 1973 feature in Live and Let Die should of been classified as a '15' certificate

I remember the first few times I saw it (obviously younger then), but there really seemed to be an ominous tone throughout the movie and there was more than one occasion when I thought 'this isin't a kids movie'

The early scenes in a crime ridden 70s New York and the threatening appearance of Mister Big (kananga wasn't so intimidating), the Voodoo/Tarot cards and drugs background seemed more fitting to a more mature audience than younger children

I always remember watching it years back and there was always an uncomfortable feel to it, although the re-appearance of JW pepper and the police chases in Louisiana were a welcome relief

First use of "****" in a James Bond movie, unusual for 1973 and some rather derogatory language for both colored people and whites too sometime, but looking back it seems a bit tame now

all told, I never thought this should of been a parental guidance and certainly if '12' certificates had been available at the time it should of been given, even now, given the chance it still remains a PG but by todays standards probably seems tame compared to the recent Danny Craig releases.

but years back I always remember being unsettled by this movie and didn't feel it was appropriate for younger kids

Comments

  • GaddGeneGaddGaddGeneGadd Posts: 189MI6 Agent
    Martin's score was pretty creepy & throw in the voodoo stuff yeah I could see it scaring the S@#$ out of a 8-9 year old kid, Oh wait it did scare the S@#$ out of a 8-9 year old, ME when they showed it on T.V. in 76. That's why it is one of my favorites ( Not best mind you, just favorites ) :v :v
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    "Colored people"??? Really? I'm sure you didn't mean to offend anyone, but that term is anachronisitic at best and to many it is even a bit derogatory. Again, looking at the context in which you used the phrase it is clear that you intended no harm, but it nevertheless made me cringe.
    It's a thing I've always thought about but never brought up on any 007 forums or discussed at length with any Bond enthusiasts, not many on the streets out there actually, but,

    I sometimes have thought that Moore's first 1973 feature in Live and Let Die should of been classified as a '15' certificate

    I remember the first few times I saw it (obviously younger then), but there really seemed to be an ominous tone throughout the movie and there was more than one occasion when I thought 'this isin't a kids movie'

    The early scenes in a crime ridden 70s New York and the threatening appearance of Mister Big (kananga wasn't so intimidating), the Voodoo/Tarot cards and drugs background seemed more fitting to a more mature audience than younger children

    I always remember watching it years back and there was always an uncomfortable feel to it, although the re-appearance of JW pepper and the police chases in Louisiana were a welcome relief

    First use of "****" in a James Bond movie, unusual for 1973 and some rather derogatory language for both colored people and whites too sometime, but looking back it seems a bit tame now

    all told, I never thought this should of been a parental guidance and certainly if '12' certificates had been available at the time it should of been given, even now, given the chance it still remains a PG but by todays standards probably seems tame compared to the recent Danny Craig releases.

    but years back I always remember being unsettled by this movie and didn't feel it was appropriate for younger kids
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    As an Englishman, 'Coloured' without a 'u' always makes me cringe... :D

    But seriously folks, when was the time when it became wrong to say 'colored'. I know it is, but from a historical persepctive I'm interested, as it used to be the NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    At the time the NAACP was established, "colored" was the word of choice to describe African-Americans because it was deemed to be more positive than the other ugly and offensive terms that were commonly used by bigots and other ignoramuses. While the term "colored" is not necessarily offensive in and of itself, it is extremely out of date and does tend to remind one of the days when it was used by some to separate and marginalize non-caucasian people, especially Black people. Just as you are aware that the term "coloured" as used in Great Britain does frequently have racist connotations, there are still people in the U.S. who find the term "colored" to be similarly cringe-inducing. Maybe not on the same level, but still sort of bothersome.
    As an Englishman, 'Coloured' without a 'u' always makes me cringe... :D

    But seriously folks, when was the time when it became wrong to say 'colored'. I know it is, but from a historical persepctive I'm interested, as it used to be the NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • CmdrAtticusCmdrAtticus United StatesPosts: 1,102MI6 Agent
    edited August 2011
    It's one of the films that I wish could have been close to the novel, even though the book itself had a narrow viewpoint on black culture at the time (not surprising, given Fleming's limited contact with that culture), it for me is still a great read, especially as it takes place in New York, Florida and Jamaica. I'm glad they used some scenes from it in some of the films (key hauling in FYEO and Leiter as shark food in LTK), but they should have thrown out the drugs/Kananga-double plot devices. I realize they were trying to stay current by capitalizing on the whole blacksploitation and drug culture of the times, but it only further dates the film. Had they stayed with Mr. Big being a Russian trained criminal and had him now being a top SPECTRE agent (thus using Morgan's smuggled treasure to help finance it), I think the film would have been better for it. I was extemely disappointed in how they took Fleming's story, which he tried to make it eerie and atmospheric with the topic of voodoo - and transformed it into a big, bloodless piece of vaudeville. The opening shot of the voodoo ceremony depressed me from the start. It was obvious a phony Pinewood stage dress up to me, which bled out any tension or fear right away. I almost wish they had let the old Hammer films studio stage those sequences! It's a pity this film can never be remade (unless it is set in the original time frame of the novel), as the world has changed so much. Places like Harlem and Jamaica are no longer the exotic places they were considered by outsiders at the time, there is no SMERSH, and making a Bond villain an ex-Haitian would seem cruel today given what's happened to that island and it's society (unless there would also be a Haitian agent that Bond worked with to infiltrate Big's organization). I suppose they could even have Big exploiting the earthquake's aftermath through stealing humanitarian supplies to sell them or contolling a lot of black market goods.
  • DFGTYODLTTMFOATLGTTDCQDFGTYODLTTMFOATLGTTDCQ Posts: 45MI6 Agent
    If I can take any skin tones or variations out of the movie in hand, it's my favorite Bond release, next time you watch it have a good listen through though

    Bond girl Seymour has to be up there in the Top 3 with Andress and Bach

    still remember being scared years back by the scarecrows with rotating heads

    I think the Voodoo theme best of all encapsulated any fear or bad thinking about what went on, but as stated there was some worthwhile moments of humor here and there to smooth over any rising tensions

    Paul McCartney and Wings put together one of the best theme tumes ever, but the end bit with the Baron laughing away on the front of the train could of been left out, that wasn't scary, just looked damn stupid

    Moore should of been involved before this really, but was involved in other projects. Rumor has it that one Clint Eastwood was even invited to play the role but he politely declined. 8-)
  • ke02ewwke02eww USPosts: 2,063MI6 Agent
    Some great points here.....

    Lald has always been one of my favourite films, and I forgive it's 1970's feel that cmdratticus sums up nicely. It is nearly 40yrs old after all....!

    I've just returned from new Orleans, where I went on a voodoo tour of the city and have to say i found the religion fascinating.

    Baron samedi is only one of the lua (l'wa) spirits of louisiana and Haitian voodoo, operating between the two worlds, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loa and I thought the film utilised this well - menacing but also fascinating.... Never quite vaudeville....

    Decide for yourself if the train-ending is farcical.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX3wGWHRlXQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

    Who didn't love the mechanised scarecrow heads that shoot poor Rosie....

    Mr Big uses the power of the tarot which he believes in, for himself, yet clearly uses the terror and menace of the religion as a shield to his activities, in a similar way to Dr No and the "dragon".....

    Also, note it came out alongside the excellent Shaft series of movies and you can see traces of their influence in the film - shades of Bourne today, only 40yrs ago?....

    Finally, thank goodness we've all ( mostly....) moved on from those debilitating times, where the word colour / color itself was abused...

    After all it's actions that speak louder, never truer than today....

    Semper fi.
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    The thing is, once membership of the Ku Klux Klan fell in the early 1970s, you had a lot of pointy hats going spare...

    KKK Recycling Scheme
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Wint and Kidd far-outWint and Kidd far-out AustraliaPosts: 109MI6 Agent
    All the Bond movies that I like the best are the first 16 entries in the official series and this is how I see them classified on my videos.

    DN PG
    FRWL PG
    GF M15+
    TB PG
    YOLT PG
    OHMSS PG
    DAF M15+
    LALD PG
    TMWTGG PG
    TSWLM M15+
    MR PG
    FYEO M15+
    OP PG
    AVTAK M15+
    TLD PG
    LTK M15+

    Interestingly when they used to be shown on TV around the same time I purchased my videos the people at the broadcast station followed the same classifications except LALD which they clearly advertised as an M15+ movie.
    Roger Moore is my favourite 007 R.I.P.
  • DFGTYODLTTMFOATLGTTDCQDFGTYODLTTMFOATLGTTDCQ Posts: 45MI6 Agent
    Goldeneye was released as a '15' on DVD format, although I'm content with thE VHS release

    hardly any difference between them, apart from a scene with Onatopp and Natalya when the plane crashes and some extended highlights in the Bean/Brosnan fight at Cuba location

    but I can't agree with

    Goldfinger for over 15's, eh?

    Diamonds are Forever, hardly going to scare kids IMO

    Spy Who Loved Me, again, nowhere near a 15

    and A View To A Kill, another 15?

    really?

    that did raise a snigger :)

    I think really, at the time of release, only 1973's LALD and 1989's License to Kill actually are deserving of a '15' certificate, oh, and while I'm at it, Casino Royale too, that was more brutal than usual Bond escapades.

    Will the day ever arrive when 007 warrants an '18' rating, never say never, but it won't be in our lifetimes
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    Amen!
    ke02eww wrote:
    Some great points here.....

    Lald has always been one of my favourite films, and I forgive it's 1970's feel that cmdratticus sums up nicely. It is nearly 40yrs old after all....!

    I've just returned from new Orleans, where I went on a voodoo tour of the city and have to say i found the religion fascinating.

    Baron samedi is only one of the lua (l'wa) spirits of louisiana and Haitian voodoo, operating between the two worlds, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loa and I thought the film utilised this well - menacing but also fascinating.... Never quite vaudeville....

    Decide for yourself if the train-ending is farcical.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX3wGWHRlXQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

    Who didn't love the mechanised scarecrow heads that shoot poor Rosie....

    Mr Big uses the power of the tarot which he believes in, for himself, yet clearly uses the terror and menace of the religion as a shield to his activities, in a similar way to Dr No and the "dragon".....

    Also, note it came out alongside the excellent Shaft series of movies and you can see traces of their influence in the film - shades of Bourne today, only 40yrs ago?....

    Finally, thank goodness we've all ( mostly....) moved on from those debilitating times, where the word colour / color itself was abused...

    After all it's actions that speak louder, never truer than today....

    Semper fi.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • ke02ewwke02eww USPosts: 2,063MI6 Agent
    Amen!
    ke02eww wrote:
    Some great points here.....

    Lald has always been one of my favourite films, and I forgive it's 1970's feel that cmdratticus sums up nicely. It is nearly 40yrs old after all....!

    I've just returned from new Orleans, where I went on a voodoo tour of the city and have to say i found the religion fascinating.

    Baron samedi is only one of the lua (l'wa) spirits of louisiana and Haitian voodoo, operating between the two worlds, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loa and I thought the film utilised this well - menacing but also fascinating.... Never quite vaudeville....

    Decide for yourself if the train-ending is farcical.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX3wGWHRlXQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

    Who didn't love the mechanised scarecrow heads that shoot poor Rosie....

    Mr Big uses the power of the tarot which he believes in, for himself, yet clearly uses the terror and menace of the religion as a shield to his activities, in a similar way to Dr No and the "dragon".....

    Also, note it came out alongside the excellent Shaft series of movies and you can see traces of their influence in the film - shades of Bourne today, only 40yrs ago?....

    Finally, thank goodness we've all ( mostly....) moved on from those debilitating times, where the word colour / color itself was abused...

    After all it's actions that speak louder, never truer than today....

    Semper fi.

    Amen indeed brother!....

    Funny nap.... The pointy hat has always had a slightly different meaning to me... With a D on it.... :))
    But one can never get enough of the fingerbobs....sort of clangers before space travel..

    On the Certs - nice list wint and Kidd far out... Really useful - puts it into context nicely...

    We'd all have issues with some or all of them now, but we often forget the comtemporary influence.... Some films came out in the middle of "storms" which offered little leniency irrespective of the actual film...sign of the times....

    However DFG.... Daf got it's cert because of the bikini throttling segment - violence against women was being trodden pretty hard and that scene is often clipped for tv.. Clealy a film is certified in its entirely ( or re-cut) and as such I understand why daf got bopped...

    Again gf is often saddled with the pussy-luggage - even today... In the age of RAP Go figure....
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    Yes, I think that LALD is actually one of the more grittier early James Bond films. The scene where Kananga cuts Bond's arm is bloody in a way rarely seen in a Bond film, but hey, I'm squeamish. I see that DAF was moved from a PG to a 12 due to the level of violence and so while LALD may not be 15 material, it might well be 12 material. Interesting thread, but then I'm on a LALD kick at the moment. :)

    I think there were fewer classifications in the 1960s/1970s and if these films were released today (or re-released as DVDs) some of them would move upo the ratings scale - just like GE went from a 12 to a 15 thanks to the Xenia headbutt scene.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    there are still people in the U.S. who find the term "colored" to be similarly cringe-inducing. Maybe not on the same level, but still sort of bothersome.
    Since all people of this planet are 'coloured', I find the term more simplistically vague than offending at this point. :))
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    While it is true that we are all technically "colored" or "coloured", I have never heard a Caucasian person referred to that way. So that term is still bothersome to me, maybe because it still attributes a level of "otherness" to non-white people. You know - there are people and then there are "colored" people. It's an anachronistic term that still causes me to cringe whenever I hear it, which admittedly is rare these days.
    chrisisall wrote:
    there are still people in the U.S. who find the term "colored" to be similarly cringe-inducing. Maybe not on the same level, but still sort of bothersome.
    Since all people of this planet are 'coloured', I find the term more simplistically vague than offending at this point. :))
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    While it is true that we are all technically "colored" or "coloured", I have never heard a Caucasian person referred to that way. So that term is still bothersome to me, maybe because it still attributes a level of "otherness" to non-white people. You know - there are people and then there are "colored" people. It's an anachronistic term that still causes me to cringe whenever I hear it, which admittedly is rare these days.
    chrisisall wrote:
    there are still people in the U.S. who find the term "colored" to be similarly cringe-inducing. Maybe not on the same level, but still sort of bothersome.
    Since all people of this planet are 'coloured', I find the term more simplistically vague than offending at this point. :))

    Agreed. "Coloured" is old hat, just like the offensive "negro" and "nigger". I've heard it said that even calling someone "black" is deemed offensive nowadays, too. Though I can't see why really. What other term are we meant to use, pray tell? It's political correctness gone mad...as Stewart Lee would say.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    I'm not sure where you got that impression, but speaking as a Black person I can tell that it isn't offensive to me or to any other Black individual that I know personally. Many people in the U.S. prefer African-American, and some prefer not to be identified by any ethnicity at all. There are some terms that are so obviously offensive (like those you identified) there really can be no excuse for using them. I get what you're saying, but unfortunately the rejection of so-called "political correctness" is too often used as an excuse to be offensive. Many times it's not even necessary to identify the race or color of an individual. For example, why refer to Kananga as the "Black" villain in LALD? He's the main villain and it's obvious when you see him that he's Black. I suppose the context matters, for example if you mention it to make the point that so far he is the only main villain in a Bond movie to be Black. But in many other instances ethnicity is irrelevant and it is sometimes only mentioned in order to be derogatory. I think that's why it's important to be judicious about the terms we use - it helps make it clear that no offense is intended (I'm stepping down off my soapbox now!) :007)
    I've heard it said that even calling someone "black" is deemed offensive nowadays, too.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    I'm not sure where you got that impression, but speaking as a Black person I can tell that it isn't offensive to me or to any other Black individual that I know personally. Many people in the U.S. prefer African-American, and some prefer not to be identified by any ethnicity at all. There are some terms that are so obviously offensive (like those you identified) there really can be no excuse for using them. I get what you're saying, but unfortunately the rejection of so-called "political correctness" is too often used as an excuse to be offensive. Many times it's not even necessary to identify the race or color of an individual. For example, why refer to Kananga as the "Black" villain in LALD? He's the main villain and it's obvious when you see him that he's Black. I suppose the context matters, for example if you mention it to make the point that so far he is the only main villain in a Bond movie to be Black. But in many other instances ethnicity is irrelevant and it is sometimes only mentioned in order to be derogatory. I think that's why it's important to be judicious about the terms we use - it helps make it clear that no offense is intended (I'm stepping down off my soapbox now!) :007)
    I've heard it said that even calling someone "black" is deemed offensive nowadays, too.

    No, I was told it in conversation. The person said, "Don't say black, that's racist - you say coloured now." Odd, I thought. 8-)

    I agree on Dr Kanga being black - it doesn't matter to me at all. It's a refreshing change, in fact. I'd really love to see another black James Bond villain at some point, especially as Leiterr and Moneypenny are now black in the Daniel Craig films. I agree wholeheartedly on the Kananga black villain plot - it's rather like the German newspaper that refertred to "...the Jew Malcolm Rifkind" in the early 1990s and deservedly got much flak for it. Human beings first. Races/religions/creeds second. That's my thoughts. :)
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    -{

    And while we're on the subject, I think I'll renew my request for Idris Elba as the next Bond villain. I think he would be an interesting and formidable match for Craig's Bond (or any Bond for that matter!) Anybody got a number for Mike or Babs? :007)
    I'm not sure where you got that impression, but speaking as a Black person I can tell that it isn't offensive to me or to any other Black individual that I know personally. Many people in the U.S. prefer African-American, and some prefer not to be identified by any ethnicity at all. There are some terms that are so obviously offensive (like those you identified) there really can be no excuse for using them. I get what you're saying, but unfortunately the rejection of so-called "political correctness" is too often used as an excuse to be offensive. Many times it's not even necessary to identify the race or color of an individual. For example, why refer to Kananga as the "Black" villain in LALD? He's the main villain and it's obvious when you see him that he's Black. I suppose the context matters, for example if you mention it to make the point that so far he is the only main villain in a Bond movie to be Black. But in many other instances ethnicity is irrelevant and it is sometimes only mentioned in order to be derogatory. I think that's why it's important to be judicious about the terms we use - it helps make it clear that no offense is intended (I'm stepping down off my soapbox now!) :007)
    I've heard it said that even calling someone "black" is deemed offensive nowadays, too.

    No, I was told it in conversation. The person said, "Don't say black, that's racist - you say coloured now." Odd, I thought. 8-)

    I agree on Dr Kanga being black - it doesn't matter to me at all. It's a refreshing change, in fact. I'd really love to see another black James Bond villain at some point, especially as Leiterr and Moneypenny are now black in the Daniel Craig films. I agree wholeheartedly on the Kananga black villain plot - it's rather like the German newspaper that refertred to "...the Jew Malcolm Rifkind" in the early 1990s and deservedly got much flak for it. Human beings first. Races/religions/creeds second. That's my thoughts. :)
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    IFor example, why refer to Kananga as the "Black" villain in LALD?
    He was great, but you really can't beat the White villain in TMWTGG IMO.
    :v

    In the next century, the idea of calling someone "black" or "white" will seem so quaint, I conjure. :)
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    chrisisall wrote:
    IFor example, why refer to Kananga as the "Black" villain in LALD?
    He was great, but you really can't beat the White villain in TMWTGG IMO.
    :v

    In the next century, the idea of calling someone "black" or "white" will seem so quaint, I conjure. :)

    I think Michael Jackson's got there before you with 'Black or White' (1991). :))
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent
    I'm not sure where you got that impression, but speaking as a Black person I can tell that it isn't offensive to me or to any other Black individual that I know personally. Many people in the U.S. prefer African-American, and some prefer not to be identified by any ethnicity at all. There are some terms that are so obviously offensive (like those you identified) there really can be no excuse for using them. I get what you're saying, but unfortunately the rejection of so-called "political correctness" is too often used as an excuse to be offensive. Many times it's not even necessary to identify the race or color of an individual. For example, why refer to Kananga as the "Black" villain in LALD? He's the main villain and it's obvious when you see him that he's Black. I suppose the context matters, for example if you mention it to make the point that so far he is the only main villain in a Bond movie to be Black. But in many other instances ethnicity is irrelevant and it is sometimes only mentioned in order to be derogatory. I think that's why it's important to be judicious about the terms we use - it helps make it clear that no offense is intended (I'm stepping down off my soapbox now!) :007)
    I've heard it said that even calling someone "black" is deemed offensive nowadays, too.

    Yeah, I think Zadie Smith made a similar point, the long suffering feeling when, as a black person, you're reading a book and a new character is introduced, and it's spelt out that they're black... like, yeah, and?

    It is a strange perspective from a white person's pov to read that. But sometimes it is relevant in a way, if the person also has built up an identity around his or her colour, in terms of their culture and way of relating to the world. Less so in the US arguably, though not always. Of course, what people overlook is that colour is often imbued with nationality too, so it does come with those characteristics too, so to call someone 'black' might be a lazy, half-assed way of saying they're African or Caribbean. You wouldn't get flack for calling someone 'German' or 'French'... the whole race issue is debated in a very simplistic way, almost begging for misunderstanding or accusations of unPCdom.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Napoleon PluralNapoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent

    No, I was told it in conversation. The person said, "Don't say black, that's racist - you say coloured now." Odd, I thought. 8-)

    Oh that's rubbish, totally wrong. Alan Hanson, football pundit, got into trouble for using that word 'coloured' on Match of the Day, quite funny as he was badmouthing racism at the time! It's not intentionally insulting usually, and I can follow the logic of it making more sense, in that often 'black' folk are not literally black anyway! I mean Barack Obama is as close to being white as he is to being wholly black in colour! But you know, if it is found offensive, then you know, end of, we use another word.
    "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."

    Roger Moore 1927-2017
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent

    No, I was told it in conversation. The person said, "Don't say black, that's racist - you say coloured now." Odd, I thought. 8-)

    Oh that's rubbish, totally wrong. Alan Hanson, football pundit, got into trouble for using that word 'coloured' on Match of the Day, quite funny as he was badmouthing racism at the time! It's not intentionally insulting usually, and I can follow the logic of it making more sense, in that often 'black' folk are not literally black anyway! I mean Barack Obama is as close to being white as he is to being wholly black in colour! But you know, if it is found offensive, then you know, end of, we use another word.

    As Michael Jackson said in his Martin Bashir interview in 2003, black people were called coloured people as they come in many different shades of colour. He's right, of course. Personally, I'll stick with using "black" and "white".
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • always shakenalways shaken LondonPosts: 6,287MI6 Agent
    I have so called black friends at work and socialy
    but i see them as men ,now you mention it .
    By the way, did I tell you, I was "Mad"?
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    You make some good points, Nap, especially with respect to the fact that the race issue is often discussed in a very simplistic way. And I agree that it is sometimes difficult to know whether or not a certain racial identifier is offensive to a person of that race (and that's the key - whether a person of that race would be offended, not whether the person uttering the term thinks it's offensive.) And I certainly can't blame others for not always knowing when race is relevant since I'm sometimes confused about that myself. For example, a while back I got into a "lively discussion" with a fellow AJBer about the fact that he found it strange that a "Black bloke" would be such a big Bond fan. After all, he argued, Bond is a "white hero" and not particularly relevant to black culture (or something like that). I was a bit offended that my race should be brought up as an issue, and I explained that Bond is a fantasy character just like Superman or Sherlock Holmes or John Shaft, and that there are fans of all races for all kinds of fantasy characters. But at the same time, look at the name and avatar I've chosen for myself - both are obviously racially conscious. So am I being hypocrital? I don't know!!! Like I said, it's complicated! (Sorry dear friends, but it appears I have climbed up on that soapbox again. Can I blame it on Nap? :)))
    I'm not sure where you got that impression, but speaking as a Black person I can tell that it isn't offensive to me or to any other Black individual that I know personally. Many people in the U.S. prefer African-American, and some prefer not to be identified by any ethnicity at all. There are some terms that are so obviously offensive (like those you identified) there really can be no excuse for using them. I get what you're saying, but unfortunately the rejection of so-called "political correctness" is too often used as an excuse to be offensive. Many times it's not even necessary to identify the race or color of an individual. For example, why refer to Kananga as the "Black" villain in LALD? He's the main villain and it's obvious when you see him that he's Black. I suppose the context matters, for example if you mention it to make the point that so far he is the only main villain in a Bond movie to be Black. But in many other instances ethnicity is irrelevant and it is sometimes only mentioned in order to be derogatory. I think that's why it's important to be judicious about the terms we use - it helps make it clear that no offense is intended (I'm stepping down off my soapbox now!) :007)
    I've heard it said that even calling someone "black" is deemed offensive nowadays, too.

    Yeah, I think Zadie Smith made a similar point, the long suffering feeling when, as a black person, you're reading a book and a new character is introduced, and it's spelt out that they're black... like, yeah, and?

    It is a strange perspective from a white person's pov to read that. But sometimes it is relevant in a way, if the person also has built up an identity around his or her colour, in terms of their culture and way of relating to the world. Less so in the US arguably, though not always. Of course, what people overlook is that colour is often imbued with nationality too, so it does come with those characteristics too, so to call someone 'black' might be a lazy, half-assed way of saying they're African or Caribbean. You wouldn't get flack for calling someone 'German' or 'French'... the whole race issue is debated in a very simplistic way, almost begging for misunderstanding or accusations of unPCdom.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    I never realised you were of the African-American community, but it's interesting that you chose 'Blackleiter' as a usernmae and Bernie Casey as an avatar, I suppose. I do find it off that a poster here on AJB would have an issue with a black person being a James Bond fan. Did anyone ever tell him the his white hero James Bond was conceived in Jamaica - hardly a white haven, is it? Quite patronising and insulting and you weere riight to take issue with it. I thought that we were all a little more enlightened these days, but perhaps not.
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • BlackleiterBlackleiter Washington, DCPosts: 5,615MI6 Agent
    See, I told you it was complicated!!! You saw my name and avatar, and yet you didn't just "assume" that I was African-American. After all, it could just have easily been my homage to the character as portrayed by Casey in NSNA, regardless of my own race. So in a sense I find your response to be very enlightened. -{

    As for that poster I mentioned, he appeared to feel a bit contrite after I called him out, and I believe he learned a little something from our discussion. Which is a good thing, because we can all benefit by learning from each other.
    I never realised you were of the African-American community, but it's interesting that you chose 'Blackleiter' as a usernmae and Bernie Casey as an avatar, I suppose. I do find it off that a poster here on AJB would have an issue with a black person being a James Bond fan. Did anyone ever tell him the his white hero James Bond was conceived in Jamaica - hardly a white haven, is it? Quite patronising and insulting and you weere riight to take issue with it. I thought that we were all a little more enlightened these days, but perhaps not.
    "Felix Leiter, a brother from Langley."
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,062MI6 Agent
    See, I told you it was complicated!!!
    I don't see it as complicated at all. Bernie Casey was one of my two favourite Lieters (he was awesome in Sharky's Machine too, BTW), I loved Will Smith in Independence Day & I, Robot, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan & Michelle Yeoh are my martial arts heroes, Jessica Alba was my favourite TV heroine (Dark Angel), Antonio Banderas killed (figuratively & literally speaking) in Desperado & Zorro, Pam Grier rocked my adolescent world growing up (she had me goin' in Escape From LA most recently)....... I don't see 'non-white' actors, I see 'favourite' actors (I had to think hard to pick them out as 'non-white' too). 8-)
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
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