Anthony Mackie Gets Called A 'Sell Out' For Race Comments
The black community is not too pleased with Anthony Mackie after he voiced his take on Selma and the race issues surrounding it. In a sit-down with The Grio, the actor explained why the race-driven movie was snubbed at the Oscars.
“People are just tired of being bombarded with race right now, so everyone is shying away from certain topics and certain movies,” Mackie said. “If you look at all the movies that are nominated, all the actors that are nominated, they all gave a damn good performance. Me specifically, if that’s something I want, I have to step my game up. I have to do better movies and I have to act better.”
These comments left a sour taste in critics' mouths especially since the Oscars have a reputation for not being as diverse as they possibly can. Mackie charges minorities to “get better” instead of looking at the facts of the racial separation.
Mackie was also attacked for the educational racial profiling lesson he gave his nephew after he told Mackie he wanted dreadlocks. “I’ll sit you down and I’ll watch The First 48 with you and everybody you see on that show, that’s doing something wrong, they’re black dudes with dreadlocks. So, do you want to be seen as part of the problem or do you want to be an individual?”
Twitter responded with fury. Many users called the Black or White actor a “sell-out” and “Uncle Tom," and some even went as far as to call him a “house negro.”
Yikes. Are their critiques harsh or fair?
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