Spike Lee Lecture - yale.edu

I have chosen this article because my research project is about the 'Magical Negro' stereotype in film and this article talks about the lecture Spike Lee gave where he addressed the stereo type for the first time and gave it it's name.
The article is written by Susan Gonzalez for Yale Universities bulletin newspaper. The article talks about Spike Lee's visit to Yale University in 2001 and the lecture he gave on black people in film and how even after all this time they still play the same kind of roles in film. 

"But this new image is just a reincarnation of "the same old" stereotype or caricature of African Americans as the "noble savage" or the "happy slave"

 Lee talks about how black characters don't use their abilities or knowledge to better themselves, only the white characters. 

 "How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?"

Lee comments on the variations of this stereotype throughout other religions/race and how it differs; for example in film if a Jewish character is not presented as angelic its seen as almost Anti-Semitic.

"If you have any character that's Jewish who's not 100 percent angelic, you're anti-Semitic,"  

These quotes are true to an extent, not all black characters in film are the 'noble savage' or 'happy slave', since 2001; when this article was written, representation in media has improved somewhat marginally. However, I do believe its true that black characters are most likely to use their 'gifts' to benefit the white main character. In regards to the claim of anti-semitism I don't whole heartedly agree with this accusation. 
Overall, I'm inclined to agree with Spike Lee and his ideologies as they make sense once I stop to think about it.  



Spike Lee Lecture - Yale.edu