Friday
July 18th, I ventured out to one of St. Louis’s newer downtown movie
theaters; I had been anticipating Dawn of the Planet of the Apes since I
learned of it in January. The ticket was twelve dollars and I spent $14 on
refreshments, wow, pricey. Inside the
theater, I enjoyed the leather rocking seats designed with couples in mind and
the large screen and superb surround sound.
The movie was entertaining and well-orchestrated; had it not been so late
in the evening, I would have viewed the movie twice. I usually watch movies twice, first for the entertainment
value and second for critical observation; nonetheless, upon returning home, I
posted the movie trailer on my Facebook page along with a simple comment, “Yes
I enjoyed this movie.” As friends do on
social media, a friend commented on my post, it was more a cautionary notice
than a comment, “Watch it closer.” I asked this friend to inbox me his
thoughts, however he posted for all to see.
Funny thing, I knew what his response would be. He posted, “Apes represent Blacks in this
movie”... This was nothing new; I have
heard it all before.
Fifteen
years ago, while engaged in a conversation, I mentioned my fascination for all
things Planet of the Apes and it was then I was told of racial connotations depicted
within Planet of the Apes movies and its series... One friend told me; in the
older television shows Gorillas represented Irish Folks because they were
responsible for policing society; Chimpanzees represented Asian Folks because
they were the scientific body; Orangutans represented White Folks because they
were the ruling body and Humans represented the Negro; Black Folks enslaved and
imprisoned for medical science, labor, and target practice. Some years after that, a second friend shared
with me in conversation a simpler version, he said, “The Planet of the Apes represent
the fears of White Folks and their ideal of society if Black Folks Ruled;
Gorillas were uneducated Blacks used as overseers, Chimpanzees were educated
Blacks creating the white collar labor force, and Orangutans were the
intellectuals of Black society full of talk but never getting their hands dirty.
Before
those two conversations, Planet of the Apes was a simple Saturday afternoon
flick which entertained the mind of a child who enjoyed the mental escape from a
weekend filled with childhood obligations of morning chores and laborious errands.
Vera, Cornelius, Caesar and Taylor along with a host of others, whose names I
have forgotten, were my weekend heroes.
I was not aware of political propagandas and fears of social decline and
terror. Conversely, these aforementioned
conversations caused me to question my awareness and work to expand my consciousness,
making mental notes to revisit my memories of the Planet of the Apes. Why hadn't I been cognizant of these agendas
before?
It
took me some years to revisit the old Planet of the Apes shows and as they say,
when you look for something it will appear.
Cloaked with the information of my two friends, I clearly realized their
earlier analysis and wondered what else had I not seen? Should I return to Star
Trek and look for the racial over and undertones there as well?
Now
days, I am clearer on issues of ethnical intolerance, prejudice, bigotry, the
use of religious dogma, the excessive legal system and political improprieties
all of which were tucked within those earlier Planet of the Apes Movies and
series. On the subject of “Apes
Represent Blacks in This Movie” my response is this…
If
the Apes in this movie “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” are representative of
us (Black Folks) we have truly developed; we have laid aside our weapons to
study war no more. We have learned as a collective body of people to live
together in unity and community. We have
declared loyalty to ourselves as a people, refusing to slay one another. We have taken our education into our own
hands, educating our own children, training them in the ways of our people. We protect our women and children, providing
shelter and security, and a place to call home for us all.
If
the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is representative of Black Folks, based on
the character of Koba, then we (Black Folks) are no different than we already
are. We have learned bigotry from the bigot,
war from the warring, intolerance from the intolerant, barbarism from the barbarian
and fear has enslaved us so severely we imitate the very contempt and disdain we
desired to rid ourselves of and too I say, until we the people (Black Folks) conquer
fear, lay aside emotional anger for logic, and break the yokes of religion and
economic slavery, we will forever be third class citizens in a nation we helped
to build. ASE’
