Season 2 - Episode 2: Indiana Jones and Painful Nostalgia
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Manage episode 180910659 series 1408086
There is a truth that we all must acknowledge: The Indiana Jones films (and tv series) fall somewhere on the spectrum of 'racist as hell' and 'racially insensitive.' There is this phrase I hate, but I've found to be pretty much true: "All your faves are problematic." This hold especially true for things yo used to like in your childhood. A enormous position of he culture I consumed as a kid, I can barely stomach now, and will not be sharing with my kid. Indiana Jones is one of these things. Raiders of the Lost Ark, not only put me on my academic path, it activated my imagination for our world like nothing else did. Hell, like nothing has sense. But, where were the black people in that world? Where were the black people in Pulp?
This book has gone a little way to rectify the glaring omission. Cop it here.
Black folks are always shown in action roles., whether it be books, films, or television.. What about adventure? What about discovery? Where are the Black (non-bigoted, respectful of cultures and their artifacts) adventurers looking for hidden civilizations, or magical totems?
If Indiana Jones were Black or any other POC, I wonder how much of an impact he would have had on me? A lot of complex feelings around this, which I talk about in the podcast.
To give you a reference for my contentious reverie, read what I wrote about nostalgia for The Nerds of Color here.
16 episodes