Mookie, Please!

Spike Lee get's his knicker's in a twist over just about anything, even someone complimenting a talented black actress. Lee criticizes George Clooney's Oscar acceptance speech when Clooney said,

This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch. And I thank you so much for this.

Here is Spike Lee's beef du jour:

Lee says, "To use that as an example of how progressive Hollywood is is ridiculous. Hattie McDaniel played Mammy in Gone With the Wind.

"That film was basically saying that the wrong side won the Civil War and that black people should still be enslaved.

"C'mon! I like George a lot. I'm not hating on him. But I don't think he really thought it out.

So what is Spike really saying here? Did Hattie McDaniel not deserve the Oscar? Was her performance sub-par? Was she not a convincing character? She wasn't the cream of the crop for 1939's best supporting actresses? Her award wasn't for what the movie represented, it was for her achievement in her acting abilities. Lee is so quick to scuffle when it comes to all things African-American, that he doesn't stop to think about what he's actually saying. It was progressive for the Academy, in 1939, to bestow that honor on an African-American woman, period. Chill out Spike, for just a second, and really process what was said here.

Spike Lee Article