"These people are suffering and oppressed in poverty and how do we treat them? We make fun of them. Pathetic."
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement and frankly with the rest of your post, candle. Southerners have long been the "whipping boy" of Hollywood. If a filmmaker wants to show someone is stupid, they just give them a Southern accent. If they did that to several other groups, they would be accused of bigotry, which ironically is the label often flung at Southerners.
The mothers of the slain boys were all sick with grief at the time the movies were made. I do not blame them for their actions. Yes, Mark Byers really made a fool of himself in this film particularly. Even he will tell you that now. However, again, a lot of his actions are attributable to grief.
Todd and Dana Moore, the parents of Michael Moore, have tried for the most part to avoid the media spotlight. However, they have spoken out recently (shortly after the release of Damien, Jason and Jessie) and are still convinced that the three are guilty. What bothers me the most about their position is that they have refused to examine any new information or testing results that have come to light since the original convictions. It's truly sad that they maintain this "head in the sand" attitude. However, it is a kind of defense mechanism. I can forgive them.
Terry Hobbs, with his failed lawsuit against Natalie Maines Pasdar and the Dixie Chicks, is another case. IMO, he seemed to try to stay out of the spotlight until his mtDNA (to at least a 97.5% degree of accuracy) was discovered by additional testing in 2006 or 2007. Then he immediately "lawyered up" and filed the failed civil suit I mentioned earlier. Mark Byers never "lawyered up," even when the whole "Rambo knife" surfaced and he was under suspicion. He has always tried his best to cooperate with police, which is more than I can say for Terry Wayne Hobbs.
The third installment of this series is set to premiere on HBO in January, 2012 (January 12th IIRC), and I am looking forward to seeing it. From what I've read and seen, it reviews the entire case and takes us through the (deserved) release of Damien, Jason and Jessie. As I was unable to attend any of the public screenings, I am really excited and anxious to see the film.
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Death163
12 years ago
So everyone in hollywood is the same? pretty sure there are several southern people in films and tv shows are not shown as stupid oprah is a Southerner who's calling her stupid? ted turner is a southerer who's calling him stupid? the dukes of hazard was about a red neck town yet the only person shown as being stupid was the mayor who was more greedy then stupid jestifyed is a great show about a southern down and the marshals service none of the main people are shown as being stupid Byers did all that by him self no one helped him he also has a violent drug addicted past that landed him in prison after the second film.
In fact id be willing to ask u what southern people have hollywood made out to look stupid recently?
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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Compassionate_Reader
12 years ago
Oprah is rich and black. That's why people don't make fun of her. Plenty of people make fun of Ted Turner. Personally, I think "Justified" makes the South look bad. Maybe it's all in one's perception. All I know is that, as a Southerner, I am often insulted by the way the South is portrayed in television and the movies.
I'm not saying that Mark Byers is not primarily responsible for the way he was portrayed. However, again, IMO, the South is often portrayed in a very bad light on television and in the movies. Hollywood seems to make more movies like "O Brother Where Art Thou?" which, IMO, portrays the South badly and fewer movies like "The Blind Side" which is, IMO, an exception to the rule in that it shows the South (or at least one family of Southerners) in a good light.
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Death163
12 years ago
So because oprah is rich and black she doesnt count as a person???? Who's saying ted turner is stupid? ive seen shows that portrayed him as crazy but not stupid and thats just family guy what other shows say anything about Ted Turner?
How does Justifyed make the south look bad? Boyd is portrayed as extremely smart no one gets the better of Boyd Crowder or Raylen for that matter the only people portayed as stupid in justifyed are the lew level criminals who would most likely be stupid in real life which is why there low level.
U realize O Brother Where art Thou? was a while ago dont u? i believe over 10 years ago if not longer i asked u what movies has holly wood released recently that unfairly portray southerns as stupid?
Actually and this is coming from a southern if u look at all the stats Southerns score much lower on test then people from other parts of the country while education does exist in the south and there are some smart people here in the south theres not as many as other parts of the country because education is deemed second or even lower in someones life behind religion which is considered by the majority of souterners the most importaint thing there for as long as u have the knownledge of Christ in your life u dont need education that is the thinking of the majority of southerners.
Also if u really look at The Blind Side (which i thought was a great movie) Would that family have took him in if he was Muslim? or any other religion? or if he wasnt big and built to play sports? i'm not saying they wouldnt have but u can not deny that a majority of christian familys would have kept on driving if he had been muslim or they had known he wasnt christian.
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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Compassionate_Reader
12 years ago
This thread is supposed to be about "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations" not about how the South is portrayed on the boob tube and the silver screen. However, as to a recent movie that is derogatory to the South, "The Help" portrays the white Southerners as the bad guys. Is that recent enough for you?
A lot of people thought Ted Turner was stupid because he colorized old black and white films. Other people have criticized him for marrying Jane Fonda because she is a liberal. And, in its early stages, CNN was mocked and ridiculed, too. He has proven his detractors wrong on that score, but the criticism occurred nonetheless.
As to Oprah, of course she's a person. The point I was making is that the reason that she is not criticized is because she is rich and black. Also, although born in Tennessee, she moved to the north before she became famous.
Poor Southerners, especially poor white Southerners, are often criticized and mocked on both screens. Even some rich Southerners are criticized. Look at how the press and many citizens took pot shots at George W. Bush. Bill Clinton, too, had his detractors. Southerners are one group that it's still OK to denigrate.
I don't remember religion being discussed with Michael Oher. True, he was attending a Christian school, but nothing was ever said specifically about religion and the Tueys were never shown going to church. IMO, Lee Ann would have taken in Michael if he had been a Satanist, let alone a Muslim.
As to education in the South, there are plenty of well educated Southerners and there are plenty of ignorant northerners. That's not a regional difference. Religion may play a bigger part in the lives of Southerners, but that doesn't make us less intelligent. I'm sure that some Fundamentalists have the attitude that you describe, but there are fundamentalists in the north, too. The attitude of distrust of education comes from Fundamentalism, not Southern culture.
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Death163
12 years ago
Yet i fail to see how the film makers are making fun of anyone when they didnt tell anyone to act a certain way this wasnt a written movie it was an unscripted doc they simply put the camera's in real life peoples faces and let them talk if they come off as stupid what are the film makers supposed to do? go out of there way to try and make the person look smart? if so in the case of Byers that would have been impossible the mans a walking talking stereo type i believe its all an act for him i think he acts out for the camera's he likes the attention notice how the way he talks to certain people completely changes in the second movie when he realizes the camera's are on.
None of the Criticisms of Ted Turner were done because he's a southern thou no one made fun of him for being from the south they made fun of his choices not his accent or up bringing or way of life just his choices.
Bush was critifized because he's just plain stupid and played the role of a drunkin cowboy no ones ever going to call anything bush did smart while clinton and jimmy carter may have gotten poked at a little for being so southern it wasnt out of line and they werent called stupid in fact clinton is considered by many people out side of the south as the best president we've had in decades and carter is known for his ability to talk to leaders of other countrys that we other wise wouldnt be able to work things out with like china and cuba as well as most of south america only idiots are calling him stupid.
It was shown in the film that the Tueys were very religious (christian) i highly doubt if they had known that michael was a muslim or Satanist they would have helped him out they may have helped him out still if he was Jewish or Mormen althought im sure they would have kept a closer eye on him christians expecally in the south are not known for being welcoming or nice to other religions expecally muslims u forget it wasnt that long ago christians burnt people they called witchs at the stake.
As i said there are some educated people in the south and some uneducated people in the north and west that i can agree with u on but u cant argue the fact that test scores are extremely lower in the south then the north religion plays more of a facter in a southerns life then someone from the west or north an example is people wanting creatism tought in public schools theres more of a want for it in the south then the north or west as well as the difference between how and what sex ed classes are allowed there is a huge difference in education between the north and south and religion plays a lot into that religious southern parents are more likely to be upset that there children are thought science which disproves there beliefs while parents from the north and west are less likely to be religious or upset about there children being tought science.
As far as your bringing up the help didnt that movie deal with slavery? if so thats not a good example.
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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Compassionate_Reader
12 years ago
I'm not suggesting that Joe and Bruce were making fun of Mark. It's others that do that. There's a thread somewhere (I think in the PL3 forum) that specifically makes fun of the people in the movie. I have seen people make fun of Mark on this forum, too. He was a parent in grief. He will tell you today that his actions were over the top, but at the time, he was so grief-stricken that he was not thinking clearly. To make fun of someone at a time like that is, IMO, extremely tacky and tasteless.
Whether or not the criticisms of Turner were because he was a Southerner is immaterial. He is a Southerner, and he was ridiculed. That's all I was saying.
I don't think GW Bush was stupid. He had a Southern accent, more specifically a Texas drawl. That's why a lot of people laughed at him. Carter is still a joke. He's possibly the second worst President we've ever had. (The current occupant of the White House is the worst.) Clinton almost destroyed the Presidency with his sexual capers, and both of those Presidents placed the South in a bad light. Another Southern President who did nothing to help the image of the South was LBJ, who was, coincidentally, another Texan. He's one reason that GW Bush had so much to overcome as to stereotypes.
I'm a retired teacher. I taught in the South. I promise you that the religious beliefs of the parents aren't the reason for low test scores. Students in impoverished areas are more likely to have lower test scores, and that has nothing to do with religion. The South tends to have more impoverished areas than the north, educationally speaking, because the Federal government and Federal funds tend to go to the northern States very disproportionately. The spending per student by the various school districts is lower in the South, but this is much more attributable to the lack of adequate Federal funding than to the religious beliefs of the parents in the South. This lack of equality in funding is the factor most responsible for any discrepancy in the test scores.
"The Help" was based in the South of the 1950's and '60's. Slavery had been over for about a hundred years. No, it's not about slavery. It's about how blacks were supposedly mistreated in the South. Its thrust is to show the long suffering "help" who are supposedly being held down and mistreated by the overbearing actions of the white Southerners. This is a perfect example of what I was saying. If this went on in the South, it is long past and done. Continuing to call it to the attention of the public is merely one more way of denigrating the South.
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Death163
12 years ago
Wow seriously u think Obama is worse the Bush? are u stupid? Bush made us the laughing stock of the world he turned everything good clinton did and crashed the ecomony killed the home market supported bail outs for billionaires but not for detroit brought about a war in iraq for NO REASON that has let to 1000's of american soldiers being killed and 100's of 1000's of iraq's citizens being killed so tell me what has Obama done that makes him worse then bush?
Hint u wont find anything because Obama is leaps and bounds better then Bush people didnt called Bush stupid because of his accent they called him stupid because of his just plain stupid policys like no child left behind the fact that he cant talk with making up words like terrorizer dont help his cause now tell me how is Carter stupid when he has a nobel peace prize?
Yes clinton the horrible person made a mistake in his person life that guess what didnt effect or hurt anyone outside of his family while your boy bush on the other hand has created a needless unexcuseable war that has killed 100's of thousands of people so how is it that in your opinion Clinton almost destroyed the presidency by gasp having a personal life but Bush is great and unfairly picked on yet he created a needless unexcuseable war that has killed 100's of thousands of people? typical republican thinking bash the president that actually does some good while hold up the ones who hurt this country the most.
Supposedly mistreated? are u kidding me have u not heared of the KKK or jim crow laws? all of which took place during the 50's and 60's theres no supposedly anything its fact trying to say well it MIGHT have happened is like saying slavery MIGHT have happened but it was a while ago so its all good now no need to ever talk about it again just because something happened years ago doesnt make it alright and deff doesnt make it ok to try and act like it didnt happen like your doing if anyone's giving southerns a bad name its u your clearly a racist and this mentally retarded this rendering any argument u might have invalid and making it pointless for me to argue with u so good bye dumb ass.
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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Compassionate_Reader
12 years ago
Well, bless your heart!
Bush wasn't a Saudi King-bowing, Kenya-born, Marxist/Socialist closet Muslim. If unchecked, Obamacare will ruin this country. Hopefully, sanity will return and Obama will be a one-term President.
Just because someone wins the Nobel Peace Prize doesn't make them a good person. That is a fallacy. Carter is a much better ex-President than he was a President.
Clinton's escapades made this country look bad. If you don't believe that, you need to reconsider. That's why I said that he destroyed the Presidency.
I grew up in a small town in the South in the 50's and 60's. I never saw a "Colored Only" sign anywhere. I'm not saying that those things didn't happen, but I am saying that they didn't happen everywhere.
You claim to live in the South, but you don't seem very Southern to me. Southerners are polite, and you are not. I presume that you were born in the north. Obviously, you were educated there because your grammar and spelling is simply atrocious. Maybe you need to go home. Obviously you don't like the South.
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Death163
12 years ago
Really care to show any actual proof that Obama wasnt born in america or that he's a muslim?
As far as the Saudi's go u clearly dont know facts do u? Bush was closer to the Saudi royal family then Obama has ever been why do u think we got into the first golf war?
Pretty sure winning a Nobel Peace Prize makes u a pretty damn good person as does the fact that he's very active in charitys including several that build houses for people who other wise wouldnt have anywhere to live.
So your saying that Clinton doing something in his own personal life that didnt effect anyone out side of his family is worse then Bush who created 2 pointless wars that have killed 100's of thousands of people?
Clearly u either didnt grow up in the south during that time period or u refuse to admit the truth or your simply blind those signs and jim crow laws were everywhere there wasnt a single business in the south that was ran by whites that didnt have a no colored sign or colored only sign what do u think jim crow laws were?
I'm more southern then u will ever be dumbass i'm born and raised in georgia if u think all southerners are polite then please explain to me the KKK or slavery or jim crow laws or the west boro baptist church and there well documented hate which includes protesting soldiers funerals with signs that read god hates fags and thank god for dead soldiers?
I honestly wish u would go home to your cave that u clearly live in and leave the rest of us evolved human beings alone don't u have some white sheets to wash? or some crosses to burn? or negro's to lynch?
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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Compassionate_Reader
12 years ago
Your ad hominem attacks prove that you have nothing to add to any "discussion." I was also born and raised in the South and have never lived anywhere else except for one year when my husband was in graduate school. You can't tell me what I witnessed when I grew up. I KNOW WHAT I EXPERIENCED. I am not a racist. I don't own any white sheets. I have African American friends. In fact, my son dated an African American for a while. It didn't work out, but I was fine with it. So, you don't know half of what you think you know. I hope your mother reads what you write and washes your mouth out with soap!
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screenscreams
12 years ago
Westboro Baptist Church is not southern. They are in Kansas--midwestern.
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Death163
12 years ago
You're a *beep* idiot the majority of the midwest is considered to be part of the SOUTH otherwise texas wouldnt be considered part of the south as it's in the mid west and within a few hours drive of kansas.
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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screenscreams
12 years ago
Guys...whatever happened to short, simple posts? I'm getting older and my attention span is rapidly shrinking.
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screenscreams
12 years ago
No witches were ever burned at the stake in America. Those who were falsely accused of being witches in Salem, Massachusetts, were hanged, not burned.
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Death163
12 years ago
You're a *beep* retard people accused of being witchs were burned at the stake in salem, massachusetts some were even killed by being drowned with the belief being that if she was a witch she would survive if not she would die other's had huge stones placed on them until they died others were beaten or stoned to death the favorite was the burning at the stake though learn some *beep* history before you talk *beep*
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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hodie
10 years ago
Um, witches in Salem were hanged, not burned at the stake.
Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!
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Death163
10 years ago
Some were hanged others were burned at the stake others where tied to rocks and drowned with the belief that if they were witches they would float some others were even crushed to death in-between large stones all of this is very well documented in American history.
"The People Of America Have Spoken THE REAL TITLE TOWN U.S.A IS VALDOSTA GEORGIA"
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screenscreams
12 years ago
If I didn't know better, I'd think Death 163 is John Mark Byers. He not only thinks that Kansas is in the south, he thinks people were burned at the stake in Salem, Massachusetts. Talk about a living troll.
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