I have to say, I’ve never thought about Star Wars this way before. I always enjoyed the original three as a kid. They were such great films and still are.
Where would we be today without people like Melissa Harris-Perry there to dissect all aspects of society, decode every narrative, revealing the true racist and sexist intent behind every piece of communication?
I never knew the Star Wars narrative was inherently racist. What makes it racist? Well, according to racism scout Melissa Harris-Perry, Darth Vader is this “totally black guy” as a villain. He is essentially James Earl Jones, and he did evil things like “cut off white men’s hands.” But as soon as he reveals that he’s Luke’s father and leaves the dark side, he becomes white. The idea is that as long as he’s the bad guy, he’s black. As soon as he becomes a good guy, he’s white.
Seriously, why would Darth Vader be a black guy? The story revolves around a white family. Why would Luke and Leia’s dad be black?
Just because James Earl Jones provided Vader’s voice doesn’t mean that Darth Vader was James Earl Jones. Vader was as much James Earl Jones as he was David Prowse. Prowse was the actor who portrayed Vader (in his villainous days). He’s a British guy who happens to be white. He’s not the same actor who portrayed Vader when his helmet was removed. That was Sebastian Shaw.
Of course, this whole discussion is ridiculous. She’s mad that a black guy provided Vader’s voice when he was a villain. If a white actor had provided the voiceover, Harris-Perry would be mad that the cast “too white.”
