On PC Ad Nauseum...

Ran across this out on the Net today based on a bit of conversation with my spousal unit:

http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=551

There's progressive thinking, and then there's plain silliness. The problem is that pointing this out will -- somehow, somewhere, with someone -- end up labeling me a racist by some stretch of the imagination.

It's the sort of PC-driven abandon which has, in my opinion, driven America from her throne as the land of tolerance and free-yet-critical thinking into a horrific tailspin which may only end in smoking rubble. The road to Hell is paved ... and all that rot.

It was already tempting Fate a bit when Daniel Craig was named as the next James Bond following the unfortunate stint of Pierce Brosnan; people had a bit of a hissy over the notion of Blond Bond, as it were.

Still, Craig has managed to pull off the role impeccably in my opinion, following in the footsteps of the real Bond, Sean Connery -- the man who owned the role through on-screen portrayal of a character, his ability to simply look like he was really capable of Bond-esque feats. That evaluation stands, as opposed to consideration of Roger Moore who, despite doing his own stunts, was a bit dapper, more smug than cocky. Moore's Bond relied on gadgets rather than bravado and derring-do; Connery's relied on know-how and the strong arm. It's Kirk vs. Picard, loads of fun but really no contest in the end.

Granted, a great deal of that has to do with the writing rather than the actor. By the time Moore took over the role people were more fascinated with the gadgetry provided by Q than with plotlines. Sadly that was the larger portion of what did in the role for Brosnan, aside from his age and penchant for pinching his lips. By the time Brosnan took over the role the writing had gone to utter shite and CGI was more important than the plausible impossibility of Bond stories and the delicious sense of I want to believe they all gave us for a couple of hours.

Other series have jumped the shark; Brosnan's Bond did it, through no fault of his own, in an invisible car.

But I've strayed from the point.

I remember Halle Berry's entry into the series as an American agent. Sure, they were playing off Ms. Berry's popularity at the time, and sure -- it's a tried-and-true ploy which Hollywood has used repeatedly (and via which same industry has, at long last, Shia-LeBouf'ed their way to overindulgence); but it was also touted as a nod to African-Americans rather than viewed as an actress fulfilling a strong character's role, at least here in the States.

And that's where we begin, bit by insidious bit, to fall apart, where the principle comes undone at the seams. You see, it's impossible to strive for an alleged equality if every single performance by an black actor or actress (relax; I use the term "black" because not every black out there is either African or American) is hailed as a landmark success based on their race over the achievement. Ms. Berry may not have done it but our society as a whole certainly did.

That's the current fad; we feel it somehow necessary to recognize race repeatedly, even to the point of specially catering to Race as a concept.

It's like demanding Equality then insisting men open doors for women. Chivalry and Equality cannot coexist, not in a technical sense. By the same token Equality and Special Recognition cannot coexist.

Pierce Brosnan is merely an actor -- not a white actor or a Caucasian actor; Daniel Craig is merely an actor, neither white nor Caucasian. Conversely, Samuel L. Jackson (for example) is a black actor, or an African-American actor -- whether he gives a damn about it or not -- as are dozens of other actors and actresses.

So on the tail of the recent win by Barack Obama in the race for the U.S. Presidency, someone has finally suggested that it's time to what -- remake an established fictional character?

When I wonder about this it's nothing against Colin Salmon, either as a person or an actor. Hell, I've seen him in movies, I like the way he comes across as an individual both strong and cultured, suave and good-looking; for that matter I'd even date the guy, my heterosexuality not withstanding.

It's just that... well, James Bond is white. Maybe he was invented at a time when strong, forward-thinking black characters weren't popular, barely even possible for that matter; still, I have to ask a very serious question:

Is it time for a black Bond? And why has the question even seen the light of day?

Would this sort of talk even be possible were I to suggest taking John Shaft, the creation of Ernest Tidyman, and making him a tough, off-the-beaten-path white boy who was fighting the system? Were I to replace the synthesizer and fast-picked electric guitar of Shaft's theme with a less soulful brass section and some cello, would that still be okay? If Isaac Hayes' vocals were redone ala Jewel, would the majority be fine with that because hey, it's not about an institution, it's about equality and progress?

Would it actually still be Shaft?

There's no better way to put it than in the fashion John Shaft himself would have during the life of his character (for those who haven't read any of the novels, John Shaft is dead):

You damn right, it wouldn't!