'Django Unchained' Action Figures Spark Outrage

‘Django Unchained’ Action Figures Spark Outrage

09 Jan, 2013

It has proven hugely popular with African-American cinemagoers despite concerns in some quarters that it trivialises slavery. Now Quentin Tarantino is facing a new row over his blood-soaked homage to the spaghetti western, Django Unchained, after a set of officially approved action figures drew criticism from black activists in the US.

The eight-inch tall figurines, which include depictions of “house slave” Stephen (played by Samuel L Jackson in the film) and Jamie Foxx’s Django, have been produced by the National Entertainment Collectibles Association following consultation with the Weinstein Company, which produced Tarantino’s film. Najee Ali, director of the Los Angeles civil rights organisation Project Islamic Hope, said the toys are “a slap in the face of our ancestors” and is calling for their removal from sale.

“We were outraged,” Ali told the Associated Press. “We feel it trivialises the horrors of slavery and what African Americans experienced.”

However, Ali is not opposed to the depiction of slavery in Django Unchained, nor its liberal use of the word “nigger”. Director Spike Lee has spoken out against the film, promising not to see it and tweeting: “American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them.” Ali, by way of contrast, has seen the film twice.

The Rev Al Sharpton’s National Action Network is also calling for a boycott of the action figures. “Selling this doll is highly offensive to our ancestors and the African-American community,” Rev KW Tulloss, NAC’s president in Los Angeles, told the New York Daily News. “The movie is for adults, but these are action figures that appeal to children. We don’t want other individuals to utilise them for their entertainment, to make a mockery of slavery.”

The Django figurines, which are intended as collectibles for adults and are the latest in a series of Tarantino memorabilia pieces created for fans of his films, are on sale online via sites such as Amazon. So far reaction from potential customers has been mixed. “Really this is some racist Shhht! The movie was good, but this is inexcusable,” wrote one commenter. “So do the accessories include whips, chains and klan members?” Another wrote: “I am in complete shock that someone would exploit the struggle of my ancestors and the entire freedom movement with such tasteless, classesless, and disgusting ‘action figures’. Shame on Amazon for even selling these.”

the Guardian

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