I finally saw 12 Years a Slave, and I am proud to say I
didn't cry. It has been an adventuring trying to see this film with delays of
more than a week, but it was important I see this movie with KW. She is
brilliant, and I knew that our conversations afterward would be worth it.
No spoilers except the obvious Solomon gets to go home and
slavery eventually ends but not in the movie. As we exited the theater, KW
begins talking about how we (society) and black people (as a culture) need to
learn black history. (Full disclosure, KW is a black woman, and she asserts a
resistance to learning about black history by black people.) We discussed the
problems with white interpretations of black narratives, and while we didn't
discuss it I'd love to hear her opinion on white co-opting of black ideas. We
briefly discussed the white savior narratives, and how in this film, even the
good white people, aren't that good. Also, white women had it rough, but no Jezebel, slaves and
white women didn't have the same problems. It also took all my restraint in the
theater not to yell "Omar Little," however, then KW and I were able
to discuss how many structural problems black people face now are rooted in
slavery.
But gender and whitewashing for another day, maybe tomorrow's
post if I can work out my thoughts.
I want to talk about the unfulfilled curse. Not once, but
four times in the film the oppressed cursed the oppressor. Solomon does it and
specifically says he'll have restitution, and as noted at the end of the film
via text no one who facilitated his enslavement were punished. Eliza promised
the slave trader that if they remove her children from her there will be
consequences, and there were for her, but not him. Bass, a white man, tells
Master Epps there will be a reckoning before god because nothing is different
between men in god’s eyes. Finally, Mistress Shaw, played by the amazing Alfre
Woodard, says that there will be a reckoning that befalls all plantation owners
like nothing the world has ever seen.
I don't think it is a spoiler to say that none of these
things happened. And I wanted them to. I wanted the slave holders to feel vengeance.
For the love of all that is holy, one white guy implied he could sell a little
light skinned girl for more because she was young, and people are perverts.
Special hell. I wanted something to happen to punish people who would abuse
other people so badly…I'd suggest this is human nature, but I don't think we
can make that assertion after watching this film. I don't believe in the death
penalty, but I wanted everyone punished, but I know they never were, not
really. There were slave revolts, and some slave holders died, and parts of the
south burned during the Civil War. But these weren't considered punishments by
those who experienced them. These people never recognized what they did was
wrong. I also don't think there is anything that would have been enough, much
like with Nazis, I'm not sure what could provide restitution to the families
and lives destroyed.
Aside, there is a meta moment of white male privilege Bass
and Master Epps are discussing slavery see two paragraphs up, but when Bass
suggests that the law can be changed, and tomorrow Epps could find himself enslaved,
causes Epps to react with complete disbelief. It was quite the moment after
all, something like that could never happen to Epps, he is after all a white
man.
There is one scene in the film where a former overseer tells
Solomon that he doesn't believe a human being can inflict the whip on another
human being without being shredded himself or tramp himself to the ground.
Meaning, no one can hurt other people to that degree without destroying his/her
humanity or participate in self destruction to distract from his/her acts. This
might be true…to hurt another so completely without remorse, but I'm also fear
that maybe everyone is capable of evil, and we're all just in denial about it.
As the “leader of the free world” jokes about being "good at killing people."
Maybe everyone is?
On that optimistic note, I'm done. Also, tomorrows post will
be about race and black narratives.
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