Django Unchained slave toys pulled (selling for high prices on ebay now)

[Liberal_in_LA]

Toy maker NECA has halted production of Django Unchained action figures after consumers and US civil-rights activists called them discriminatory and exploitative.

The 20-centimetre figurines in question depict slave characters Django, Broomhilda and Stephen from the Quentin Tarantino revenge flick set in the Deep South during the 1800s.

As producers of the film, The Weinstein Company asked NECA to discontinue the line when groups like Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the NAACP and Project Islamic Hope launched complaints.

TMZ reported that NECA had produced only about 1000 toys before they were discontinued.

'We feel that it trivialises the horrors of slavery and what African Americans experienced,' PIH director Najee Ali told the Daily Mail.

'Tarantino and Weinstein didn't have action figures for their movie Inglourious Basterds because they know the Jewish community would never allow it, and the African-American community shouldn't allow anyone to disrespect our ancestors.'

http://www.skynews.com.au/showbiz/article.aspx?id=837065

http://sdcc.co/pop-culture/tv/necas-django-unchained-toys-bring-in-big-money-on-ebay/

[cthulu2016]

1. Oh please.

The Django figure doesn't appear to have one fucking thing to do with slavery. He has a GUN, for pete's sake.

There is no upside to pretending that people of color did not exist before 1963.

They both appear to be very dignified dolls. They are not tied to a whipping post or picking cotton or something. They are toys... of black people... in cowboy era clothing.

Whatever. Next step is taking Hattie McDaniels' Oscar back I guess.

[zappaman]

3. You took the words right out of my mouth.

Ridiculous.

Wish I had one for the resale value though...

[CBGLuthier]

2. Meanwhile you can buy pickaninny dolls all up and down New Orleans

Nothing exploitative about that shit either I suppose.

I like the way the complainant brought up the jews. So fucking subtle.

[zappaman]

4. Don't forget lawn jockeys.

You can still buy those as well...

[Kalidurga]

5. Let's just pretend slavery didn't exist...

This is ridiculous. What if people want to give them to their children as a reminder of where they are from.

[there_is_no_spoon]

6. African-Americans' ancestors are from Africa

My ancestors are not "from slavery."

A huge problem in this country is that many African-American children (as well as Caucasians) only know about Africans as far as them being forced into slavery. They know very little about the great civilizations that existed on the Continent while or before their ancestors were snatched.

Why not make dolls referencing that time period? Why not make movies referencing that time period?

I find your comment absurd... the fact that you edited it makes no contextual difference.

[Kalidurga]

7. Wow you have problems.

My ancestors weren't slaves either. But, a lot of people do have ancestors that were slaves. And I see nothing wrong with them wanting a doll that depicts that time in their past.

And why indeed do we not make dolls that reference what happened in the Caribbean or Colonial times or the time after slavery when Jim Crow was law? Maybe it is because that isn't what the movie Django was about. So, make some movies that talk about those times, I have no problem with that and market some dolls to reflect that. Or just make the dolls, I really don't care if peopl want them they should have them.

Oh by the way, why do I need a contextual reference to an edit. I used the wrong word and no I am not putting it back.

[there_is_no_spoon]

10. I did not say

that my ancestors were not slaves. I said that they were not "from slavery" meaning that our history did not begin on the plantation...which is the meaning I gathered from your post. Was I wrong? Did I misunderstand your sentiment?

Africans were not from slavery. African-Americans are not from slavery. Nor did our history begin during colonial times or during Jim Crow. Believing that African-Americans or their children come from slavery would be like believing Europeans come from hordes of roaming savages and from nowhere else. I have an idea! Let's make dolls depicting those marauding brutes sucking blood from the throats of their victims and let's get rid of all those cute Barbies. {sarcasm}

I must have lost the page of my rule book that states that dolls have to be made because a movie was made. I do have a problem with the slave dolls being manufactured when they present a limited view that young African-American children, whose daily lives are already heavily weighted, get to see and then compare with themselves.

From my understanding, the people who manufactured those slaves dolls were the producers of the movie...not African-Americans. That the producers heard the criticism and have stopped manufacturing those dolls ought to tell everyone here something. As an African-American here telling you the dolls were/are offensive ought to be another clue.

As far as your edit is concerned, I'm happy to know that you do not think that slavery is a thing that should be celebrated by the children of former slaves...even though that was --apparently-- your first thought. Here's another clue for you: the only people who ever celebrated slavery were slave masters or their ilk.

[Kalidurga]

16. First off I am going to say I am sorry...

I didn't mean to offend anyone with my first post on this thread. I didn't mean that African Americans came from slavery. But, it is a part of many African Americans past. I think that pulling the dolls in a way is like pretending it didn't exist.

When I used the word celebrate, I wasn't thinking oh Yippee we were slaves. I was thinking in terms of Wow look what we survived and honoring that survival. But, after I posted I realized some people might have the impression I meant the former. Victims of abuse are often told to honor that part of their life after they have gotten out of the situation. I wouldn't celebrate that either, the abuse part. But, I do feel that I should honor the survival part.

And it really doesn't mean something to me that the producers of those dolls were pressured into taking them off the shelves, unless I know who was applying the pressure. I don't think the producers of the movie meant to offend anyone either, that would be bad business. And they didn't take them off the shelves out of the goodness of their hearts or as a form of apology, it was a business decision. I am not sure that looking at the bottom line is the best way to make an ethical decision. Because if we do that then what does it say about the people selling them on Ebay, when they are reaping huge financial rewards in resale. And we don't know who is buying these dolls at a huge mark up or what their motives are.

I would also have no problem with a doll that looked like a white European dressed up in animal skins and perhaps sucking the blood from a fresh kill. I sort of doubt that happened but if someone wanted to depict that with a doll so be it. Many of my ancestors were likely savages. It is a fact that Europe became civilized much later than say the Indus Valley, China along the Yellow River and the Civilizations along the Nile. Meanwhile my ancestors were painting their faces blue and showing their butts to their enemies before they went into battle.

No ones family tree is without heroes, villains, victims and just people trying to get by. It is the human condition. I don't see the problem with acknowledging that and even in some cases saying look this is where we came from. It was very wrong of other people to put us in that situation and as a people we have yet to gain the equality that we are still fighting for.

[yardwork]

13. Why did you say "Wow you have problems" to a DUer?

I don't understand why a black person stating that they don't identify as being "from slavery" receives the response "you have problems." It seems offensive to me.

[Kalidurga]

15. When one person thinks they speak for all,

yes that is a problem.

[yardwork]

17. Where did the poster claim to be speaking for all?

[Kalidurga]

18. I might be misunderstanding, probably am...

But, I saw sweeping generalizations that the dolls were offensive. I took that to mean universally offensive to the entire community.

[yardwork]

19. I don't see any sweeping generalizations about the dolls in the post to which you replied.

I see that you apologized. Maybe consider editing your post?

[Kalidurga]

20. I considered editing...

But, I think it would be a disservice to anyone trying to follow the conversation. In real life we can't take back the boneheaded things we say. And trust me I say a lot of boneheaded things. Oh wait, you already know that.

[yardwork]

22. Well, you have a certain amount of charm, and you did apologize.

[Fla_Democrat]

9. Hooper X... is that you?

Dude, I loved you in that movie.


NSFW (language)

[there_is_no_spoon]

11. I don't know who...

this fella is here who you are referencing and don't have time to watch your cutesy movie, Fla_DEM.

But, thanks anyway.

[Fla_Democrat]

12. Missing a good one

Kevin Smith rocks.

[yardwork]

14. Why did you post this?

Are you saying that every black person on DU who reminds people that African American heritage involves a lot more than "being from slavery" reminds you of a movie caricature?

I can't see any way to interpret this post as being anything other than offensive. Help me out here.

[Hestia]

8. Inglourious Basterds movie did have actions figures made

The Weinstein Company issued a statement on Friday saying all Tarantino films have related action figures, including the Second World War feature Inglourious Basterds.

'We have tremendous respect for the audience and it was never our intent to offend anyone,' the statement said, according to The Associated Press.

[PoliticAverse]

26. They even have Nazi action figures from Inglourious Basterds...

http://www.actionfigurepics.com/2010/08/hot-toys-inglourious-basterds-col-hans-landa-press-pics

[nolabear]

21. Boy, if Foxx had a good agent this will cost him a lot of money!

SO few black hero figures, I can't imagine it not making some good royalties. And it doesn't look like a slave to me. It's a romantic hero who saves his love (and I'm hugely ambivalent about the kill spree but that's Tarrantino) and there are few of those out there.

[Behind the Aegis]

23. Hey, PIH director Najee Ali, just an FYI:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Action-Figures-/246/i.html?_ipg=25&_nkw=Inglourious+Basterds

So much for that comment: "'Tarantino and Weinstein didn't have action figures for their movie Inglourious Basterds because they know the Jewish community would never allow it..."

[Beacool]

24. I don't get it.

Looking at the six dolls, I don't see anything wrong with them. BTW, there were dolls sold for Inglourious Basterds. They now cost plenty of money. Besides, how many AA action figures are out there? As usual, the overly sensitive PC police is out in force.

[Matariki]

25. "slave toys"???

That's a really weird heading. They're characters in a movie, representing human beings - the heroes and villians of the movie - not 'slave toys'.

Personally, I find the article title more offensive than the dolls representing the movie's characters.