I was sitting two years ago in the audience at the German film awards. On the stage, the actor and brother of Jerry Hoffmann as well as the actress Aylin Tezel and hold a laudation are. It was shown a Film in which the two visit a Kindergarten. In this context, Jerry asked a white small child, if he could be a super hero, and the little white Boy responds with “no, your skin is too dark.” The whole room laughs. I was twenty years old and was sitting in this room. The whole hall was laughing. For all the love, what’s so funny?
What’s so funny, that a young white kid, that actually has every reason to be open-minded, has apparently internalized our racist culture? This is, however, complain of the very most sad, or what I know. But funny?
Shirin Siebert GQ entertainment
I looked around briefly, as I always do, in the hope that someone else sees what I see. I’m immediately out of the hall and threw myself into the Theodor-Heuss-Platz. I grew up here in Berlin-Westend. I found it especially cool to be in my own Hood for the German film prize in invited. But that’s all no matter, in a time like this. If you feel suddenly as if you wouldn’t care, as you would be invisible, as it would be of less value. (Also read: Protest is this year so important, as for a long time)
We do not find instead of
I don’t know that I’m worth less, but people are thinking the obvious, it hurts. The act, say to yourself again and again how beautiful it is, it hurts and takes power. There are those moments that show the Status quo in this country. If I go in Germany to the cinema or the television pick-up line, confirmed my feeling. We do not take place. And if we take, then, as the white majority of society take us want to leave. I am not going to list the Stereotypes, because we are much more than that. I have simply no desire to explain myself. We all know what’s going on.
The German journalist and author, Alice Hasters summarizes the very cool: “to Me, white people used to say that my racism experience not to be, racist comments were not meant in a way that I would overdo it that they were all only fantasies. If you listen to it so many times, it is believed, also Affected it. I had the feeling that others have it worse than me, and to talk about racism to me is not deserved. First, I had to learn that the typical power dynamics.”
What do we do now?
I see all the activism in the social media. There are so many people position themselves. Many of them are colleagues. I welcome that and it makes me proud. I have the feeling that my perspective counts. But it is not so important that it remains only in the case of a positioning, but every white man is thinking of what he can do. I find it very sad, but it is the white people who invented racism, and it is only the deeds of the white people who can destroy him. This is simply not tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in five years to happen, but everyone can do something. Everyone can think of his micro-cosmos.
I shot in 2008 my first movie in this country. I had to make since then, a lot of thought, what roles I take, because I was aware of my responsibility to be aware of. I wanted to identify with my roles, there is a healthy Balance between grievances and reality prove it. The means platt: Yes, we will be oppressed for four hundred years, but we talk English, are educated, cultured and we are there. I am very aware that I am still very young. I have to feed a family. Most of my sisters and brothers, the films don’t have this luxury. You are maybe forced to do it in productions to participate, although you do not know that it is correct. Do you understand? (Read also like: Jackie Thomae about how we identify racism within ourselves)
“Yes, but the world is unfair” Bullshit!
I love Film and I especially love to play it, but it is possible to make policy that gave me the last jolt, to admit that this is the moment at least, my profession was always. I started out young, but in the last few years, I was tired. I’m tired of everyone fighting the fight. I’m tired to talk against a wall. I remember my primary school, where I have as many children often said “this is so unfair” and I always opposed, Yes, to be like to get”, but the world is unfair”. Today I know that this is the biggest Bullshit. It is precisely this attitude that allows us as a society to stagnate. Anyone who has the opportunity to make the world a little bit more fair, should do it immediately. I think this applies to everything and everyone.
For the movie business that means: It’s nice that you all go to the demonstrations that you do again and again to the rights of parties, that you endeavour always to Refugees. This is beautiful and, in my opinion, of course. Let us please never stop doing this.
no one wants a Job, just because he is black
The Problem, however, is not always as far away as you think. If your plans for the next Film, but think about it like your Team and your cast appearance. Reflects our society or is it, perhaps, only white and male? Believe me, no one wants to get a Job, just because he is black, but we want to get the Chance to prove ourselves. We are cool with that, if someone is better. It’s a Chance.
This opportunity is not currently there. I speak here not only for me but for all of the actors and Actresses of Colour in Germany. We get no Chance. We are not welcome. How do we move this country in the right direction, if every Time a small child turns on the TV, it looks just white people? Representation is so important.
how could a child, that a superhero can be black, if there is no black super hero?
“You’re exaggerating”
I was already so tired and exhausted. I don’t think it’s possible that we will be heard in the near future in this country. Too often, we were the Crazy, the Weird, the the overdo it. The latter is so deep-seated. “You’re exaggerating”. It’s all not be so bad.
But something did happen. On 6. June, about 180,000 people took in the whole of Germany on the street. I was in Berlin with many sisters and brothers on the Alexanderplatz. We have been to at least listen for a couple of hours of the course. It came to us. It went to my sisters and brothers. It was our day. Berlin was so beautiful. No matter where I hinguckte, I saw laughing, crying, and broad black people. There are, I believe, nothing makes me happier than to see a proud and happy black people. I felt in the last fourteen years that I live here, never been so good. We had to talk to this day about why we cry or why we laugh or why we are here. We know our history, we know our suffering, and we know our country. We know ourselves to be.
A Demo is not nearly enough
This day is not nearly enough to relieve our pain and our Trauma, but it was a brief Moment in which we could all look in the eyes and each other were able to assure that we are not crazy, we’re talking about certainly this is a Problem in the reality, and that any resistance has paid off. Also, if I’m more sceptical about whether the company is really trying in the long term, to our problems, it was a confirmation of how important we are for us.
And that is exactly what occurred to me this Saturday even more clearly How important we are to each other. We need to take care of us. We need to be there for each other. We have an opportunity here that was missed in England or America perhaps. Here, we can grow up as a black German in a way that we can blindly trust.
How nice would that be?
We just fit each other.
When we meet on the street, we welcome to us. We see to it that it is good for us. If a sister or a brother is in contact with the police, we look to see whether everything is correct. We just fit each other. This may take us none.
I would like to never again have to explain to a white Person, why do we keep the Public in succession on the look-out.
We have survived until now, is the only way. We don’t want to just survive. We want to live.
I am writing this for my parents, for my children, for the Duke and Pele, Leo and Kente, for my family and for my sisters and brothers.
This article was written by (GQ)
*The post “Langston Uibel: how is a child supposed to know that a superhero can be black?”” published by GQ. Contact with the executives here.
GQ
