Jamie Foxx Says He Is Forced To Be ‘White’ At Work
Jamie Foxx sounded off on his views about the differences between black people and white people during an interview with Vibe. The Academy Award winning actor feels that everything in his built around race.
Foxx plays a slave in the controversial yet popular Django Unchained film. During the interview, he noted that he feels he is forced to compromise when working as a professional actor. Foxx also had this to say during Vibe interview:
“As black folks we’re always sensitive. As a black person it’s always racial. I come into this place to do a photo shoot and they got Ritz crackers and cheese. I’ll be like, ain’t this a b***h. Y’all didn’t know black people was coming. What’s with all this white s**t? By the same token, if there is fried chicken and watermelon I’ll say ain’t this a b***h? So, no matter what we do as black people it’s always gonna be that. But when I get home my other homies are like ‘How was your day?’ Well, I only had to be white for at least eight hours today, or I only had to be white for four hours. Everything we do is that.”
The award winning actor detailed how his daily life is impacted by race, according to Radar Online. He stated that every time he leaves his home, he has to put on his “other jacket” and be a certain type of person. According to Jamie Foxx, black people and white people watch and respond to movies differently. Foxx offered this example of race-based viewing reactions:
“Black people watch a movie different than white folks. When you watch Inglourious Basterds, Jewish people have a more quiet response. [Whispers] ‘I can’t believe they did that.’ When black people don’t like something it’s like [louder] ‘Ay dawg, why Olivia Pope went down like that. That s**t is f****d up. Because there’s certain things that we watch as black people that if we don’t agree with it, we not only turn off the movie but we turn off that person. When we feel like the character was compromised by the white establishment.”
While Jamie Foxx is surely entitled to share his views based upon his life experiences, he is playing into racial stereotypes by claiming that black people get loud and use foul language in a public place such as a movie theater. Behavioral norms are influenced by socio-economic status and home environment. I have witnessed quiet, fun-loving, and inappropriate reactions at movie theaters by folks of all races; skin tone does not dictate personality, courteous behavior, or common sense.
