The Butler

Have you seen the movie 'The Butler'? As I was watching it today I really really liked it. But then the last ten minutes or so I just got really mad and I felt like those last minutes of a great film ruined the whole movie for me. The movie is about a black man who serves as the White House butler for more than twenty years- serving the different presidents as they come and go in office. It also depicts the Civil Rights Movement and how persecuted the black people of America were at that time. The entire movie completely moved me and there were spots that definitely brought tears to my eyes. The Civil Rights Movement was a terrible time in American history. Many people died and were hurt fighting in a war for equal rights on their home soil. All of the actors did an amazing job in their roles and I really did love this movie.

BUT then it comes to the time when Barack Obama is up for election. After watching an entire movie dedicated to Civil Rights, it ends with Obama. The hero of the story talks about how he could have never imagined a world where a black man could have a real chance of becoming the president of the United States of America. He talks about how he and his wife walk past the city office building every night to see where they will go to vote for Obama- they are that excited to be voting for a black man. Then when he wins the election they start crying because they are so happy that finally, after years of fighting for equal rights, there is a black man in the Oval Office. I think the point they were trying to make was how far black people have come since the 1960's, but that's not what I took away from it at all.

Here is my problem with it. They always use the world 'black' when talking about Obama. The sole reason they are voting for Obama is because of the color of his skin. Does this rub anyone else the wrong way?? Because I was under the impression that The Civil Rights Movement was to create equality among the races, but here we are in the 21'st century electing a president merely because of the color of his skin. There was no mention whatsoever about his politics, his beliefs, what kind of man he was, NOTHING. All they focused on was that he was black. Whoop-dee-doo. Maybe we haven't become as color blind as we would like to think. And I'm sure it goes both ways. I have no doubt in my mind that there are white people out there that didn't vote for Obama merely on the color of his skin. Here I am rooting for this struggling family the whole step of the way, and in the last ten minutes I lose all respect for them because they choose race and ignore politics. It's people like that that are going to drive this country to hell. It's not Obama. It is the people that elected him.

What are your thoughts?