There were honestly times when I kind of was thinking about walking out of the theater, but then I figured that black people had actually lived through this awful reality and persevered, and the least thing I could do was respect their struggle by watching all of it. I mean, I was already there, walking out seemed like it would just allow me to deny some of the horror I was seeing.

Dr Who I straight quit because of the emotional manipulation, though.

I mean, I think Selma, and its audiences' reactions to it, can open some interesting conversations about race, white privilege and guilt, and so on. I commented to my friend that "they come out with a movie about overcoming racism in some way every year so that white people can watch it, be upset, walk out of the movie theater and say 'Whew! Glad that's over!" and you know what, for some people, I think it does do that. I think some white people watch Selma and The Help and they're like "Well that was awful! That was truly, truly awful! Thank god it's not like that any more!" or, if it's a movie where a white protagonist "saves" or "helps save" the oppressed blacks, the white audience can in some way feel redeemed by this.

I also feel like it's very important to be aware of exactly how awful black people have been treated by white Americans in our (rather recent) history. Theoretically, movies like this can help educate people who may not be aware of exactly how awful it was. They also can help give white folks a perspective into what daily life at least has been like for blacks. In that way, I think they can be valuable watching.

However, a part of me definitely feels like, I didn't need to see that. I am aware of the struggle for equal rights and treatments that minorities have gone through and still go through. I try and stand up and speak up against racism, sexism, etc, when I see it. Part of me feels privileged for even feeling like, I didn't need to see Selma. I didn't need to see it? Who am I to say I didn't need to see what real people had to live through, not for 1.5 hours once, but every day for their entire lives?

But then it brings to mind a Hubski conversation I had about inherent white privilege and how in my experience white people get "assumed innocent" and get away with a lot of crimes when minorities never are afforded this benefit of the doubt. I saw an article about this in NYC too, I'll see if i can find it. Another user disagreed with me about this phenomenon but did say something that struck with me which is it is not my duty to throw myself under the bus, to fuck myself over, simply because I enjoy privileges others don't. Which I agree. I am no good, to myself, to society, or to the causes I support, if I allow the system to beat me up simply because it beats up others and I disagree with that violence.

So you totally didn't expect this but I think I needed to rant about Selma. Sorry :)