COUNTERPUNCH LETTERS : On Blacks in the Industry

Brown tells us that African-Americans’ will to survive in the entertainment industry “is molded in dependency and the need for white approval.” I find it difficult to believe that Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy or any other African-American struggling to be part of the entertainment industry spend much time thinking about gaining white approval--they’re probably thinking about how to entertain and (hopefully) enlighten their audience and how to make the greatest amount of money doing it.

Brown’s practice of hiring only “qualified black people” at Indigo Productions in 1983 sounds just as racist as a company hiring only Jews or Koreans.

The problem with many of today’s premier African-American stars is not that they haven’t led the way to “black collective economic power,” as Jim Brown would have us believe, but that they have been abusing their power and squandering their talent in the last few years by producing what is largely uninspiring, unfunny drivel. I am thinking primarily of Murphy (“The Golden Child,” “Raw,” “Another 48 HRS.”); Pryor (“The Toy,” “See No Evil”), and Cosby (“Leonard Part 6,” “Ghost Dad”).

And Michael Jackson is not nearly as well-known these days for his artistry as for his success in selling his face and his songs to the highest corporate bidder.

HARVEY COHEN

Pasadena