Tyler Perry: Why I’m Ashamed of Him

Very little irks me more than racial stereotypes. Scratch that. Nothing irks me more than racial stereotypes portrayed in the media and/or film. I’ve sat through many conversations during school and/or work that have been somewhat offensive, but I’ve given many people the benefit of the doubt due to, what I’m assuming is their ignorance. But sometimes people in film, television and the media make things very difficult for me and other people of colour when they portray us as goofy, scandalous, dumb, dysfunctional, shiftless, loud, obnoxious and sometimes, bitter. For me, Tyler Perry is definitely one of those people.

Tyler Perry is the man behind the multi-million dollar Madea/House of Payne franchise or as I like to call it, the Shuck ‘n’ Jive franchise. Tyler Perry has done nothing to advance the image of Black people anywhere. I’ve had so many arguments…er- conversations with many of my friends about Mr. Perry’s films. The ones who disagree with me usually sight the fact that Tyler Perry’s films are the only wholesome films about Black people being produced as their reason for supporting his body of work. While this may be true, the fact that Mr. Perry’s films are wholesome isn't reason enough for me to support his projects.

I also think that Tyler Perry’s most egregious offence is the fact that he exploits African-American stereotypes and of course, he should know better. Have any of you watched any of his films? They’re a disgrace! The characters are two dimensional; the plots are implausible and silly and every film has the same tired, trifling characters with different names. It makes me cringe anytime a person of another race says they laughed their head off during one of his films. I usually want to curl up into the fetal position when they start imitating characters from his films or television thinking I'll laugh with them too.

I want to see a Black film maker make films about Blacks who are smart, upwardly mobile, professional, deep, moral and stable. I'm tired of seeing films that don't reflect the reality I'm living or that my friends are living. I don't doubt that Tyler Perry's original intentions were good. His own personal story is quite compelling. But I don't appreciate his cheapening and trivialization of the Black experience or his lack of interest in the many varieties of Black people that, I'm sure, surround him. He has such a major platform to breakdown barrier and stereotypes and yet he continues to squander it.

This is why I'm ashamed of Tyler Perry and the reason why I refuse to support any of his films.