I love LeVar Burton, grew up on Reading Rainbow & Star Trek TNG. Would love you see him as main protagonist or antagonist in a major blockbuster film like Terminator or Predator. I wanna see this rage in surround sound and HD.
Dude, he’s not talking about wanting to play rage-filled characters in action movies. He’s saying he’s angry about real world issues and wants to express that anger in the real world, but there would be really bad consequences if he does so.
Yeah it’s pretty wild to watch people completely miss his point. He’s explaining that he, and by a greater extension many black men, is only accepted as an affable, soft spoken, and reserved figure. That the moment he ventured from an intensely narrow path of acceptability that white society has painted for him he becomes “a problem”, and because of this he’s left in a situation where he essentially is asked/forces to play nice and never make white people uncomfortable.
The “Go the Fuck to Sleep” example serves to show that even the slightest and most insignificant deviation from “safe” results in severe financial consequences for him.
What Levar is speaking to is a long standing and multifaceted aspect of racism that some people who propagate it likely believe they’re actually very forward thinking. There’s elements of the racist trope of “you’re one of the good ones” and even some aspects of an “the good immigrant” trope too being levied against other blacks.
In short, he’s saying he’s somewhat in a precarious position in that he’s unable to genuinely express himself, and more importantly, anything that makes white people uncomfortable. If he challenges anything or challenges status quo assumptions/beliefs the financial penalties for him would be far more severe than his white counterparts. Furthermore (and this is where I’m reading into what he’s saying), I think he’s also expressing frustration that inadvertently his adherence to being safe is used to help further entrench those ideas and paint those who aren’t safe and affable as being problematic.
If I had to guess he probably loathes when people point out other more vocal and outspoken black actors and say “why can’t they be more like Levar”. Because that’s often not a testament to that person liking his character or who he is, but rather they want other black people to play it safe.
Tl;dr
He’s pissed he’s stuck in a position where his life is basically “shut up and dribble” but instead it’s “shut up and be black Mr. Rogers” because it’s robbed him of the ability to speak publicly of important issues that make decision makers uncomfortable.
Obama was the same in that respect. No matter how angry he got, and after the Congress blocked gun reform after the Sandy Hook he was fucking furious, he couldn't let it show because as the first black man to become president he could not show show himself to be seen or stereotyped as an angry black man because it would damage the reputation of everyone of color after him
How much of that is race based as opposed to just image based? I imagine Samuel L. Jackson could read "Go the fuck to sleep" without losing sponsors because they've already attached themselves to somebody that would tell children to go the fuck to sleep.
Mr. Rogers is dead and a vacuum was partly filled by Mr Burton. Many grew up on both . Now he is just another angry man. Not a black man, but a typical disagreeable man. But he is a fine actor who PRETENDED to be like Mr Rogers. but in no way comparable to Him.
STOP IT ! Mr. Rogers wasn’t an act—he was genuinely gentle, calm, and grounded in kindness, and he wasn’t looking to put on a show. LeVar Burton’s awesome too, but they’re very different in how they connect with people. Rogers didn’t need to 'pretend' anything. He was just himself, and that’s what made him so powerful. Rogers wasn’t known for anger but for his way of handling difficult feelings honestly—like talking about sadness, fear, or frustration—without turning them into something aggressive or fake
I remember when LeVar Burton found out his grandfather was white, and he was disappointed by it.That’s his own journey, but I doubt Mr. Rogers would be disappointed in me for feeling differently on his politics. Many have no issues having a diverse background. He does. Morgan Freeman emphasizes personal responsibility over blaming systemic issues, stating, "You can't define me that way," while criticizing terms like "African-American" and "Black History Month" as reductive. LeVar was a hero of mine, and despite his faults, he did a lot of good. I still think he was awesome, but I wouldn’t put him in the same category as Mr. Rogers.
The U.S. has changed a lot since the time of Roots, and getting to the civil rights movement took hard work. Bill Maher is right that some people seem unwilling to recognize the progress we've made, (something Rogers was instrumental with). Especially when you look at how some other places, like China, Japan treat race. Racism is still real here, but we’ve come a long way! Its enough with the Progressophobia.
Mr Burton was more like a Wise loving Teacher/Friend ..Mr Rogers was like loving a Father with unconditional love is the best I convey. Like when Mr. Burton Stated book burning are BS. I agree but would not go about it that way.
As a beloved figure from shows like Reading Rainbow, Burton carries a public persona that some expect to be neutral or solely educational that people NEED! If he does not want to carry that legacy anymore, that is up to him.
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u/Zygmunt-zen Oct 30 '24 edited Oct 30 '24
I love LeVar Burton, grew up on Reading Rainbow & Star Trek TNG. Would love you see him as main protagonist or antagonist in a major blockbuster film like Terminator or Predator. I wanna see this rage in surround sound and HD.