Yes, this misleading sentence continues to give me grief. Yes, like the rest of the world, I know Obama’s heritage well. (Incidentally, my own Kenyan brother-in-law keeps me up on the country’s history, politics and culture, compounding the irony.)

See the addendum at the bottom of the post . Finally, we just decided to strike through the offending phrase instead of changing it, in the interest of transparency.

Shock Corridor and Fuller’s other best films are pure cinema–his technique is wonderful, his scripts are (let’s face it) hokey, and somehow it all comes together, and you ignore the failings for the virtues.

White Dog just wimps out in so many ways–it’s all about racism, but WHERE ARE THE RACISTS? The dog has to carry all the weight of hate, and the dog is just a victim. In the book, he’s actually portrayed as very noble being, who has had a horrible trick played on him.

There is reverse racism, Ryland, but that doesn’t mean you know what it’s like to suffer from racism, because we still live in a world (our little piece of it anyway) where being white is ‘normal’, and everything else is ‘ethnic’.

So anyway, the movie is worth seeing, but the book is something nobody should miss out on reading. It shows you the very worst in human nature, but it also holds out some hope–some people are immune to the virus. And dogs–man, dogs love everybody, given half a chance. It’s the most horrible betrayal to try and make them hate. We need to let them train US.

I wouldn’t look to White Dog to “tackle” anything in a literal or even coherent manner. To me, in 2008, it plays as a dream. It’s bonkers, man. Just as cracked/ludicrous as the bald, brawling hooker in Naked Kiss, as the nymphos and loons in Shock Corridor, as Gene Evans zombie-staggering through the gunsmoke in The Steel Helmet, as Vincent Price slithering through the entirety of The Baron of Arizona. And just as piercingly “true.”

In that sense, Ry, I always thought Spike shared some genes with Fuller: A tabloid style, every moment in capital letters, never a whisper when a shriek will do. A penchant for ripped-from-the-headlines screen stories, America in chaotic microcosm, etc. Just that Fuller’s madness always seems more purposeful, thoughtful and less opportunistic than Spike’s– Do the Right Thing notwithstanding. I always thought that flick and Shock Corridor belong on an eternal double bill.

There is no such thing as a racist animal, of course. The dog is PREJUDICED–his trainer conditions him to believe this type of person represents a threat, and of course he believes it–he’s got no basis for believing otherwise. What’s our excuse? We rationalize our faulty emotional reactions, but a dog can’t do that, so a dog can’t be racist.

The Romain Gary book is much better–and shows you all different kinds of racism. Fuller didn’t really confront the problem fully–which is that racism begets racism. If the ending of Fuller’s movie makes no sense–and it doesn’t–it’s because he knew he couldn’t get away with the ending from Gary’s book. In any event, Fuller only uses Gary’s semi-autobiographical work as a jumping off point–all that’s left is the idea of a dog that hates black people. Who btw, was not a White German Shepherd in real life.

But apparently there really was such a dog. In the book, he doesn’t actually hurt any black people. And in the end, he’s the real victim–you wind up feeling like dogs deserve better than humans–regardless of color, we are a pretty messed-up species.

But some of us are a little more than that–some of us can see beyond those categories–and I think Obama is one of those people. Hard to believe he could actually become President. Being sane and all.

You’re right, it is confusing. I meant to imply that Obama’s “black” face and very American (if worldly, educated) persona are linked in the minds of many with African-Americans– true descendants of slaves like me. His ascendancy is bound up symbolically with those blacks whose ancestors came over here in chains as much as it is with those who came over on Delta first class. He’s the whole diaspora– the whole world, as the NY Times tells it.

But “descendant” is too concrete a term and “partial” doesn’t clarify it enough. Thanks for catching that. Coffee time…

I just think this election year and financial collapse are cracking the can open in ways not seen since Reagan’s reign. The 50’s point to the 80’s point to the 00’s in many ways.

I’m trying to remember films that capture the sadness and strain of so-called “reverse racism.” Are there any good ones? I vaguely recall a Ken Loach-ish British film called Love + Hate, beautifully shot by Loach’s frequent DP….

Next: But Fuller’s mise-en-scene has never been more precise, operatic or unsettling. White Dog’s visual scheme is less about racism than about the panic and dismay that grips witnesses of racist violence and the loved ones of violent racists.

One time, when I was pretty young, a family member muttered something about “niggers” from behind his minivan steering wheel and I wanted to shrink from the world. Another time, in 3rd grade, I was beat up by a pack of kids from the public school across the street from our private Catholic entrenchment and my friends, all black, just laughed. Still the hardest ethical space to navigate. When I was living in NYC, I worked in Queens and got an egg sandwich and coffee every morning from one choice deli. As I walked out and down Elmhurst, I saw a “thug” standing sentinel, unwrapping his own sandwich. There was a healthy margin between us and empty space on the sidewalk all around. As I approached, he stepped forward, blind, and almost walked into me.
–What the fuck, dude?
–Nah, you don’t want to start, son.
–No? What the fuck?
–I said don’t start.
A cop bolted into the picture. –Get stepping, kid.
–What the fuck?
The cop gave me a knowing look, like, you know you don’t want to get beat, so step along, and, hands thrown up, I walked on, cussing, –fucking pricks.
Now I know this story doesn’t have _much_ to do with “racism” but the fact that I was white definitely made it develop, right? What’s a goofy white boy wearing Chucks in February supposed to do? Always defer? Fuck that. An asshole is an asshole, flat brimmed or horn rimmed.

Could you clarify this statement? I assume you mean something broader than American slavery. I don’t know everything of Obama’s biography…but I was confused by that statement. Just wondering.