Tyler Perry and Drag, Steve Harvey and Black Church Culture Reflections

I attended the lunch on Wednesday about Tyler Perry and similar comedians like Steve Harvey and the ways in which their comedy discusses race and gender. I thought it was an  interesting discussion. Rachel talked about how her research led her to explore the ways in which women are portrayed through these depictions of black church culture. A big issue she found is that although these films can do important work in terms of bringing black church culture to the mainstream, it's problematic in that it puts women in traditional roles and demonizes them and portrays them as promiscuous when they try to change their roles.
She also discussed how these movies could potentially be harmful, because they are sending different messages to different audiences, namely white and black audiences. She discussed how Black audiences could appreciate some of the references about church culture found within these films, but that white people could possibly form damaging opinions based upon the fact that they don't understand this culture. I found this very interesting, because I have definitely heard white relatives derisively talk about such movies, wondering why black people would wish to be portrayed in this way, but once again that sort of statement assumes that these movies and the black producers and actors represent all black, which is patently untrue.
I think it's hard to determine whether these texts like "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" and Tyler Perry movies are more beneficial in terms of race or more harmful in terms of gender. As we've discussed in class and I've heard time and again in my sociology courses, when we try to challenge one set of power relations, we can inadvertently reinforce another set of power relations. So although it is good that black women are getting mainstream recognition through Steve Harvey's book, his suggestions require adherence to traditional and problematic gender roles. And this leaves black women in that "double bind" where they are oppressed both for their race and their gender. Rachel says she would like to see black women like her who are pursuing academia or a career. Knowing how Tyler Perry tends to portray women and punish them sexually, it is difficult for me to not take issue with his movies, but as we acknowledged at the lunch, we are still allowed to like problematic things. We must recognize why we like it and think about it critically and discuss its issues with friends and family, but we are still allowed to engage with it, so long as that engagement is mindful and thorough. I guess what I'm wondering is, where do you draw the line between liking something, but thinking about it critically, and dismissing a cultural artifact entirely for the ideologies behind it?