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Will Smith: ‘Everybody Is Prejudiced,’ But ‘Racism Is Actually Rare’
BIG HOLLYWOOD ^ | 23 Nov 2015 | DANIEL NUSSBAUM

Posted on 11/24/2015 6:44:30 AM PST by Bratch

Will Smith says that prejudice could not have affected his massively successful acting career because, at the end of the day, “everybody is prejudiced” – but “racism is actually rare,” the star notes, and “America is the only place on Earth” that allows “people that look like” him the opportunity to be a star.

The actor was interviewed with five other A-listers for The Hollywood Reporter‘s Actor Roundtable conversation when he was asked whether prejudice had affected his decades-long acting career.

“My wife and I were just having this conversation, and we were going to the dictionary for ‘prejudice’ versus ‘racism,'” Smith replied, adding:

Everybody is prejudiced. Everybody has their life experiences that make them prefer one thing over another — it makes them prefer blond hair over a brunette; if you see somebody with dark skin walking down the street, you have a different reaction than you have [with] someone who is 5-foot-1 and white. But there is a connotation with racism of superiority: You feel that your race generally is superior. And I have to say, I live with constant prejudice, but racism is actually rare — someone who thinks their race is superior. I don’t want to work for them. I don’t want to work at that company. And the times I have come in contact with it, you get away from those people.


(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: nfl; racism; willsmith
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To: CodeToad
Peace, baby ...


41 posted on 11/24/2015 8:22:41 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true .... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: Bratch

Oh my God.

Not only an intelligent answer, but he talks about going to a dictionary.


42 posted on 11/24/2015 8:23:13 AM PST by Vermont Lt (I had student debt. It came from a bank. Not from the Govt.)
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To: neocon1984

In various parts of the country, (Minnesota, North Dakota,) with a high population of Norwegian immigrants, it was common to substitute Norwegians for Pollack’s when telling jokes..

This was indeed a few decades ago however..


43 posted on 11/24/2015 8:32:43 AM PST by Cold Heat
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To: Cold Heat

I understand exactly what you mean. The problem today is that too many jump on racism, or intentional ill-will, rather than consider that a term is just common usage. It makes us leery of speaking to each other.


44 posted on 11/24/2015 8:33:10 AM PST by Twotone (Truth is hate to those who hate truth.)
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To: Bratch

I agree with him. But it looks like he’ll producing his own movies from now on.


45 posted on 11/24/2015 8:34:26 AM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: neocon1984
I am of Norwegian descent and cannot recall ever hearing one.

That's interesting. I live in a part of the country with a very large Norwegian population...western Wisconsin. I've heard numerous Norwegian jokes from people with full Norwegian ancestry.

46 posted on 11/24/2015 9:32:50 AM PST by driftless2 (For long term happiness, learn how to play the accordion)
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To: driftless2

I grew up in Chicago. I recall the columnist Mike Royko writing a column (about 35 years ago) that there were ethnic slurs for almost every group in Chicago, except Norwegians.

Uf Da!


47 posted on 11/24/2015 9:54:25 AM PST by neocon1984
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To: neocon1984

I am of Norwegian descent too in fact my later father was born in Norway. The joke he liked and told often was “You can always tell a Norwegian. But you can’t tell him much”.


48 posted on 11/24/2015 10:24:48 AM PST by MD Expat in PA
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To: neocon1984

Vel, Ole and Lena finally got married, and Ole was driving her to St. Paul for the honeymoon.

“Ole,” says Lena, “give me a kiss.”

“No,” says Ole, “somebody might see.”
“Nobody vill see,” says Lena, “and besides, we’re married now.”

“No, Lena,” says Ole, “somebody might see.”

“Ole,” says Lena, “I vant a kiss and I vant it now! Stop this car and park it. Ve’ll get out and crawl under the car and then nobody vill see!”

“Vat if somebody comes by?” asks Ole.

“Yust tell them you’re checking the clutch!” yells Lena, and Ole knows he’d better stop right then or there will be trouble.

Vell, vun ting leads to another, and Ole and Lena are under the car for quite awhile ven He is so happy that his eyes are shut, and then Ole feels a hand on his shoulder. It vas Lars!

“Ole!” says Lars. “Vat the heck are you doing?”

“Go avay, Lars,” says Ole. “I’m checking the clutch.”

“Vell, you’d better check the brakes,” says Lars, “because your car’s rolled fifty feet down the shoulder!”


49 posted on 11/24/2015 10:28:15 AM PST by seowulf (Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum. Cogito.---Ambrose Bierce)
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To: MD Expat in PA

LOL! I have heard that one.

I resemble that remark.


50 posted on 11/24/2015 10:40:05 AM PST by neocon1984
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To: RinaseaofDs
Not saying Will Smith is a bad actor, but he can't rescue a movie by his simply being in it.

I used to love movies before they became so relentlessly filthy and political, and would often go to a movie specifically for the actor, comedian or director. Will Smith is one actor/comedian whose movies I went to see specifically for the actor, which, since I'm an old white person, makes his claim of deep reach into American culture quite verifiable.

Other black actors/comedians I admire and who would add to my estimate of a good cast are Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle (who should have won the Oscar for Hotel Rwanda), Eddie Murphy, Queen Latifah, James Earl Jones, Alfre Woodard, Andre Braugher, Anthony Anderson, Taraji P. Henson, Ice T, LL Cool J, Arsenio Hall, Taye Diggs, Dennis Haysbert, Alfonso Ribeiro, Kenan Thompson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Sinbad, Sophie Okonedo, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Maya Rudolph, Gabourey Sidibe, Tamara Tunie, Giancarlo Esposito, Viola Davis, Jay Pharoah, Niecy Nash, Jasmine Guy, Sheryl Underwood, CCH Pounder, Bryton James and Mo'nique.

And that's excluding the ones whose past work I enjoyed but whose politics have since turned me off completely, like Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx, Danny Glover, Morgan Freeman, Spike Lee or Oprah, off the top of my head.

51 posted on 11/24/2015 10:42:51 AM PST by Albion Wilde ("Look, the establishment doesn't want me, because I don't need the establishment." --Donald Trump)
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To: newfreep
BTW, an oldie-but-goodie of his movies for me is "Enemy of the State".

I was working in Baltimore City when parts of Enemy of the State were being filed a block from my office. FWIW Hackman played the same character in that movie as an earlier (1974) movie - The Conversation.

It was amazing watching all the big tractor trailers; dozens and dozens of them lined around for several blocks and all the equipment - the lights and sound equipment, what seemed like miles of cables, trailers full of costumes, all the extras, the support staff and the security people and even the caterers who set up just outside my office window to feed the crew - all the people and equipment that arrived a good two weeks before the actors ever arrived that were all necessary to film what ended up being all of about 10 minutes on screen. The same thing happened when Barry Levinson was filming some scenes for Liberty Heights across the street. It was amazing to watch.

And when they were filming, you could always tell when Will Smith came out of his trailer because the deafening shrieks of the young and not so young girls.

But I understood that Gene Hackman used walk on his own a few blocks up the street to the local deli to buy his own lunch. I didn't get a chance to see or meet him but I understood from some co-workers who did that he was so unassuming and such a "normal" and regular guy that he sort of blended in and that a lot of people, most people in fact didn't even recognize him. But when people did, he was very gracious about signing autographs or just talking with them.

I could not care less about celebrities or fame or stardom or for their autographs (I wouldn't walk across the street to get someone's autograph) but I am fascinated with the craft of movie making and of good acting. Gene Hackman always impressed me with his versatility as an actor (playing good guys, bad guys, conflicted guys, in comedies, dramas, thrillers, westerns) over his long career and all the other great actors and directors he's worked with and I always thought it would probably be cool to sit down over a few glasses of beer and talk about movies and the craft of acting with him for a few hours. There are a very few other actors who I could see myself doing that with, Paul Newman would be one of the others.

I understand that Hackman is a Democrat and is probably fairly liberal but he's never been one to talk or preach much about it and during a rare interview on Larry King Live (1985) in July 2004, Hackman stated that although he is a Democrat, he liked President Ronald Reagan, who had died the previous year and is known to be quite shy in life and was once quoted as saying "If I start to become a "star", I'll lose contact with the normal guys I play best."

I can't find a source but recall once reading about Hackman at one of the Oscar's one year, where he was up for a nomination. He didn't walk the "red" carpet and in fact as the awards show was about to start, he wasn't in his assigned seat, that no one could find him. It turned out he was out back of the theater, smoking cigars and shooting the breeze with the limo drivers.

52 posted on 11/24/2015 11:34:20 AM PST by MD Expat in PA
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To: mtrott
Because the left does not bother themselves with traditional word definitions.

Racist: 1. Any non-black who disagrees with any black or objects to any black's behavior. 2. Any white person.

53 posted on 11/24/2015 12:30:39 PM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed & water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: Old Sarge
...how do you explain George Soros?

You're confusing smarter and wiser with clever and calculating.

54 posted on 11/24/2015 12:36:05 PM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed & water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: spintreebob
good news story must say 1) there is a problem 2) the government is here to fix the problem

And must NOT say that government CREATED the problem.

55 posted on 11/24/2015 12:38:14 PM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed & water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: Bratch

I’ve maintained that Will Smith is a pretty straight-up guy. Good post.


56 posted on 11/24/2015 12:40:47 PM PST by WyCoKsRepublican
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To: Flick Lives

IIRC just a few years ago he was doing some interview in France about something along the lines of the rich should pay higher taxes which he supported until he realized that he was included in that tax bracket...


57 posted on 11/24/2015 12:41:53 PM PST by shotgun
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To: originalbuckeye
Discriminate used to just mean to differentiate, or make a distinction.

And gay used to mean happy. Now discriminate means to unfairly exclude, and gay means to be afflicted with a mental illness.

58 posted on 11/24/2015 12:42:18 PM PST by JimRed (Excise the cancer before it kills us; feed & water the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS NOW & FOREVER!)
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To: newfreep

Every time I watch that movie Gene Hackman’s character reminds me of my dad. He looked just like him in is military issued blacked rimmed glasses and haircut.


59 posted on 11/24/2015 12:43:46 PM PST by shotgun
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To: Bratch

Cultural analysis and comment is not racisim


60 posted on 11/24/2015 12:45:22 PM PST by bert ((K.E.; N.P.; GOPyes but now I must concentratc.;+12, 73, ....carson is the kinder gentler trumping.)
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