tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343317959180128028.post5313859000832904895..comments2016-09-27T12:30:01.477-07:00Comments on Aint Studying You: Queer Auntie for the Straight Black Family: A quick follow-up on Tyler Perryaintstudyingyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822700387084584850noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343317959180128028.post-10729879073731741492011-08-15T22:11:02.989-07:002011-08-15T22:11:02.989-07:00I know I'm late to the game on this, but I thi...I know I'm late to the game on this, but I think the Madea --> queer member of the black family space is an argument that should be taken further. Though there is clearly a drag / fool legacy at work here, I think the way AintStudyingYou has put it makes for a compelling and actually productive perspective on what Perry/Madea is doing in the present day. I like it that its hard to deny in reality but still goes against all the conventions apparently supported and reinforced by the perry-model of entertainment. More people should add this kind of argument to their arsenal...D Mac Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02719940744312824507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343317959180128028.post-24049044915782657402011-08-11T07:19:11.797-07:002011-08-11T07:19:11.797-07:00I guess it's funny that McGruder went straight...I guess it's funny that McGruder went straight to this aspect in his send-up. Remember "Ma Dukes Gets a Man", starring Granddad as the love interest? I admit I haven't seen all the Perry movies, but I don't know that we've seen Madea kiss a man... which suggests to me that that classic Boondocks episode was a hilarious parody of Perry himself but completely misunderstood the Madea movies (or understood them solely as the occasion for panic about gay male predators).<br /><br />I hate to admit that I'll be interested in Mercedes' boyfriend. I'll have to check the article to see what excuse, if any, they give for taking so long to notice.aintstudyingyouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04822700387084584850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343317959180128028.post-68544130433527831582011-08-11T02:39:01.157-07:002011-08-11T02:39:01.157-07:00I would never accuse you of comparing Perry to Sha...I would never accuse you of comparing Perry to Shakespeare!<br /><br />The love interest aspect is an important part of the story -- that's what I was talking about with Mercedes, who's getting a boyfriend next season: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/08/glee-mercedes-boyfriend-marcus-lamarcus-tinker.html. Of course, it took three seasons. Plus ca change...AJ Christianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11620165578284288293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343317959180128028.post-41250883035021353232011-08-10T11:01:08.348-07:002011-08-10T11:01:08.348-07:00Well, AJC, you know I have to take it back to Shak...Well, AJC, you know I have to take it back to Shakespeare! <br /><br />In at least two plays (Twelfth Night and Merchant of Venice) the transvestite characters do not "change back" at the end of the play. In Twelfth Night, the Duke actually asks his female love interest (who is of course, a boy, dressed as a girl who disguises herself as her twin brother) to stay in her boy's clothes, since that was how he fell in love with her. In Merchant, Portia threatens to sleep with her male alter ego if her husband ever leaves her home alone again. So, their transvestism is never undone in order for the play to have a happy ending.<br /><br />But Madea is not a love interest like these boy actors. So I guess she also serves a similar function to the Shakespearean fool. Like the fool, she isn't really part of the marriage economy and she gets away with saying unpleasant things to powerful people because she is so witty and observant. The fool is a "constant," in that he crops up in so many plays. However, in a specific play, the fool often walks away once everything has been set right.<br /><br />So I guess Madea is a strange mash-up... Of course, I'm not saying Perry is doing Shakespeare. I'm just talking about the functions of the transvestite and the fool that Madea seems to draw from.aintstudyingyouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04822700387084584850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343317959180128028.post-57370937649651830892011-08-10T10:18:18.185-07:002011-08-10T10:18:18.185-07:00Is this something semi-new Perry is bringing to ma...Is this something semi-new Perry is bringing to male drag? The maternal/sisterly figure is not new ('Some Like It Hot,' 'Ms. Doubtfire', 'Big Momma') but that fact that Madea is a constant is likely new, no?<br /><br />Still it's amazing how on the whole archetypes don't change: black women as best black friend or strong ghetto mother.<br /><br />Also I think Mercedes has some interesting plots ahead...AJ Christianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11620165578284288293noreply@blogger.com