Anthony Mackie: Chauvinism, Stereotypes & Squandering The Spotlight

A Mackie, Sandwich

Hollywood, reality shows,red carpet rundowns and celebrity Twitter fights with who: It may matter to some, but in my world, pop culture is an indulgence. If I can fit it into my schedule between deadlines, progress reports and our children’s dance and theater pursuits, fine. But more often than not, I simply don’t have that kind of time on my hands.

However, when someone in the spotlight displays appalling ignorance and a moronic mindset befitting 1815 instead of 2015, I’ve got speak on it. And the latest spectacular celebrity screwup belongs to the popular actor, Anthony Mackie.

Withing the last decade, Mackie’s acquired quite the resume, landing his first major role with Eminem as Papa Doc in the hit film 8 Mile. Last seen in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and featured in the latest Kevin Costner film, Black Or White, the Juliard Drama School graduate has shown impressive versatility. So it was very disappointing to watch two recent interviews featuring Mackie that demonstrate archaic attitudes about women and racial profiling.

WW, Mackie 2In one of Mackie’s speaking snafus this month, he appeared on The Wendy Williams Show and spoke of his belief in gender roles: “If we’re walking up to the car, and I don’t open your door, what do you say?” he asked the talk show host, who responded, “Open the door!”
“….And when you go home, [you] call your man ‘Daddy’ and when Daddy wants a sandwich, [say] ‘I’m gon’ make Daddy a sandwich!'”
Awk….ward. Williams’ silent side-eye spoke volumes.

And if that cringe-worthy chauvinism wasn’t enough, Mackie spoke with online media site The Grio earlier and revealed, unfortunately, that he subscribes to a ‘blame the victim’ mentality when it comes to racial profiling, This is also known as ‘respectability politics.’ In other words, if so-and-so didn’t wear a hoodie/sag his pants/blink so fast….. you get the point. Everything except the perpetrator’s biases created the problem. The ‘short-skirt’ defense.

Mackie said he cautioned a nephew about his desire to acquire dreadlocks (twists or coils of hair that, when left uncombed, remain in permanent strands or ‘locks’): “I’m like, ‘Fine, I’ll sit you down and I’ll watch The First 48 with you and everybody you see on that show, that’s doing something wrong, they’re black dudes with dreadlocks. So do you want to be seen as a part of the problem or do you want to be individual?'”

Wow…..come again? Anthony Mackie, who also has a 5-year-old son himself, actually endorses linking criminal behavior and arrest/conviction rates with a hairstyle? I don’t recall seeing locks on his head when he was arrested for suspicion of DWI in back in 2013. Also, did Mackie fail to realize that the late Michael Brown, Eric Gardner, Sean Bell, Jordan Davis and Trayvon Martin, didn’t wear locks either? There were also no weapons on their person, just a common abundance of melanin in their skin that evoked centuries of prejudice that made cops and citizens feel ‘threatened’ enough to end their lives.

Anthony Mackie may have garnered fame and success, but he’s apparently quite clueless about dealing with people who dwell outside of his silly and shallow ideals. And since I’m a black woman who is also locking her hair, I wonder: If we ever met one another at a press junket, would Mackie warn me to wear rock a beanie to hide my locks to dissuade impressions that I’m criminal-minded? Or would he decide to overlook my ‘do if I happened to jump up and make him a sandwich first?

Since, again, I’m no expert on pop culture, I’ll borrow the words of Tamar Braxton, co-host of The Real, to summarize my response to Mackie’s vapid views: “Get your life—-and have several seats.”

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2 Comments

  • Reply Ruba

    I’m so glad you called him out. I liked him as The Falcon and it’s been really disappointing to know he has outdated sexist views and such messed up ideas about racism. Although most mcu actors have always let out ableist, sexist, racist comments. I think Marvel needs to tell them to keep their mouths shut. And yes, as you said, Anthony Mackie needs to get a life

    April 24, 2021 at 11:16 am
  • Reply mhook

    I’m glad you brought this up because it is important that we call out evidence of sexism and racism whenever we see it. Although I understand that a combative talk show host would not get many guests, I sure do wish Williams would have said *something* in response to him! And I wish the reporter would have asked a, “Wouldn’t some people consider that racist?” follow-up question designed to at least get him to think about his point of view.

    I am disappointed in Mackie; he should certainly know better.

    February 1, 2015 at 6:40 pm
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