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CITATION
Rasheed, Muhammad. "A Lone Voice of Counter-Bias." Cartoon. The Official Website of Cartoonist M. Rasheed 00 Date 20XX. Pen & ink w/Adobe Photoshop color.
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Uppity Negress Redux - The thing I find most interesting about Derek Dixon’s claims about Tyler Perry is that Derek says his character was written to play directly into what Tyler told him his “perfect man” would be.
And that is something I’ve long felt about Tyler Perry as a writer- that he uses his characters to explore and perform his personal biases, fantasies, and demons.
It’s why I don’t watch his dysfunctional ass work.
Uppity Negress Redux - And it’s interesting to me that those fantasies overwhelmingly center abused blk women.
Muhammad Rasheed - Uppity wrote: "It’s why I don’t watch his dysfunctional ass work."
Uppity wrote: "And it’s interesting to me that those fantasies overwhelmingly center abused blk women."
It seems like people are critiquing a caricature of Perry's body of work while having only watched maybe one or two of the films themselves.
Uppity Negress Redux - @Muhammad... or, I’ve watched enough of his work to notice persistent patterns and despite insistence that I haven’t watched enough, each time I decide to give his work another try it was more of the same and I decided to divest completely rather than continuously allow his delusional fans who lack media literacy and taste try to convince me otherwise.
Have a good one.
Muhammad Rasheed - @Uppity... I'm not a Perry fan, I just noticed the same types of critiques paired with "I don't watch his stuff" comments. It seemed suspicious.
Uppity Negress Redux - it’s not suspicious. You just don’t like them.
Muhammad Rasheed - I only watched a few of his films myself, and was turned off by him from the Mo'Nique scandal. It did make my red flag go up when I saw the dog pile critiques against him before that, which I'll admit I didn't like, even though his product isn't marketed towards me.
This is my first time hearing about the sexual abuse allegations.
Uppity Negress Redux - then you need to unpack why you automatically assume ppls opinions must be based on something other than the work.
Are you granting him unearned benefit of the doubt simply because he’s a blk man? Do you see how that’s problematic when most of his critics are blk women with valid concerns about how he represents us?
Muhammad Rasheed - Uppity wrote: "then you need to unpack why you automatically assume ppls opinions must be based on something other than the work."
When I first noticed it, the critiques came from my direct demographic—Black American Male Superhero Genre Fans & Creators—and I thought they were just being unfair because their own tastes were so specialized. Then I remember Spike Lee's critique, which seemed very much like hater mess, similar to how salty Scorsese sounds over the modern superhero film trend.
Uppity wrote: "Are you granting him unearned benefit of the doubt simply because he’s a blk man?"
It had more to do with how he "came out of nowhere" with his first film's success, taking the Hollywood cartel by surprise. Then his subsequent power moves where he was able to film major blockbusters on his own lot impressed me. I could see why the establishment would deliberately try to sabotage his track for anti-Black American reasons of the usual sort. That's the bag where my suspicions would come from when I'd see a lot of people across various platforms all saying the same thing against him, like a mass troll attack. Not saying you were a part of that, that's just how it was starting to come across to me.
Uppity wrote: "Do you see how that’s problematic when most of his critics are blk women with valid concerns about how he represents us?"
I certainly understand why people would feel that way about it from that viewpoint. It's not my position to claim it wasn't true.
Uppity Negress Redux - this critique has been around since literally his plays before he even started shows and movies so the idea that it only surfaced “out of nowhere” with his movies is actually factually untrue. 😑
Muhammad Rasheed - Uppity wrote: "so the idea that it only surfaced 'out of nowhere' with his movies"
The "out of nowhere" part referenced his first movie's success, because the mainstream wasn't tracking his 'chitlin circuit' plays and had no idea who he was. That's what I meant with that part.
Michelle - @Muhammad... Tyler Perry movies that center an abused/traumatized black woman
A Fall from Grace
Why I Get Married
Why Did I Get Married Too
The Family That Preys
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Meet the Browns
Straw
Duplicity
Mea Culpa
Nobody's Fool
Acrimony
Do we see a pattern yet? Or are we pretending that we're all making this up?
Uppity Negress Redux - @Muhammad... Literally his movies have similar critiques to the plays meaning he just added a Hollywood budget to the same trash. That means they’re not “out of nowhere”, they’re a direct continuation of the pattern which is what this post is about. Why that pattern exists.
I’m disengaging. Be best.
Muhammad Rasheed - @Uppity... Back in 2003, my fiancé, her daughter and mom all went to see his play when Perry's play came to Detroit. I had no idea who he was, and only heard a positive buzz around him at the time. When Diary of a Mad Black Woman the film came out a couple years later, I wanted to see it to see what the hype I remembered was about. My family's built-in fandom made me inclined to not judge it too harshly, and I was a sucker for his backstory and success.
Muhammad Rasheed - Michelle wrote: "Tyler Perry movies that center an abused/traumatized black woman [...] Do we see a pattern yet? Or are we pretending that we're all making this up?"
My peers at the time used to say that his work was bad, and they didn't like that he did the same stories all the time, critiques which seemed hypocritically unfair to me, considering other writer/directors were famous for doing the same types of comedies and the same types of mob movies, buddy cop movies, etc. There seemed to be brand new "Black Codes" rules conjured for Perry.
Uppity Negress Redux - @Muhammad... so then you’re the one who seems biased and unfamiliar with the body of work. Not the critics. Be best.
Kamal Williams - @Muhammad... nah homie, you're wrong. His movies overwhelmingly involve black women who are unnecessarily put through the ringer, to the point of being borderline trauma porn. And we can ha e a very long discussion on how his stories are riddled with plot holes and the characters constantly act in a way normal people wouldn't. And I'm not talking about in an "action-hero-suspension-of-belief" way, I'm talking about in a "no one would ever do that" type of way
Muhammad Rasheed - Kamal wrote: "unnecessarily put through the ringer"
Do you consider the over-the-top violence displayed in films by Tarantino to be unnecessarily putting his characters through the ringer?
Muhammad Rasheed - Kamal wrote: "And we can ha e a very long discussion on how his stories are riddled with plot holes and the characters constantly act in a way normal people wouldn't"
I would argue that there isn't a single film script out there that doesn't suffer from the same. The Uppity Negress may be able to provide a nuanced and well-thought out critique for the material, but it's difficult to read the same from you.
Kamal Williams - no, because the violence in Tarantino movies 1) is exaggerated and stylized, and 2) actually serves a point. And I didnt say violence per se, but the trauma that he ONLY inflicts on Black women. They are his favorite victims, for some reason
Uppity Negress Redux - @Kamal... not only that, but Tarantino is absolutely critiqued for his gratuitous violence and use of profanity.
So the question is, goes this man tune in to a different frequency when the critique is leveraged towards BM?
Muhammad Rasheed - Kamal wrote: "no"
Ah. So the rules are magically different for Quentin and he gets your blessing, even while he's calling you 'n1993r' all the time. I see.
Kamal wrote: "because the violence in Tarantino movies 1) is exaggerated and stylized"
How is that different from: "the characters constantly act in a way normal people wouldn't [...] in a 'no one would ever do that' type of way"? Is that not the very definition of exaggerated & stylized? #BlackCodes
Kamal wrote: "and 2) actually serves a point"
It's pretty clear that the point of Perry's stories is to show women overcome adversity, usually from the Christian spiritual theme. It seems obvious from here.
Kamal wrote: "And I didnt say violence per se, but the trauma that he ONLY inflicts on Black women"
You're babbling.
Kamal wrote: "They are his favorite victims, for some reason"
I'm pretty sure that most high-profile writer/directors have their signature tales they prefer to tell. Do you sound the same way when talking about Tim Burton's work?
Muhammad Rasheed - @Kamal... Lots of film makers are impotently critiqued over their 'gratuitous violence and use of profanity,' but is it of the same intensity, with political force backing, as the critiques against Perry's artistic expression? I personally thought it was incredibly irresponsible to have Killmonger shoot that Black woman in the face as his introduction to us in a 'movement' film everyone took their kids to see (but it was alright because he was cute and he called Angela "Auntie," I guess). The lack of an uproar fuels my red flag suspicions over the Perry mass critiques (separate from the sexual abuse allegations, of course).
Brandi Cryer - @Muhammad... I've watched the majority of his projects cuz my mom is a fan. I agree with Uppity Negress Redux. You only need to watch one or two and see its the same script.
Muhammad Rasheed - @Brandi... The Uppity Negress said she watched a few and was turned off, and then came back later to watch some and confirmed there was a consistent theme she disagreed with. Her sampling and analysis is closer to an objective scientific method than just watching two movies and then lazily deciding to side with the mindless hive mind as you're suggesting.
Muhammad Rasheed - I'm not a fan of his work because I prefer the speculative fiction genres over human interest tales. I don't care about what he chooses to create as an artist; it doesn't seem over-the-top to me, just a specialized niche.
Muhammad Rasheed - Brandi wrote: "now that bw are critiquing him they're defending him"
Madea Cartoon Study #1 (Tuesday, February 3, 2009)
A Word on the Most Popular anti-Tyler Perry Critiques (Sunday, September 25, 2011)
I felt Perry burned himself after the way he treated Mo'Nique, which to me meant he was corrupted by the power from the new circles he moved in.
Taniku Ikyg - @Muhammad... one or two? Would you keep watching a directors work of you didn't like it? What I'm hearing is to keep watching because maybe ONE day the blk wmn won't suffer? I'm pretty sure 99% of his work the blk wmn suffers
Muhammad Rasheed - Taniku wrote: "one or two?"
Probably.
Taniku wrote: "Would you keep watching a directors work of you didn't like it?"
I don't follow Perry's work, not because I don't like it, but because I prefer other genre stories than what he produces. I don't watch films that I don't like, even from celebrated directors. I can't stand Scorsese and will never watch another mob flick.
Taniku wrote: "What I'm hearing is to keep watching because maybe ONE day the blk wmn won't suffer?"
Then you must have read someone else's post and only thought it was me. My position is that most of the anti-Perry voices I hear come from a mass troll attack primarily made up of easily manipulated sheep. The goal is to remove a powerful, but indiscrete Black American from his position, and confiscate his holdings.
Taniku wrote: "I'm pretty sure 99% of his work the blk wmn suffers"
And I'm equally pretty sure that 99% of those women characters successfully overcame whatever the story's conflict was in a Christian testimony based template. #AndStillIRise
Alison Mason - @Muhammad... you don’t have to watch every film in its entirety to know the general theme. I’ve seen enough clips and memes to fully understand what type of movies he creates, which is why I don’t watch them. The only film I’ve watched recently was Straw and it was so upsetting that I was unsettled for days. That’s enough to not watch anything else he creates
Muhammad Rasheed - Alison wrote: "you don’t have to watch every film in its entirety to know the general theme."
They were mad because he makes stories from a subgenre of Black women overcoming relationship conflict in a Christian testimony theme. For some reason, Perry isn't allowed to make such films and it offends them.
Alison wrote: "I’ve seen enough clips and memes to fully understand what type of movies he creates, which is why I don’t watch them."
Makes sense. If you've decided you don't want to watch those types of stories then you certainly shouldn't.
Alison wrote: "The only film I’ve watched recently was Straw and it was so upsetting that I was unsettled for days."
I'll assume that Perry sent some goons to your house and forced you to watch Straw at gun point. How terrible. He shouldn't do such things. I'm surprised you didn't lead with that, or press charges for that matter.
Alison wrote: "That’s enough to not watch anything else he creates"
I would've thought you would have come to that conclusion beforehand after watching all the clips and memes as you said.
Alison Mason - I know all about Tyler Perry’s work, he’s been around for years. I did watch Straw because it was trending and people were saying it was a great movie—- I was skeptical before I watched it and watching it only reconfirmed what I already knew. I’ve never been a fan and I’m still not. He likes the idea of black womens’ grief
Muhammad Rasheed - Alison wrote: "I know all about Tyler Perry’s work, he’s been around for years."
Yes, and you said you'd watched so many clips and memes, that it made you a high-level expert.
Alison wrote: "I did watch Straw because it was trending and people were saying it was a great movie—-"
Which is why this line is so weird. Suddenly you forgot who Tyler Perry was it seems, and what? Subjected yourself to material you said was unacceptable to the point of needing to cancel him permanently.
Alison wrote: "I was skeptical before I watched it"
Sure, because of all those clips and memes you saw that made you an expert on any and everything Tyler Perry. I'm tracking.
Alison wrote: "and watching it only reconfirmed what I already knew."
I guess I can support thoroughness as an extreme sport?
Alison wrote: "I’ve never been a fan and I’m still not."
But you watched Straw (2025) anyway which gives the impression of a daredevil thrill ride stunt.
Alison wrote: "He likes the idea of black womens’ grief"
Are they still grieving by the end of the films, or do they successfully negotiate the stories' conflicts to triumph in the end under the Christian testimony banner? #AndStillIRise
Alison Mason - you’re arguing in bad faith. I didn’t say I was a “high-level expert.” That would be quite embarrassing to be a “high-level expert” in Tyler Perry films. And why are you writing Straw (2005) like that? Is there another version from another year? This conversation got odd really quickly. You seem to have a vested interest in this producer and his work. Enjoy.
Muhammad Rasheed - Alison wrote: "you’re arguing in bad faith."
Am I?
Alison wrote: "I didn’t say I was a 'high-level expert.'”
Perhaps I'm guilty of a little hyperbole, but you did say you "fully understood" the type of material he makes based on watching some clips and memes. lol
Alison wrote: "That would be quite embarrassing to be a 'high-level expert' in Tyler Perry films."
"Fully understood" means a very specific thing.
Alison wrote: "And why are you writing Straw (2005) like that?"
Is this a new #BlackCode law you're about to spring on a Black man? Oh noooz...!
Alison wrote: "Is there another version from another year?"
I was just pointing out that despite you "fully understanding" EXACTLY what Perry's work was about, you deliberately subjected yourself to his latest film in this very year and then writhed on the ground in self-inflicted agony. Forgive me, but it's hard to feel sorry for something like that. It's objectively silly, like you have too many goofy white friends who like to play faux-victims. Remember that one Tweet of the white lady that put the paper target on her forehead and claimed this is what is was like being a white woman in America, and the respond was, "Perfect. Because it's not real and you put it on your head yourself." That's how your Straw (2025) experience reads.
Alison wrote: "This conversation got odd really quickly."
Heh.
Alison wrote: "You seem to have a vested interest in this producer and his work."
I don't watch as many clips and memes as you, so I'm still a lightweight.
Alison wrote: "Enjoy."
I have. Thank you for the exchange. Peace.
Tay Arianna - @Muhammad... you’re being willfully obtuse for the sake of it and you KNOW it. There’s bettter ways to cling to rich black people than to uphold ones who CONSTANTLY write blk woman trauma p0rn. But then again as a fellow blk man of Tyler you probably enjoy it too because you all enjoy nothing more than to see us suffer. We don’t want to see that for YEARS ON END. But you don’t care because yall just need to have that “exceptional negro” even if that means stepping on black women.
Muhammad Rasheed - Tay wrote: "you’re being willfully obtuse"
People only say that to me when their argument is made up of 99.999% nonsensical political propaganda, or they see me arguing with political propagandists and they aren't skilled enough in the rhetoric to tag-in to help. So, they start yelling at me like this.
May I help you, ma'am? What do you want? For me to stand still while you fuss at me?
Jesse Harrison McLeod - @Muhammad... I only need to watch a couple to spot a pattern. I don't need to step in dog s*** more than once to tell you that I don't like it. Go touch grass, please.
Muhammad Rasheed - Jesse wrote: "I only need to watch a couple to spot a pattern"
That's not very scientific. It's odd that you think this proclamation functions as some kind of flex. I'll assume it's performative for Her Lady and the local minions, too.
Jesse wrote: "I don't need to step in dog s*** more than once to tell you that I don't like it."
Sure.
Jesse wrote: "Go touch grass, please."
Hm. If I disconnect from the Internet and go outside where the grass is, I will find people who think exactly like you do standing out there on their phones. I'd rather just stay here.
What else do you have?
Meaghen Couvillon Haynie - @Uppity... they're also as formulaic as scooby doo episodes
Muhammad Rasheed - @Meaghen... Did Tyler Perry also make the Scooby Doo episodes? Or is this another #BlackCodes law that Black American men are not allowed to be formulaic in their art?
Tay Arianna - @Muhammad... okay dude. So you had nothing to say so you started pulling words out of a hat. Political propaganda???? Where was my comment political???? If anyone is saying something nonsensical it’s you with this COMPLETE straw man argument. Please seek help.
Muhammad Rasheed - Tay wrote: "Political propaganda????"
Yes. The argument is presented through a socio-political propaganda POV.
["Social commentary from a progressive blk, femme lens"]
See?
Tay wrote: "Where was my comment political????"
Yours wasn't, because you aren't skilled in the rhetoric. That's why you're so loud & fussy.
Tay wrote: "it’s you with this COMPLETE straw man argument"
I didn't accuse you of performing a political propaganda argument. I said you wanted to, but couldn't, so you just started yelling. It appears to be your style. I'm good with it since it's all you have. Just don't abuse me with it, is all.
Meaghen Couvillon Haynie - @Muhammad... I was over scooby doo before I was out of elementary school because it was predictable and formulaic. Lazy writing is lazy writing.
Muhammad Rasheed - @Meaghen... The Scooby Doo show is still out. Are you boycotting it for its offensive formulaic template, or only product that Black people make when they do it?
Tay Arianna - @Muhammad... nobody was “yelling” but proceed with wanting to be a victim. I wasn’t going to address that part but since you KEEP saying that for whatever reason. As I said please seek help. And you literally did accuse me of performing a political propaganda argument. Go read your own stuff. You’re not very good at this. At. All.
Now I’m done giving you jerking material. 🤨
Muhammad Rasheed - Tay wrote: "nobody was 'yelling'”
You used 700-question marks at a time. How is that not yelling?
Tay wrote: "but proceed with wanting to be a victim"
"..and she hurt my feelings, officer. 😥"
Tay wrote: "I wasn’t going to address that part"
Oh, wait... are you actually addressing stuff? I thought you were just fussing at me. What's this new thing?
Tay wrote: "but since you KEEP saying that for whatever reason. As I said please seek help."
I seek help by commenting on FB. 😬
Tay wrote: "And you literally did accuse me of performing a political propaganda argument."
You should calm down (for once) and go back and reread it.
Tay wrote: "Go read your own stuff."
"And she stole my line, officer. 😥"
Tay wrote: "You’re not very good at this. At. All."
Meh.
Tay wrote: "Now I’m done giving you jerking material. 🤨"
You're very selfish.
Ebónné Latrice - @Muhammad... the way you're vigorously defending his clear pattern makes me side eye your work. Are you defending Tyler because the same patterns also persist in YOUR work so you feel like this is also a direct critique of you?
Muhammad Rasheed - @Ebónné... No, I don't do relationship drama human interest stories. I do horror, fantasy and superhero genre blend.
Meaghen Couvillon Haynie - @Muhammad... I just said they're both lazy writing. The problematic stuff were things I learned later. And im not about to try to get "enlightened yt girl points" by giving you a scorecard of black artists i support, as though that would prove anything to anyone. You're not fooling anyone. You want a fight and will ignore anything that doesnt point to that aim. Im very sorry this is how you have to get your dopamine hits.
Muhammad Rasheed - Meaghen wrote: "And im not about to try to get 'enlightened yt girl points'"
And I oop...! 👀
*block*
Uppity Negress Redux - Important context to the Tyler Perry lawsuit. Derek Dixon went to the EEOC first and got his right to sue through them.
In case you’re unaware of what the EEOC is and what they do- it’s their job to pre-investigate the validity of claims like Dixon’s. The EEOC does not grant the right to sue in cases with no substantial evidence of wrongdoing. It usually is in response to the employer denying mediation.
I have a pending EEOC case against a former employer and the process is very thorough.
To me, this gives the claims additional validity. Mr Dixon did not go for a money grab. He tried to assert his rights to a harassment free work place. We ALL have that RIGHT.
Muhammad Rasheed - Uppity wrote: "Mr Dixon did not go for a money grab. He tried to assert his rights to a harassment free work place."
I wonder if this would open the door for others to get the money grab suits?
Uppity Negress Redux - @Muhammad... I don’t care what victims ask for money or how much. I care if they were victimized and I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t or who focuses on anything but that.
Shari Careathers - @Muhammad... so you just read one section of the entire post, huh?
Muhammad Rasheed - @Shari... That's the part that stood out to me.
Lauren Moreland - @Muhammad... maybe ask yourself why that stuck out to you and why you made that connection
Muhammad Rasheed - Lauren wrote: "maybe ask yourself why that stuck out to you"
No need. I already know why it stood out to me. I wondered if it was a long-term strategy with multiple components to it.
Uppity Negress Redux - @Muhammad... at this point, it’s very clear that you have a bias on the topic.
My comments is not the place for you to unpack it.
I’m sure there’s some place on the Internet for it. It’s not here.
Muhammad Rasheed - @Uppity... awww. Yes, ma'am. 😔
Madea Cartoon Study #2
Madea versus Mammy
A Word on the Most Popular anti-Tyler Perry Critiques
Critiquing the Critics of Tyler Perry
Get a signed copy of M. Rasheed's first novel!
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