Posted by Bossip Staff

Check out this interesting article concerning the perceived stereotypical images Tyler Perry’s characters exude in his movies, and the conundrum some members of the black community faces as a result:

If you happened to buy a ticket to Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail without knowing what you were getting into, you might think you’d stumbled onto a cheery comedy about an overgrown granny with anger-management issues. A black Mrs. Doubtfire, say, with car chases and reefer jokes. You’d never suspect that you had strayed into the midst of a culture war — one that’s been simmering inside the African-American community since before blackface. ”I loved working with Tyler Perry, but he’s a controversial, complicated figure,” says Viola Davis, who costarred in Madea Goes to Jail and recently snagged an Oscar nomination for Doubt. ”People feel the images [in his movies] are very stereotypical, and black people are frustrated because they feel we should be more evolved. But there are very few black images in Hollywood, so black people are going to his movies. That’s the dichotomy. Tyler Perry is making money.”

Does Tyler Perry have a moral responsibility to use his influence to create more positive images of blacks in his movies, or do you feel he only owes the black community a quality product designed to entertain, which is really all we pay for?

Discuss…

Several pics below.

Read the full article.