We can always rely on Kevin Burwick from MovieWeb to provide an article that is easy to agree with at times and even get a good laugh at since quite honestly the only reason that Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars would be trending is because someone asked WHY he was trending. It’s that inane and that insane to think of since quite honestly the hatred that arose for this character since he came out in The Phantom Menace has been undying even years later. The wave of hatred that this character received was something right out of this current era, but unfortunately it was felt back in the late 90s, when such things still hadn’t been bolstered by YouTube as of yet. Once the internet was really kicking and social media had become a big thing the memory of Jar Jar was still around and yet the hatred wasn’t quite as weapons-grade as it was when the movie first came out. But now, revisiting that feeling a while later and wondering just why it’s happening has little to no point other than to remind people of just why Jar Jar was considered to be the most hated character in the entire Star Wars galaxy.
This is coming from a story where there are some truly despicable villains such as Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and others that simply have no redeeming qualities at all. Somehow Jar Jar became the guy that everyone looked to as a scapegoat, as a reason why hatred in Star Wars was really necessary. And the excuse of him being a racist character is kind of bad joke really. If you really need some justification for this viewpoint then try reading Gregory Kane’s article in The Baltimore Sun and you might get a better idea of what it really means to open your eyes. Jar Jar was said to be a negative stereotype of a black man that was bumbling, had a good heart, but was essentially useless. Even his leader, Boss Nass, was said to be a bumbling Zulu chieftain stereotype. People need to rub their eyes and see if that racism talk can be wiped away like so much dirt to be honest. In a series where some of the whitest characters in the movie are among the most horrendous villains ever, Jar Jar somehow still got the most attention when it came to what people hated. Palpatine manipulated his way into the leadership role by controlling and manipulating everyone in the most devious of ways, and yet Jar Jar was considered to be the most racist character in the story. It’s amazing really that people love the villain more than the easily likable sidekick that wasn’t designed to be anything but a bumbling individual.
Think about it for a moment, from the time of his inception to the final frame in which he appeared, there was no expectation for Jar Jar to be anything but a goofy character that was bound to be someone we saw as out of place when it came to the fighting, but still indicative of a character that was needed to balance things out. Granted, they could have come up with someone a little more effective than Jar Jar, as he was goofy and kind of got in the way a lot. But at the same time he was not a racist character, and the actor that played him, Ahmed Best, didn’t deserve a single comment that was levied his way. The actor actually considered committing suicide at one point since the comments came thick and without cease for a while, and it wasn’t just aimed at the movie. If there’s any shame to be felt it’s for those that looked at a movie that was supposed to be fun, exciting, and altogether anticipated and created a dialogue that was nothing short of hateful and spiteful in a way that was simply ridiculous.
So Jar Jar trending isn’t the biggest or most exciting part of Star Wars, other than the fact that in the story he did make it possible for Palpatine to continue to build his power in a manner that made Jar Jar ashamed of what he’d done. The character was not racist, and it needs to be said more than once. Simply because someone says it and has their words repeated in a dozen different ways by the sheople that love to bleat along with the mob doesn’t mean it’s fact or that it’s in any way correct. Jar Jar was silly, foolish, and in some ways not really needed at times, but as with all things in Star Wars the Force seemed to demand that things happen in a certain way, and Jar Jar just seemed to be in the cards. People didn’t like it and still don’t, but it’s a matter of history now.
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