With eBay banning the Django Unchained action figures, and stores refusing to carry the “toys,” people will have to resort to desperate measures to get their hands on the six-doll set. The dolls were manufactured under the direction of The Weinstein Company, the same company that produced the film. After backlash from people such as Spike Lee and Al Sharpton, the film company discontinued production on the items; sending the price for the remaining figures into the four-digit price range.
In fact, after the Django Unchained action figures were pulled from the shelves, the price on eBay reached almost $2000 for the complete set of six. Deciding to stand on moral high-ground, eBay executives banned the toys citing them in violation of their offensive materials policy. That policy states that products that “promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance, or promote organizations with such views” are to be banned from the site.
Is the backlash against everything and, seemingly, everyone associated with Django Unchained a bit racist, though? Had a black man like Spike Lee made this film, instead of a white man like Quentin Tarantino, would civil rights groups, activists and leaders have as much to say about it? Or it is the color of Tarantino’s skin that’s causing most of the upheaval?
When is the last time you saw a trailer for a movie about slavery? When is the last time that you saw a trailer for a movie giving a creative spin on a deplorable event in American history? Many audience-goers probably couldn’t name a ‘black’ movie being produced that didn’t have Tyler Perry’s name attached. With such a lack of weighty stories being told about black history by black filmmakers, is Tarantino’s unique take on a horrific historical time truly offensive?
Read more: Popular Critic
