One Day We'll All Be Working for Tyler Perry

Can I pay my bills playing the role of "Evil Dark-Skin Man" in Tyler Perry films?

Thanks for being a subscriber to Let's Not Be Trash. If you’re new here, we (Mostly me,Evan J. MastronardiandKarina Maria write about patriarchy, politics, race, culture, music, and ruminations. The goal is to talk about important issues, in a way that is digestible and relatable. Because nobody wants to read a Ted Talk.

If you’re new, please consider subscribing, if you’re already on the list and have a few coins, consider upgrading to a paid subscriber. If you have commitment issues but want to contribute, you can buy me a coffee.

If you like my substack and want to discover other great writers, check out this directory from Marc Typo, called The Cook-Out.

I’ve been struggling with writer's block, and let me tell you, writer's block is trash. Sure, most of it is in my head, and the simplest solution to breaking through is pushing past the fear of a blank screen or an empty notepad, and populating either one of them with words. But as practical of a solution that might be, it feels like the most impossible thing to do. So when I’m struggling to put pen to pad, or keypad to screen, I try to find ways to inspire the words out of me. 

One of my favorite tactics for this is racing, if I’m struggling to find inspiration, I’ll sometimes look for it in the writing of others, but that brings me to my next problem. I’m a picky reader, I love all forms of literature, but I have to be in a particular mood to digest certain content, and over the last month, my literary palette has been all over the place. One week I’m binge reading Light Novels from Reki Kawahara, and then the next I’m obsessed with Black Marxism from Cedric Robinson. 

Actually, I spent a lot of time on Cedric. After I was done with Black Marxism, I started his book, “Terms of Order: Political Science and the Myth of Leadership.” I haven’t finished that, but I’ll get back to it eventually. Cedric’s critique on capitalism and politics made me curious to understand what was happening in our finance world, and that curiosity led me to sign up for Bridgewater’s economic newsletters. The information can be dense, but it’s really interesting. For example, according to their research, the rise of artificial intelligence (A.I.)  could end up eliminating or making redundant most white collar jobs.

Automation has already taken a bite out of the service worker economy, and in a few years Chat GPT could be making someone's law degree, or a CPA useless. If that happens, what exactly are we supposed to do? The article tries to allude to the ways this will help to maximize everyone’s time, and drive down costs, but to whose benefit? How do you exist in a capitalistic system that requires you to produce something for money, and then that money allows you to survive, if the robots are doing all of it already?   

I was spiraling through all of these thoughts when I decided to turn my brain off with Tyler Perry’s latest movie, Mea-Culpa. I won't waste your time, like most Tyler Perry movies, Mea Culpa wasn’t good. Ok, maybe that’s too harsh. Kelly Roland looks amazing, and unlike other Tyler Perry movies, there weren't any egregious hair pieces, or extra’s staring directly into the camera, so that’s a win. 

Tyler Perry makes movies for Church Auntie’s, and people who enjoy watching Black actors perform in roles besides, Slaves, dead civil rights leaders, police shooting victims, magical negros, or gang bangers. In a world with endless options for content, Black actors are still struggling to find work outside of some very specific roles. Tyler Perry gets major points for keeping our folks employed, and if what Taraji said is true, he’s paying them a fair wage as well. 

Yes, Mea Culpa wasn’t a great movie, but he’s keeping a bunch of Black people employed, so I guess that’s a good thing. But here’s the thing, who else is going out of their way to make sure people can still find work? What if that Bridgewater article about Artificial Intelligence is true? What happens to the millions of people who must now figure out who they are outside of these positions? Are we ready for a collective soul searching session, can anyone even afford to do that? When Chat GPT takes my job, what are my options? At this rate, my best bet might be getting a job with the creator of Madea. 

When that happens, and all of the jobs are gone, will I be able to provide for my family with the salary I make from playing the Evil Dark-Skin man in Perry’s latest thriller? Or what if I’m not good enough for that role, there’s an abundance of good looking dark-skin men with abs, nice teeth, and deep voices, the only one of those attributes I have is the dark- skin. If that’s the case, will I just be the “supportive Black Friend” that shows up in one or two scenes, or worse, what if I’m only good enough to be an extra?! Can I pay my bills with the money I'm gonna make sitting in an A.I. generated restaurant, while Kelly and the Evil Dark-Skin Man they casted ahead of me have a Meet cute? How many Tyler Perry Movies does it take to cover all of my bills? Can I just focus on thrillers, or will I have to enter the Madea-vere? Will Mr. Perry wants to hire me once he finds out I’m not “Saved?” 

Sometimes the world scares the hell out of me, and when that happens it’s easy to fall into an endless stream of ridiculous scenarios. The stress induced from those scenarios usually make it hard to be creative, but when the world feels the most confusing, sometimes the only thing you can do is write. So here we are.