Insight on LOUD BLACK PEOPLE IN MOVIE THEATERS

For every stereotype there is something, some call it grain of truth -or at least perceived grain of truth regarding idea. Culture and context play a role in our perceptions and behavior. So today I will give a little insight on loud black people in movie theaters. 

It seems everyone has heard about or even suffered through with talkative black people in movie theater: talking to back to the screen, loudly predicting what will happen in the next scene or "If that was me...," providing much commentary. No this does not apply to all but I have witnessed this myself- even at home, my sister will make a thousand comments, tell some BS story of how she can or can't relate- along with a couple of digressions, then turn around and ask me questions about what she missed while talking.- As if there were 2 Me's: 1's job is to follow the movie and fill her in when asked;  the other to listen to her story giving her my undivided attention. As a peaceful (naturally quiet) move goer I HATE THIS, but nobody in my clique cares-lol

In a super thin nut shell, call and response and interactivity is a large part of the black experience and communication in African culture and subsequently African American/Black culture. (For example, ever been to and felt the high energy levels of a predominantly black non-Catholic church?)
This phenomenon of inappropriate loquaciousness works out a little differently in other cultural regions. If you've ever watched a Nigerian or Ghanaian film and are observant, one thing you might notice is the timing. You might also notice more city and nature shots set to music, then at some point view a montage meant to summarize events up til that point or to allude to what may happen.

 As a North American movie goer, at first, I figured it was just this was due to bad acting or less than savvy film editing.  In the States much of this would have been left on the cutting room floor to progress the story and to keep the movie run time somewhere around 1and half to 2hours. We live in a sequential culture, processing one thing at a time. Here time is money; being short and to the point is helpful. In synchronic cultures (Asian, African, South American, parts of Southern Europe) I can simply say that brevity is not necessarily the soul of wit. Perceptions of time and experience is quite different. Time is cyclical; past, present, and future are interrelated with no one single entity controlling all of experience.

Fast forward and I came to understand that: 1)Ghanaian and Nigerian movies are generally lengthier and are expected to be. 2)these flicks have longer pauses in scenes that are geared to elicit response- laughter, outrage, sadness etc. Similar to an American sitcom, comedic timing- includes giving the audience time to clap/laugh before moving on to the next set of lines. In these films outdoor shots ( a river, stream, park etc), moments of deep thought from the characters, and city shots also give the audience another chance to reflect on previous scenes while offering a sense of familiarity and reminiscence. This all works to make the movie goer experience that much more comfortable, enjoyable, and worth the money. Movie makers in these black cultures, familiar with their audience, format their movies with them in mind. So they are accustomed to and expect the chatter and interactive response.

Unfortunately, cultures clash. There is no built in pause or talk room in western movies.These same actions committed by African Americans who are predispositioned to certain reactions are viewed as rude and inappropriate; -shit, it is in this context. The only advise I can give is if you're brave, roll the dice and ask them to pipe down. If not, you're better off notifying a theater worker and having them do the dirty/ macho work. Although I'm used to it, I will admit is is quite funny to see Amber and Todd's movie date interrupted by Tyrone and Shamikas'.