Idris Elba 'too street' to play James Bond, writer says

[SKANK 14,288]

Right. Because Idris Elba and Chris Brown are so similiar and Chris Brown dresses like that every single day. That isn't even anywhere near a recent picture of him either but okay lol

 

Right, and Idris Elba walks around everyday dressed for GQ shoots?

Elba is gorgeous, talented, and would make a terrific 007, but we don't have to pretend that someone calling an actor/rapper "street" is offensive. 

 

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

Why couldn't he be James Bond? 

Like I said...that would make it a reboot and it's not necessary. Plus, it would be too fresh to go from Daniel to Idris with no break inbetween...

The image of Daniel is still to fresh in people's minds and overall it wouldn't make sense.

He can still be in a role similar to James Bond by being 00 whatever and show a DIFFERENT side to the agency...why does he have to do the SAME role that's been done for decades?

[Jesse Pinkman 4,660]

 

Right, and Idris Elba walks around everyday dressed for GQ shoots?

Elba is gorgeous, talented, and would make a terrific 007, but we don't have to pretend that someone calling an actor/rapper "street" is offensive. 

 

From the pictures I've seen, he dresses very sharp.

And just because you're a rapper, doesn't mean you're from the streets. Last time I checked rap was a genre. We all know what this is about.

And I wasn't aware that Idris was a rapper but what I DO know is that he was born in a nice part of London and did not groe up on the streets..

[SKANK 14,288]

From the pictures I've seen, he dresses very sharp.

And just because you're a rapper, doesn't mean you're from the streets. Last time I checked rap was a genre. We all know what this is about.

He goes under the name Driis, or Big Driis the Londoner when he raps, if he isn't street he sure as hell wants to be.

Stop creating issues out of non-issues.

[Jesse Pinkman 4,660]

 

He goes under the name Driis, or Big Driis the Londoner when he raps, if he isn't street he sure as hell wants to be.

Stop creating issues out of non-issues.

So nicknames makes someone street? Lol

I'm not making a big deal out of anything. I'm calling it like it is. He's not street. Period. That's like someone saying that Gaga is too country because she recorded Yoü & I. Its stupid.

You should stop generalizing. For instance, Kanye is a rapper and he is not from the streets. In fact his parents were college professors.. 

People need to stop making assumptions.

[Sizzily 14,543]

Like I said...that would make it a reboot and it's not necessary. Plus, it would be too fresh to go from Daniel to Idris with no break inbetween...

The image of Daniel is still to fresh in people's minds and overall it wouldn't make sense.

He can still be in a role similar to James Bond by being 00 whatever and show a DIFFERENT side to the agency...why does he have to do the SAME role that's been done for decades?

Because James Bond is legendary!  No one wants to see a movie set in the James Bond universe without James Bond. It may as well be some generic spy movie. What draws people is James Bond.

Well between 1967 and 1973, There were 4 James Bond movies released with 3 different actors. "You Only Live Twice" with Sean Connery, who had played him for four movies beforehand, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazenby (the only one he was in), "Diamonds are Forever " in which Sean Connery came back for the last time, and "Live and Let Die" which was Roger Moore's first one. 

I mean, 5 people have played him in all. Of course, Daniel Craig still has Spectre and maybe 1 or 2 James Bond movies left. If we're being technical, the only complete reboot of James Bond in the last 51 years has been Casino Royale (and girl, they needed that after "Die Another Day") Spectre will be the 24th Bond movie. I could see Idris becoming James Bond around Bond 26 or so.

Sorry, I just really love James Bond 

[Miel 15,009]

 

Right, and Idris Elba walks around everyday dressed for GQ shoots?

Elba is gorgeous, talented, and would make a terrific 007, but we don't have to pretend that someone calling an actor/rapper "street" is offensive. 

 

Being "hood" is not a bad thing to be, or to be characterized as- rather, it's the underlying correlation between somebody being "from the street"/"hood" (obviously, in implicit connotation, as a bad thing) automatically with race.

Or maybe the author didn't- maybe he already has knowledge of Elba's own individual culture and rap endeavors. It's still offensive to me personally, on a very surface level (again, there's little context to what he has said- then again, do we need more context from a statement like this?), that being "hood"/"street" is automatically seen as a bad thing, or as a lower thing, especially with the comparison that Bond is seen as a "suave, smooth, classy", essentially white man.

idk, it's a personal issue to me because I've gone through so much of that kind of automatic assumption- even still now in college lol

[SKANK 14,288]

So nicknames makes someone street? Lol

I'mnot making a big deal out of anything. I'm calling it like it is. He's not street. Period. That's like someone saying that Gaga is too country because she recorded a country song before. Its stupid.

You shoulstip ggeneralizing. Kanye is a rapper and he was not from the streets, in fact his parents were college professors.. 

People need to stop making assumptions.

 

It's fair to say that if you are a middle age man wearing a do-rag in a music video and raping under the name King Driis you are at least mimicking "street" culture, and are not in a position to cry wolf when people perceive you as street.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH5QDM7TH6I

To re-cap: I think Idris Elba would make a great James Bond. I just think it is lazy and dishonest to pull the racism card when someone calls Idris "King Driis" Elba street.

[Jesse Pinkman 4,660]

 

It's fair to say that if you are a middle age man wearing a do-rag in a music video and raping under the name King Driis you are at least mimicking "street" culture, and are not in a position to cry wolf when people perceive you as street.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH5QDM7TH6I

To re-cap: I think Idris Elba would make a great James Bond. I just think it is lazy and dishonest to pull the racism card when someone calls Idris "King Driis" Elba street.

Wow.  Okay... But anyway regardless of what Idris has done, when the average person thinks of him I don't think that "street"or "ghetto" come to mind. Idk if he was having an identity crisis or something but usually he represents himself in a very classy manner. He even has a very respectable acting portfolio.

With that said, I understand where you're coming from but my point still stands 

[Barbados 1,004]

 

It's fair to say that if you are a middle age man wearing a do-rag in a music video and raping under the name King Driis you are at least mimicking "street" culture, and are not in a position to cry wolf when people perceive you as street.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH5QDM7TH6I

To re-cap: I think Idris Elba would make a great James Bond. I just think it is lazy and dishonest to pull the racism card when someone calls Idris "King Driis" Elba street.

It's racist because he said that Elba was "Too street" to play James Bond

If that's doesn't scream racism to you then idk what will lmao

[Barbados 1,004]

 

Wow so street....  (sarcasm)

[RAMROD 109,672]

Pretty sure it was also about race.

Some characters are known to be or created as white through the years,

so they feel it didn't right to make it another race just for the sake of diversity.

 

I guess that's the same reason why Stan Lee do not allow Spider-man

to be gay, or black.

Which become scandal soon after, as many people seems unhappy about it.

Or in Stan Lee's words himself:

*

“I wouldn’t mind, if Peter Parker had originally been black, a Latino, an Indian or anything else, that he stay that way. But we originally made him white. I don’t see any reason to change that. I think the world has a place for gay superheroes, certainly, but again, I don’t see any reason to change the s-xual proclivities of a character once they’ve already been established. I have no problem with creating new, homos-xual superheroes… it has nothing to do with being anti-gay, or anti-black, or anti-Latino, or anything like that. Latino characters should stay Latino. The Black Panther should certainly not be Swiss. I just see no reason to change that which has already been established when it’s so easy to add new characters. I say create new characters the way you want to. Hell, I’ll do it myself."

It was stated on a leaked agreement during Sony hack last year.

That Spider-Man must stay white, straight, don't smoke, don't do underage s-x, do not drink alcohol, and can't torture or kill enemy unless really really have to in self defense.

[SKANK 14,288]

It's racist because he said that Elba was "Too street" to play James Bond

If that's doesn't scream racism to you then idk what will lmao

 

People are more interested in the ego boost they receive when they call out acts of perceived racism then they are interested in having a honest and thoughtful conversation. Screaming RACIST is more viscerally satisfying then taking a minute to understand the context behind what "the accused" said.

As I said/proved in this thread already, Idris Elba has in the past certainly presented himself in a way that could justifiably be labeled as "street." There is nothing wrong with that, at all.

Saying Idris Elba is too street to be Bond isn't racist, it's idiotic. If you were to say John Barrowman is too flamboyant to portray James Bond, I wouldn't think you were homophobic, I would think you are an idiot.

 

Being "hood" is not a bad thing to be, or to be characterized as- rather, it's the underlying correlation between somebody being "from the street"/"hood" (obviously, in implicit connotation, as a bad thing) automatically with race.

Or maybe the author didn't- maybe he already has knowledge of Elba's own individual culture and rap endeavors. It's still offensive to me personally, on a very surface level (again, there's little context to what he has said- then again, do we need more context from a statement like this?), that being "hood"/"street" is automatically seen as a bad thing, or as a lower thing, especially with the comparison that Bond is seen as a "suave, smooth, classy", essentially white man.

idk, it's a personal issue to me because I've gone through so much of that kind of automatic assumption- even still now in college lol

 

I agree with everything you said.

 

 

[Barbados 1,004]

 

People are more interested in the ego boost they receive when they call out acts of perceived racism then they are interested in having a honest and thoughtful conversation. Screaming RACIST is more viscerally satisfying then taking a minute to understand the context behind what "the accused" said.

As I said/proved in this thread already, Idris Elba has in the past certainly presented himself in a way that could justifiably be labeled as "street." There is nothing wrong with that, at all.

Saying Idris Elba is too street to be Bond isn't racist, it's idiotic. If you were to say John Barrowman is too flamboyant to portray James Bond, I wouldn't think you were homophobic, I would think you are an idiot.

 

your whole argument is such a fallacy

No one is "Screaming RACIST". Good for you, you see nothing wrong with being street!!! Here's your award for not being an asshole.

 

But that's not the context of what's being said, he said it in a derogatory way because Idris is Black, he is instantly stigmatized with being street, even if he's only done 1 or 2 "hip-hop songs". No matter what he does, that stereotype is always attached to him. 

 

 

Your whole argument is just defensive, defensive, defensive. Assuming that he wasn't meaning any harm in saying "too street". 

"It's not racist, it's idiotic!" Those 2 things go hand in hand, it's racism because he's barring said stereotypes from accessing white media, putting up a kind of gate saying "Only the white, normal acting every day man may play James Bond!" because apparently to him, being Hood/Street and being black go hand in hand. That is what's racist.

 

As a white man, you can do whatever you want in life without being held against 1 stereotype. Your path is flexible and versatile. You are multi-faceted. But because idris fulfilled a said stereotype once upon a time, that is now  his label, because he is a black man.

[SKANK 14,288]

your whole argument is such a fallacy

No one is "Screaming RACIST". Good for you, you see nothing wrong with being street!!! Here's your award for not being an asshole.

 

But that's not the context of what's being said, he said it in a derogatory way because Idris is Black, he is instantly stigmatized with being street, even if he's only done 1 or 2 "hip-hop songs". No matter what he does, that stereotype is always attached to him. 

 

 

Your whole argument is just defensive, defensive, defensive. Assuming that he wasn't meaning any harm in saying "too street". 

"It's not racist, it's idiotic!" Those 2 things go hand in hand, it's racism because he's barring said stereotypes from accessing white media, putting up a kind of gate saying "Only the white, normal acting every day man may play James Bond!" because apparently to him, being Hood/Street and being black go hand in hand. That is what's racist.

 

As a white man, you can do whatever you want in life without being held against 1 stereotype. Your path is flexible and versatile. You are multi-faceted. But because idris fulfilled a said stereotype once upon a time, that is now  his label, because he is a black man.

 

 

The fact is people are "screaming racist", every article about this incident starts with calling this writer a racist and mentioning the firestorm it has created. The first word that follows "Idris Elba" when you type that into the search bar on twitter is "racist." People are heated, you clearly are heated, so much so that I don't think a conversation with you is going to be all that productive.

So I'll leave it at this; I think it's justifiable to say the perception of a public figure who goes by the moniker DJ Big Driis could be "street" without that perception being due to negative racial biases. I don't think being street is a bad thing, and I think Elba would make a great Bond, if my other opinions disturb you...so be it.

Lastly, you don't know what race I am, how I have been stereotyped, or what my path is like in anyway. You know nothing about me. So, stop.