Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
John Singleton’s 1991 magnum opus, “Boyz n The Hood” is probably one of my favorite films. It seemed to have done a genuine job of laying out what life might have looked like for many folks from south central Los Angeles (now South Los Angeles), a world — to that point — I only knew through the lyrics from NWA and Ice Cube albums. A visual representation of the streets and culture that birthed those lyrics was a game changer, probably for most of us not from there. And unlike most films in the “hood” genre, there was, at least, a sliver of optimism at the end in the form of main character Tre and his girlfriend, Brandy, heading off to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College and Spelman College, respectively. Kudos to an amazing film, Mr. Singleton. Rest in power.
The film isn’t perfect. For instance, there’s the literally impossible plot device used to further drive a stake into your emotions when — spoiler alert — minutes before Ricky is gunned down in the street, his SAT results that would have made him eligible for a football scholarship to the University of Southern California are delivered. Never mind that he took that paper-and-No.2 pencil test THE DAY BEFORE during a time when it took no less than six to eight weeks to receive your results. I mentioned this in an episode of “Dear Culture” because some 32 years later, it still makes me laugh; the sheer audacity of thinking nobody would notice cracks me up every time.
But there’s another scene that has always perplexed me. Allow me to paint you a picture. When the film time jumps some years from Doughboy and Lil’ Chris being escorted out of Doughboy’s home for stealing from…
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