Do Better: Stop judging Tyler Perry

For today's Do Better segment, we're gonna analyze the Black Community's views on Tyler Perry. I lot of Black people seem to hate Tyler Perry becuz of his use of the gun-toting, foul-mouthed, free-spirited grandmother character Mabel Simmons, AKA Madea. Spike Lee, one of our most respected directors, went so far as to call Perry a "coon." Don't get me wrong, Madea does get very ignorant with some of the stuff that she says and does for cheap laughs. But the character is so much more, that aspect of her character is the bait Perry uses to get those who only go to see his movies for the cheap laughs. Every time I watch a Tyler Perry movie with Madea in it, she gives great advice on life lessons. However, those who have already made up their minds before they got in the theater seem to turn their ears off to anything she says so they miss all these tidbits. So I figured I'd highlight some of the Madea quotes that I remember and value from various movies and plays.

• "People like to talk. But it don't matter what people call you, it's about what you answer to."

• "It doesn't matter what other people say. You don't have to go keeping up with the Joneses. Hell, I ain't known anybody named Jones in my neighborhood."

• "Whatever you've done in the past is done, and don't be ashamed of it. As long as it didn't involve animals or children, you're all right."

• "Some people come into your life for a lifetime and some come for a season. You have to know which is which."

• "Everybody's got skeletons in the closet ... my advice to anybody with skeletons is to dust them off every now and then -- as long as your closet ain't full of them. It's not good to have more than two or three."

• "Life is sometimes hard, and you have to laugh your way through it."

• "Half the time, the very thing you think that's going to destroy you or ruin you is the very thing that nobody cares about."

• "Everything that happens to you works together for the good, because everything you deal with in this life is for a reason and is supposed to make you a better person. If you're sitting in a chair and you get uncomfortable, you're going to move somewhere else."

• "God can fix it but it's got to be fixed through you. God ain't gonna do nothing til you do something. So get off your "do-nothing" and get to work. Everything starts with you."

• "The worst thing you can do is hold stuff in. If something is bothering don't just sit there and hold it in. Say it. Yell it. Let it go!! It's better you get it all out than holding on to all that stuff yourself. Deal with that emotion, on that day, at that minute at that time. That way, things don't have a chance to build up and crazy in you."

• "If someone wants to walk out of your life, LET THEM GO!! When you learn to love yourself, you will give standards to everyone around you. And if they don't meet the standards, let 'em go! Holding on to them could cause major damaged."

• "Learn to forgive and forgive with all your might."

• "There are only two places on this Earth that you're ever gonna have peace - your home and the grave. So, if you can't have peace in your home, then your relationship needs to change."

Madea is actually a very well crafted character whom Perry plays himself becuz he feels he's the only one who can balance the wisdom and the bufoonery. Brown is the character that actually irks me becuz he has all the bufoonery without any wisdom being shared. Beyond the comedy, think about some of the themes that are present in most Tyler Perry movies: treating women right, going back to the Lord to change your life, forgiveness, self-esteem, value of properly raising your kids, etc. Somehow everyone has seemed to rationalize condeming Tyler Perry movies with all these themes while praising movies and shows that are funny without life lessons like "Friday", "Martin", "The Wayans Brothers", "In Living Color", "Scary Movie" and so many other Black comedies. Don't make double standards about Perry when I think he's doing more good with his lessons than harm with the humor. Watch his movies objectively and I think you'll agree with me on some level. Black People, Let's Do Better...

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