Pagoda festivals near me are vibrant and colorful celebrations held in various regions of Myanmar. These festivals are significant events in the Buddhist calendar and are centered around the pagodas that can be found in abundance across the country. One of the most famous pagoda festivals in Myanmar is the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival, which takes place on Inle Lake in Shan State. During this festival, the sacred Buddha images from Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda are paraded around the lake on a royal barge. The images are placed in a golden karaweik (mythical bird) boat, and rowed by hundreds of leg-rowers from nearby villages. The festival also features boat races, traditional dances, and various forms of entertainment.

(Hopefully) Waving Goodbye to the Trope of the Magical Negro

When the trailer for The American Society for Magical Negroes first dropped, I was beyond excited to finally face a long standing TV, movie, and literary trope head on. For the uninitiated, the “Magical Negro” is a Black character whose sole existence in said movie or show is to leave the White character with sage advice during the final act, just when our “WC” has decided to throw in the towel. In the 80’s and 90’s these roles were filled by the likes of Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, and even Oprah. Man, the 90’s were a wild time, right? Not so fast! It’s with an air of exasperation that I come to you to tell you it is a plot device still in use today.

Spike Lee first coined the term in 2001 during a talk at a Yale campus visit. Noting films such as The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Family Man, and The Green Mile, Lee questioned, “How is it that black people have these powers but they use them for the benefit of white people?”

What was once a sarcastic game of spot-the-trope in my youth has quickly turned into a frustrated sigh of contempt when the Magical Negro appears in modern scenes. Back in 2020, a masterful tale of female ambition debuted on Netflix: The Queen’s Gambit, starring the effervescent Anya Taylor-Joy was a marvelous showcase of tenacity, intelligence, and confident swagger all packaged in a tiny orphan. The premise was simple enough – a coming-of-age period piece about a talented, young female chess player. We watched her navigate the ranks of competitive men with a sardonic smirk on her face whilst battling alcohol and drug addiction and memories of a traumatic past with her mentally unstable mother. We’re talking heart-tugging material at the very forefront.

However, during episode one, we are introduced to a character that had me on immediate alert – Jolene, played by Moses Ingram. Jolene is brought in as the slightly older friend who shows our nine-year-old orphan Beth the inner workings of the orphanage. When asked how long she had been at the orphanage, Jolene remarks that she’s been there a while and will most likely not be adopted. She begrudgingly accepted her fate as a teenage orphan in the 50s. After a couple of years at the orphanage, Beth is finally adopted and taken in by a foster mother who capitalizes on the promising young chess player, and Jolene’s character swiftly disappears… until her wisdom is needed in later episodes.

Years have passed and Beth has grown into an adult with her own full-blown addiction and untreated trauma. So naturally in the middle of her descent, her best Magical Negro friend comes back to cushion her fall. I don’t take issue with the character coming back helping a friend. I do, however, take issue with the fact that the writers thought themselves clever enough to disguise this trope with quotes such as “I’m not your guardian angel. I’m not here to save you. Hell, I can barely save me,”and “I’m here because you need me to be here. That’s what family does.”

But are they family? Up until this point, Beth and Jolene had gone years with literally zero contact, although Jolene has closely followed Beth’s career because that’s what Magical Negroes tend to do. Besides a brief update on Jolene’s job crisis, the character is barely fleshed out. We don’t know her motivations, her aspirations, her quirks, her hurts. If this character serves as someone pivotal in Beth’s life, then why isn’t more time spent establishing her as a three-dimensional character?

The Magical Negro trope has become big enough for Community, the pop-culture riddled sitcom, to reference it in their pilot where Jeff poses a question to a random Black cafeteria worker. “Oh jeez,” he says, “I’m sorry. I was raised on TV, and I was conditioned to believe that every black woman over 50 is a cosmic mentor.” Key and Peele had a sketch where two Black janitors fight over who would get to enlighten the downtrodden white man.

The point is, the joke is running a bit stale and should no longer be a joke that exists beyond 2023. Prevention of the trope’s usage is quite simple – productions need to hire more diverse writers rooms, educate themselves on the trope’s origin, and introduce characters not just to check a box for diversity, but rather because they are fully fleshed out beings who can stand on their own. While I can’t pin all of my hopes for change on one movie alone – especially one that is essentially framed as a romcom with overt political undertones – I do believe that this film is a step in the right direction. By holding a satirical mirror up to a societal issue that has plagued us for so long, we can tackle the issue (and danger) of white discomfort head on. The American Society of Magical Negroes is recruiting members on March 22, 2024. There will be wands and wisdom for all!

Created in a lab with the essential ingredients of sugar, sass, and all things spooky, Brea is a film geek with a soft spot for 1940s noir. Her life’s goal is to move to New Zealand and live like a hobbit.

The american society of magical negreos

Social-Democratic Scandinavian here.
This movie looks promising and thought provoking.

I had almost given up on Hollywood lately (too much childish superhero movies) and then this film gives me renewed hope for contemporary drama.

Definitely gonna give this film a chance when it hits the theaters.

Oh boy, yet another race-baiting movie!
Just what we needed. Between this and "Civil War" 2024 is gonna be a lit election year!

Oh boy, yet another race-baiting movie!
Just what we needed. Between this and "Civil War" 2024 is gonna be a lit election year!

Why do you call a film about this important uncomfortable topic a "race-baiting movie"?

This is a long standing American social issue and trope. For your information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro

-Be Socially Aware-

Oh boy, yet another race-baiting movie!
Just what we needed. Between this and "Civil War" 2024 is gonna be a lit election year!

Why do you call a film about this important uncomfortable topic a "race-baiting movie"?

This is a long standing American social issue and trope. For your information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro

:RainFir::RainSec::RainFir::RainSec: -Be Socially Aware- :RainFir::RainSec::RainFir::RainSec: :lunar2020ratinablanket:

:p_heart:
You said you were Scandinavian. How the hell would you know what a long standing American anything is? ROFLMAO, you think what you read/hear online is accurate? The fact you have to identify yourself front and center by your political affiliation says all I need to know. You care more about how others view than whether you're actually right or wrong. So by all means, pretend us Americans give a crap what someone thousands of miles away thinks about "American issues."

Wow: 'The American Society of Magical Negroes' Trailer Backfires in Epic Fashion

A controversial new movie trailer appears to have had the opposite of its intended effect with its intended audience.

Focus Features released a trailer for its upcoming drama-comedy “The American Society of Magical Negroes” on Friday, and it did not go over well at all, if social media reactions are anything to gauge.

You can watch the trailer for yourself below:

The premise of the movie, insomuch as what can be gleaned from the trailer, appears to be a magical society of black people who exist to keep white people content.

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Why do they want to keep white people content?

“What’s the most dangerous animal on the planet?” one of the key characters in the trailer asked the main protagonist.

“Sharks?” the as-of-yet unnamed main character asked.

“White people,” the mentor figure stated. “When they feel uncomfortable. White people feeling uncomfortable precedes a lot of bad stuff for us.

“That’s why we fight white discomfort everyday.”

The trailer then shows a magical “white tears” meter appearing next to a white police officer. The implication appears to be that “white tears” can hit critical mass, and thus black people must work to prevent that from happening.

Later on in the trailer, it appears to introduce a conflict when the protagonist begins to fall in love with someone he’s supposed to be making happier — an apparent no-no for this magical society.

The immediate reaction to the YouTube trailer was not pretty.

“It’s nice to see so many of us come together to express how disappointing and terrible just the concept of this is and how baffling it is that it was ever made,” the top liked comment on the YouTube trailer read.

Another YouTube comment called out the movie’s director, Kobi Libii.

“I get it now. This is how we stop racism,” the comment began. “By making modern entertainment media so terrible that we all come together trash it. Thank you Kobi Libii, your lack of creative talent has brought us all together!”

Reactions were not any better when Huffington Post Sr. Editor Philip Lewis posted the trailer on X.

“No, how do we as a community get this film cancelled?” one X user asked, alongside a meme captioned with “[collective Black disapproval.]”

Another X user was upset that it appears the black protagonist will fall in love with a white character:

Yet another X user lamented that she thought she was getting a historically black college/university version of “Harry Potter.”

“I was so excited this was going to be HBCU HOGWARTS,” the X user bemoaned.

It’s worth calling out that the “magical negro” is a long-established literary and film trope meant to describe a character that specifically exists to support white characters.

The movie appears to be trying to turn that trope on its head, but it’s clearly not resonating with swathes of social media users.

The racially charged film is currently boasting a March 22, 2024, release date.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The festival also features boat races, traditional dances, and various forms of entertainment. Another notable pagoda festival is the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival, held in Yangon. This festival is celebrated for several days and attracts thousands of devotees from all over Myanmar.

The main highlight of the festival is the lighting of nine thousand oil lamps around the Shwedagon Pagoda, creating a mesmerizing spectacle. Pilgrims also offer flowers, food, and other offerings to the pagoda. In Bagan, the Ananda Pagoda Festival is a significant event for both locals and tourists. The Ananda Temple is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved pagodas in Bagan, and during the festival, it becomes the center of attention. The festival includes a lively market where visitors can shop for local handicrafts, traditional food, and other souvenirs. Traditional dances, music performances, and even a puppet show can also be enjoyed during the festival. These pagoda festivals not only hold religious importance but also act as a platform for socializing, entertainment, and economic activities. They bring communities together and create a vibrant atmosphere that showcases the cultural heritage and traditions of Myanmar. Visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the festive spirit and experience the rich cultural traditions of the country..

Reviews for "Celebrate the Preservation of Nature at the Pagsanjan Environmental Festival"

1. Emily - 2 stars - I have to admit, I was really disappointed with the "Pagsn festivals near ne". The whole event felt disorganized and chaotic. There were long lines for everything - from the food stalls to the restrooms. The vendors seemed overwhelmed and understaffed, resulting in poor customer service. The music lineup was also underwhelming, with no big names or standout performances. Overall, it was just a letdown and I wouldn't recommend attending this festival.

2. John - 1 star - I couldn't wait for the "Pagsn festivals near ne" to be over. The whole event was a disaster. They oversold tickets, leading to overcrowding and a very uncomfortable experience. The food options were limited and overpriced, and the quality was subpar. The stages and sound systems were poorly set up, making it difficult to enjoy any of the performances. I would suggest avoiding this festival at all costs.

3. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really excited to attend the "Pagsn festivals near ne", but it turned out to be a major disappointment. The organization was lacking, with long wait times and little direction. The overall atmosphere felt chaotic and unengaging. The event also seemed to lack variety in terms of activities and attractions. I ended up leaving early and felt like I wasted my money. I hope they can improve in the future, but for now, I would advise against attending.

Discover Hidden Gems at the Pagsanjan Treasure Hunt Festival