Can an Ethiopian Change His Skin ...?

An insult that is not understood is a pointless insult.

Would you believe there is such as thing as a random insult generator? Played with the generator at The Insult Project and decided to copy this one below for my blog post.  Checked this site Jan 19, 2018, and it no longer exists.

“People don't dislike you because you're revolting. I mean you are astonishingly revolting, that's just not why people dislike you.”

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Was watching a Denzel Washington movie and there was a brief intense exchange of words between Mr. Washington's character and another character who was playing a support role. Possibly not the exact quote but the character scoffs and says: “You better watch out or I just might call you an Ethiopian!” Mr. Washington's character's defensive reaction and response was: “You know you're probably stupid enough to think that's an insult!”


Huh? What?? (???) Didn't get it! My limited exposure to Ethiopia and experience with Ethiopians left a void in my mind. Could not comprehend the meaning of the dialogue at all. (O.o) Dismissed it and finished watching the movie, The Siege.


Was doing research about one of the Jewish prophets in the Old Testament and came across this scripture:

“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.”

(Jeremiah 13: 23)

Let's place this quote in context.

• Which Ethiopia are we talking about??
  

There is a modern day Ethiopia and there is an Ethiopia which is a land that existed during ancient times. Since it's a scriptural reference, we're going to go with the latter.


Modern Ethiopia is located in the horn of East Africa. Ancient Ethiopia, also known as Cush, was located to the south of Egypt. Cush is the Hebrew name. Ethiopia is the Greek name. (FYI. The Egypt in the Bible and the nation that exists today are both the same.)


Ethiopia translated into English mean “burnt face”. The Ethiopian people we see today are known for their smooth beautiful practically flawless chocolate brown skin. There's no reason why a talented photographer couldn't make a small fortune traversing the country taking pictures of the “humans of Ethiopia”. Evidently, the people who lived in the land called Ethiopia, the in the Bible, also had really nice skin!


So!! Uuuhhh … back to square one! My brain is still registering blanks!


Imagine you get into a heated argument with someone.

The person snarls at you angrily and warns:

“You better get out of my face! You … you … you Ethiopian!!” 

You puff up with righteous indignation and shout back:

“Yeah! That's right! I got nice skin!! HATER!!”

(??) Where would this argument go?? (??)

There is a famous world-class chef from Ethiopia. There was a young woman, born in Ethiopia, who was crowned Miss Israel in a beauty pageant. Madonna adopted a baby or babies from Ethiopia. (That's what I heard.)


Opening this topic up for discussion hoping someone can shed some light on it.

WHY would it be an insult

 to call someone an Ethiopian?

Entertainment: Movie Review: "The Preacher's Wife" (1996)

In the mood for a movie that is charming, silly, and sweet?  Well, this film is perfect!  The Preacher's Wife ” is a movie that starred the late Whitney Houston (1963 - 2012) and Denzel Washington.  It's a delightful remake of the 1947 classic which starred Cary Grant and Loretta Young, "The Bishop's Wife".

Yeah! I know. No angel Dudley mentioned in the Bible.


Come to think of it? No angel mentioned anywhere except for this movie!


Ms. Houston's character is married to a preacher. Hence the film's title. Her marital relationship could use some "outside" or even "heavenly" intervention if it is to be saved.





The Preacher's Wife

The movie was OK. Not worth an academy award nomination. But the soundtrack makes it worth watching. Especially this particular song: Step by Step.  


“Step by step. … bit by bit … stone by stone … brick by brick … Don't give up! …”

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Original Content Source:  Persona Paper

Entertainment: Classic Movies: The Manchurian Candidate

I heart vintage classic movies.  Don't you?

- The Manchurian Candidate (1962 original) which starred Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, along with Angela Lansbury, is now a vintage classic.

- The 2004 movie remake starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep had the blessings of Tina Sinatra, daughter of the late Frank Sinatra.

The movies were film adaptations based on a novel, a 1959 Cold War thriller written by Richard Condon.

Both films are worth watching. But only of them is the best!

Published a detailed movie review at Wizzley.com.
* Movie Review: The Manchurian Candidate

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Similar Posts Here at My Blog Stop!:

Classic Movies and History

Superhero Movies: Gladiator (2000)

Classic Movies: The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)

MOVIE REVIEW: The Equalizer (2014) - I Heard That Movie Was...

(UPDATE July 3, 2019)  Apologies.  Reblogged an awesome post which supplied a review of "The Equalizer", a 2014 movie which starred Denzel Washington; however, the blog publisher decided to remove the content.  (Also Google+, the social network where I found the link, shut down.)  I'm forced to share some alternative links if you are still interested in a movie review.  Below are links to reviews by others of this disappointing Denzel Washington film.  Critics were not all that pleased.  "Lacks gravitas". ~ Roger Ebert 

So let me complete the sentence.

I heard that movie was AWFUL!  Yet they made a sequel. (O.o)  The Equalizer 2 (2018)

* * * Content below updated.  See alternative links.
Reblogging this from a movie review blog. There used to be an old TV show called “The Equalizer” that was a really good show! So when they started advertising this new movie with Mr. Washington, it got me all excited.

Found the link to this blog post which was shared via Google+ community and thought to myself: 'Eh! Let me check it out!' 

Great review!!!  But of course, it's on my list of movies to watch anyway.  Don't really need persuading.  Like to keep my finger on the pulse of Denzel Washington. Been following his acting career for years.  It was a great review but the blog is unpublished.   The blog publisher is Justin Morales.  It's a fairly new blog (first posts dated April 2014), but he's off to a good start!

I Heard That Movie Was...:MOVIE REVIEW: The Equalizer

Director: Antoine Fuqua 
Starring: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz 
Release Date: September 26, 2014

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ALTERNATIVE LINKS TO MOVIE REVIEWS:

The Equalizer Complete Collection Limited Edition
The Denzel Washington movies may not be that great but the old TV series was very entertaining.

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Other links of interest

• 'The Magnificent Seven' starts off TIFF with star power on the red carpet

Entertainment : 4 Movie Picks for Friday Night

Movies! Movies! Movies!! Love watching movies. Not enough time in the day, so there are some films that have not been viewed yet and as such are on My Watch List. They got on the list because of the fab reviews that were written by fellow bloggers. Very convincing!! Better than watching a trailer!  Decided they would be awesome for a Friday night at the movies!  :)  (Or Saturday night.  Or Sunday night.  Or any time you're in the mood to watch a good movie!)



glitter-graphics.com
 


- The Judge
Stars Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall. Will watch because I'm happy to watch any movie with Robert Duvall. Loved this man ever since “To Kill a Mockingbird” and he was only in a supporting role. Great review found at “Review This”.   Watch Trailer.

- The Equalizer
I'm a fan of Antoine Fuqua movies anyway. Plus really liked the old TV show by the same name. Justin Morales posted a great review!  Watch Trailer.

 - DELIVER US FROM EVIL
Recommended by a random Mexican named Daniel Hernandez. (The name of the blog is “Random Mexican's Movie Review Extravaganza”.)  Watch Trailer.

 - Big Bad Wolves
Non-American film. A Mystery / Thriller / Horror all rolled into one. Suggested by John Mountain who specializes in writing reviews of horror movies. The picture of Frankenstein for the bubble? Let me explain. Not really into scary flicks. Will watch the old horror movies like the kind with Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr.** But John's review aroused my curiosity.   Watch Trailer.




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The Equalizer (2014) https://t.co/KBsv32h5IH #fridaynight #movies #entertainment #DenzelWashington #Watchtrailer pic.twitter.com/qazPw6lW9x

— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) September 5, 2019

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Visit Our Partner Blog for More Entertainment Suggestions.

Ethiopian or Philistine? Am I a Dog?

Published this post and although the stats show it had a reasonable amount of views and even a few Plus Ones, the question has still not been answered.

Can an Ethiopian change his skin? *

My answer is:
“Never been to Oklahoma but do like Sir Paul McCartney.”
(Yep. That’s right. DUH! Totally changed the subject.)

The question was prompted because of some dialogue in a Denzel Washington movie. Had the script been written and instead of saying “Ethiopian”, if the character had hurled his insult by threatening to call Mr. Washington’s character a “Philistine”, the scene in that film would have made sense to me. 


Most Bible students know the menacing Philistines were the enemies of the Israelites. There were constant struggles for control of the land of Canaan (an older name for Palestine). A study, just a quick study, of the people of Philistia might lead one to conclude that if they had not always been battling with the nation of Israel, they would have been at war with another group. They liked to fight!!


WHY? Because they could!!


The Philistines were skilled warriors; on land and at sea. In fact, they were once called Sea Peoples. Their navy consisted of fleets of the finest warships during that time, expertly manned by experienced soldier/seamen. As for their army? The infantry, i.e. trained foot soldiers, possessed superior weapons of iron and wielded them masterfully and mercilessly. 


For hundreds of years, the Philistines waged continuous war against the Israelites. David, Israel’s second king succeeded where the nation’s first king, Saul, had failed. Around 1000 B.C., he finally subdued these fierce fighting men and once crushed, their power began to decline. Other nations coming in afterward, would reap the benefits of David’s military efforts. Somewhere around 800 to 700 B.C., the Assyrians attacked and conquered cities of Philistia. Then between 597 and 586 B.C., when the Jewish people (Israelites) were exiled to Babylonia (as was foretold to them by their prophets), the Philistines were taken away as slaves too.


Not much is known about the origins of this ancient people and none of their literature has survived; just fragments of pottery and coffins, some images on Egyptian reliefs, and what is written about them in Old Testament scriptures. Historians and archaeologists have very little to reconstruct their past.  However, according to an article published in Science News, an ancient cemetery has been found that might yield some clues.

Bower, Bruce. "Ancient Cemetery Provides Peek into Philistines' Lives, Health." Science News. Society for Science & the Public, 22 Nov. 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.  (https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-cemetery-provides-peek-philistines-lives-health). 

Ancient cemetery provides peek into Philistines' lives, health


In our vernacular (American English), to call someone a “Philistine” is not a compliment. It is a term of contempt and means the person has uncultivated tastes or lacks culture (i.e. lacks refined behavior, good manners and/or social graces). That sounds very subjective. Perhaps the easiest way to explain the insult would be to take the question the Philistine giant, Goliath, asked a young shepherd boy, and superimpose it. Imagine that the person you’re staring down asks you this same question and you simply nod your head up and down as an affirmative response, because you don’t want to waste your breath.

“Am I a dog?” **

Image credit: Gebhard Fugel [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons



* Jeremiah 13: 23

* * 1 Samuel 17: 43

D.C.'s Bible Museum to debut with $42M worth of cutting edge technology

Washington, D.C.'s newest religious museum is set to unveil next year with a location only three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Recently, The Museum of the Bible released information on the $42 million high-tech experience visitors will experience.