Michael B. Jordan under fire after saying Black folklore does not exist

Michael B Jordan's recent magazine interview drew criticism from fans after he uttered a statement that shed light on his ignorance. The actor was quoted as saying black folklore does not exist which prompted his fans to teach him a lesson.

Michael B. Jordan may have gained a huge following for his portrayal of the villain in “Black Panther” but he just lost a slice of his fan base for his seeming lack of knowledge of Black history.

THE STATEMENT THAT STARTED IT ALL

In Jordan’s recent article for his Vanity Fair cover, he shed light on his efforts to promote Black culture in mainstream media through his production company, Outlier Society, but he also drew attention to the fact that there’s a lot he didn’t know about it.

In the interview, Jordan was quoted as saying,

“We don’t have any mythology, Black mythology, or folklore. Creating our own mythology is very important because it helps dream.”

THE BACKLASH THAT FOLLOWED

The statement which was tweeted by Vanity Fair to promote his cover drew out a wave of criticism towards the star for his seeming ignorance of the existence of Black folklore. One user who pointed this out wrote,

“Umm yikes. @michaelb4jordan we have plenty of folklore and mythology. Read Zora Neale Hurston. Do a little research.”

And here were other responses slamming the actor.

THE TRUTH ABOUT BLACK FOLKLORE

While many started to educate Jordan on the existing literature on black folklore pointing his direction towards links and books he could refer to, some also came to his defense to say that it’s not unusual to be unaware of the extent of Black folklore. Actress Reagan Preston-Gomez tweeted,

“None of us are experts on Black American culture even if your people go back generations.”

She added,

“A lot of us didn’t even know about Katherine Johnson, Dorthy & Mary til the movie came out. Many Folks who grew up in that area didn’t even know. Is it really that hard to believe that some amazing stories exist or some shit happened that inspired folklore & we don’t know??”

THE BIG PICTURE

Regardless of his lack of knowledge of Black folklore, Jordan’s goals are admirable. Two years ago, he formed his own production company to give other black artists a chance to tell their stories. Explaining his motives to Vanity Fair, he said,

"I'm first and foremost a black man, for sure, but what I'm trying to do, and what I'm trying to represent and build, is universal. We live in the times where everything is based around race. And for me, it's like, I get it. I understand. It just makes everything so loaded. When the way to do it is to Trojan-horse it, so then people look up, and say, 'Oh wow, what happened? I didn't even realize that.'"

THE OTHER MISCONCEPTIONS

This isn’t the first time Jordan was slammed for something he said or did. Last February, he was also criticized for apparently still living with his parents, his love for anime and even his height. At the time, the actor clapped back at his critics by correcting their misconceptions and setting strings straight in a tweet.

“First of All I’m 6ft and they live with ME, put some respeck on my name. LOL...aaaand goku & naruto are real ones lol.”

Jordan’s mother has lupus and his father is diabetic. This is primarily the reason why the actor opted to have them living with him. This and the fact that Jordan wanted them to live in a beautiful home. He’s always dreamed of buying them their own home.

THE MOVE

However, just this week, the actor revealed to Ellen DeGeneres that he was moving out of his Sherman Oaks mansion. He admitted that although there are advantages to living with his parents such as home-cooked meals and being close to them, there are also moments when uncomfortable run-ins in the middle of the night make him wish he was living alone. Jordan is reportedly moving to a penthouse in downtown Los Angeles.