Despite its embarrassing sorta-sequel Superfly T.N.T., Superfly continues to raise questions about perceptions of black culture both in the eyes of whites and blacks. It s a delineation indulged not only in blaxploitation films, but in all aspects of American entertainment. Inevitably, the black man is churned out as the perp and the victim, the cause and effect. It s a trend that tells us something about ourselves, about the very nature of a still-segregated society. The clothing and the lingo have changed, but the message is still the same.
Blacks are the bad guys, even when they try to do good.
Whites are the oppressors, even in the midst of their tolerance. It s a strange mix of fact and fiction, truth and lies that continues to tear at the fabric of a society bent on shunting the blame. Superfly spreads the blame evenly. Everybody is bad, the victims of their own greed, lust and ignorance. The ones who wise up will survive.