4 ms·

What Happened, Miss Simone?

88 points by whocansay 11y ago

marricks 11y ago
This was an amazing an eye opening documentary. Really made me think, this amazing talented woman wanted to be a classical pianist then didn't get accepted to school cause of her race, then became an amazing success in another regard. THEN basically gave it all up to fight for civil rights. Sad story that sometimes if you try really hard, are really talented and give up everything you can sill end up shit out of luck in a awful place. I mean, she's had a lasting and profound effect, just not the ones she wanted and she certainly didn't end up where she wanted
- B1FF_PSUVM 11y ago
  Footnote 3: "As Light notes, there had been a few black students at Curtis, including a woman in the piano department. Sokoloff, who would have been her teacher at Curtis, said she was “not a genius, but she had great talent,” and insisted she was rejected because there were better applicants. Simone, however, never doubted that she was rejected because of her race."
  - kelukelugames 11y ago
    If this happened today then I would side with Curtis. But I have a different opinion when considering the acceptable attitudes of the last century. In the early 1900s, Harvard had more than a few Jewish students and erected anti-Semitic admissions criteria at the same time. So a lot of students were rejected because they were Jewish. Simone applied to Curtis in 1950, years before the Little Rock school integrated and a whole decade before the Civil Rights era.
  - foolrush 11y ago
    Green account. How brave of you. You are aware that sociological and gender studies factor into notions of “genius” and talent? Good.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
- a_t 11y ago
  (Nine Simone's estate)
  - cm3 11y ago
    What's the story regarding some movie and the estate's disapproval?
    - kelukelugames 11y ago
      The light skinned actress put on dark make up to play Simone. This is especially wrong because Simone's dark skin is a part of her life and legacy. I'm a pale man and totally unqualified to explain colorism so here is a link. http://www.vox.com/2016/3/4/11161980/nina-simone-saldana http://www.vox.com/2016/3/4/11161980/nina-simone-saldana
      - tome 11y ago
        She most certainly is not light skinned.
        in_cahoots 11y ago
        Light-skinned for a black woman. Historically, lighter women were sometimes able to 'pass' as white, so it's a term with a lot of significance. Even today there's a fair amount of colorist (in both directions) in some communities.
        germainemalcolm 11y ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Paper_Bag_Test https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Paper_Bag_Test
        11y ago
jacquesm 11y ago
The #1 song on my playlist... she's absolutely amazing, and while it makes me sad that she didn't get to live the life of the classical pianist that she wanted to be I'm in a way extremely happy that she did live the life that she did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_D5gef72A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_D5gef72A
- rdtsc 11y ago
  Never heard it before. Very beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I am partial to Sinnerman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH3Fx41Jpl4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH3Fx41Jpl4, but that is probably the most well known one I guess.
erikb 11y ago
This was an incredible documentary. But also a little painful.

88 points by whocansay 11y ago

This was an amazing an eye opening documentary. Really made me think, this amazing talented woman wanted to be a classical pianist then didn't get accepted to school cause of her race, then became an amazing success in another regard. THEN basically gave it all up to fight for civil rights. Sad story that sometimes if you try really hard, are really talented and give up everything you can sill end up shit out of luck in a awful place. I mean, she's had a lasting and profound effect, just not the ones she wanted and she certainly didn't end up where she wanted

B1FF_PSUVM 11y ago
Footnote 3: "As Light notes, there had been a few black students at Curtis, including a woman in the piano department. Sokoloff, who would have been her teacher at Curtis, said she was “not a genius, but she had great talent,” and insisted she was rejected because there were better applicants. Simone, however, never doubted that she was rejected because of her race."
- kelukelugames 11y ago
  If this happened today then I would side with Curtis. But I have a different opinion when considering the acceptable attitudes of the last century. In the early 1900s, Harvard had more than a few Jewish students and erected anti-Semitic admissions criteria at the same time. So a lot of students were rejected because they were Jewish. Simone applied to Curtis in 1950, years before the Little Rock school integrated and a whole decade before the Civil Rights era.
- foolrush 11y ago
  Green account. How brave of you. You are aware that sociological and gender studies factor into notions of “genius” and talent? Good.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

a_t 11y ago
(Nine Simone's estate)
- cm3 11y ago
  What's the story regarding some movie and the estate's disapproval?
  - kelukelugames 11y ago
    The light skinned actress put on dark make up to play Simone. This is especially wrong because Simone's dark skin is a part of her life and legacy. I'm a pale man and totally unqualified to explain colorism so here is a link. http://www.vox.com/2016/3/4/11161980/nina-simone-saldana http://www.vox.com/2016/3/4/11161980/nina-simone-saldana
    - tome 11y ago
      She most certainly is not light skinned.
      - in_cahoots 11y ago
        Light-skinned for a black woman. Historically, lighter women were sometimes able to 'pass' as white, so it's a term with a lot of significance. Even today there's a fair amount of colorist (in both directions) in some communities.
        germainemalcolm 11y ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Paper_Bag_Test https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Paper_Bag_Test
      - 11y ago

jacquesm 11y ago

The #1 song on my playlist... she's absolutely amazing, and while it makes me sad that she didn't get to live the life of the classical pianist that she wanted to be I'm in a way extremely happy that she did live the life that she did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_D5gef72A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1_D5gef72A

rdtsc 11y ago
Never heard it before. Very beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I am partial to Sinnerman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH3Fx41Jpl4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH3Fx41Jpl4, but that is probably the most well known one I guess.

erikb 11y ago

This was an incredible documentary. But also a little painful.