So far, most of the Blacks in the US who are academics, or have a strong academic lean, usually towards the liberals arts and social sciences tend to focus on race. Not the Thomas Sowell type of focus, but the "we were oppressed" type and "gonna figure the social justice out for my people because it's not equal" type.
Take for instance Eli Devaughn (Harvard undergrad, Rhodes Scholar) and Danielle Green (former teacher, PhD Stanford focusing on education).
I think the strongest argument to prefer a white actor is simply for the fact that the fable was written by a Danish person where, at the time of its writing, I'd guess 99% of all Scandinavian countries where light skinned. "Clear and delicate" may not be describing the little mermaid's skin color, but from what we know of the cultural context that Christian found himself in there's a very good chance he saw her looking like other young Scandinavian girls during his time.
Was Halle's casting based on merit, being the best out of all the potential actresses given an audition, or what it a diversity hire? It's hard to say, at least on my end. I'll have the audacity to gander that it was a bit of both. I don't doubt Marshall was impressed, but this is Disney. Many directors compromise on who their leads are too, or simply are fine with whatever actor producers out forth.
If there is ample proof that past iterations of The Little Mermaid were unfaithful to the source material there is as much proof that Disney saw Halle as checking off more than two boxes to fulfill their diversity quota (just see the entire cast of Marshall's Little Mermaid). I am sure you are well aware that since 2020 Disney has gone full DIE (Diversity, Inclusivity, Equity)
Unlike sports, tv/film acting is highly subjective where politics do factor in on who gets cast. It's who's trending and who's not. It's who has the better agent and who doesn't. It's whether the studio wants to cast an unknown, an up-and-comer or an established, prestige actor. Let's not be naive: studios, producers and agents have categorized actors like Home Depot categorizes all their stock. This is why tv and film actors are usually categorized as such on most sites of talent agencies. That's just the surface of weird things in the industry. What they don't show you is even more interesting. No doubt they have lists of "white, black, brown, blonde, brunette, redheads, black-haired etc." actors to pull from. Need a Hispanic up-and-coming actress? Not a lot of them currently, but there are some. Need a white actress? There's a lot but we need to further split hairs. Up-and-comer? No, no - we need an established one for the lead. Cast an up-and-comer for one of the two secondary female leads. (Usually for this latter group whomever has the slightly better filmography and better agent will win the role.)
Personally, I don't really buy the argument that because past iterations weren't 100% faithful to Andersen's fable that it would justify further unfaithful adaptions. Two wrongs doesn't make a right. I'd respect that argument better IF we acknowledge the reality of casting noted above and IF we see that the first "wrong" made way for present "wrongs" and future "wrongs."
But in the end does it matter? Yes and no. Yes because we know that studio execs will cast non-white actors in what were originally historically white roles under the pretense of "diversity." No because people who watch tv/film for mostly entertainment purposes will forget whomever was cast because they aren't involved in the politics of casting let alone are the ones cast. As much as I loved Brandy as Cinderella I would still prefer a white actress to play the part. Why? Because non-white actors make up a small percent of working actors, so casting a non-white actor in a historically white role will garner some questions - from me at least.
I just received a notification on my phone from GrubHub, a food delivery application, to support black owned businesses. Given what happened last summer where mobile applications like Uber and UberEats prioritized black drivers and black business owners in order to show support aka virtue signal for the black community, brought upon by BLM riots and demonstrations nation- and worldwide, I will not be patronizing any black owned food businesses for the duration of February. My tailors are Hispanic and Asian. I can make my own fried chicken, mac & cheese and collared greens. The more that streaming channels in the form of Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix and Disney+ promote "black voices," I refuse to click on their ads.
Then again I never celebrated Black History Month in my life; I was lucky enough to attend schools that had curriculums that taught history without the social commentary. As a non-black or white person, it's a fact that such household don't celebrate Black History Month. In my case there were a couple of reasons. First, I never cared to, and second it wasn't relevant to my professional growth despite me working with many African-American people. I'll read plays and novels written by "black voices" on my own time driven only by my curiosity and not by some outside force encouraging me to. But then again even if I don't I don't think I'm missing out on much. Sorry Maya Angelou - you're not a must in my book.
["]It’s shameful,” he added. “We all need to do better to represent this world. It’s something that is important to me.”
Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs was diplomatic but clearly disappointed when I spoke to her at this morning’s Oscar nominations about the omission of African American-driven films like Straight Outta Compton, Concussion, and Beasts Of No Nation. “Of course I am disappointed, but this is not to take away the greatness (of the films nominated). This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it,” she told me, while acknowledging the Academy’s very public efforts at diversity are moving too slowly. “We have got to speed it up.”
For 363 days a year, nobody gives a fuck about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Today is one of the two remaining days, when suckers care—and other suckers pretend to care—about who gets nominated for the Oscars, which are worthless trash and always have been.Did Burneko just call himself a sucker? Yep. He goes on about the injustice of Carol not being nominated for BP because it's so progressive aka features characters of the same sex who "love" each other. I mean, how can you not nominate it!
If you loved Carol, which didn’t get nominated for Best Picture, congratulations: As of today, it officially is not the same kind of movie as Forrest Gump. The milquetoast taste, bigotry, and self-regard the nominations reveal has been on abundant display every single day for more than 80 years, in your local cineplex, in the form of the movies these industry clowns crank out every week. How can you act surprised by this, let alone offended? Placing value on those same clowns’ choice of movies to award is precisely like rending your shirt because your favorite restaurant didn’t make Guy Fieri’s list of top places to eat.Hey now, Forrest Gump was a great film.
#MillionStudentMarch will be a day of local actions all across the country to show support for tuition-free public college, a cancellation of all student debt, and a $15 minimum wage for all campus workers. Each action will be a march followed by a rally.Never go full-retard.
“Looking at the reaction to [Silliman College Associate Master] Erika Christakis’ email, you would have thought someone wiped out an entire Indian village,” Lukianoff said, according to Gian-Paul Bergeron ’17, who was present at the event and posted the quotation online just after 4 p.m. According to seven other attendees interviewed, the remark was followed by laughter in the crowd, although students present gave different accounts of how many audience members laughed. Lukianoff is president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonprofit organization committed to defending individual rights on American college campuses. In addition to speaking at the Buckley conference, Lukianoff was also a guest at a Silliman College Master’s Tea Thursday evening about the importance of free speech on college campuses. He is the author of “Coddling of the American Mind,” an article in The Atlantic that Erika Christakis tweeted last week in response to criticism of her Oct. 30 email defending students’ rights to wear costumes that might be deemed culturally appropriative.Once this "controversial" statement went viral students at Yale did as they did when they were offended by Yale professor Nicholas Christakis' email concerning the free speech - or non censorship - of objectionable Halloween costumes, and the (probably false) allegations towards SAE fraternity of racism: They acted like passionate
Before the comment was made, Edward Columbia ’18 — a white male who did not register for the event — walked into the room and began putting up signs along the front of the room which read “Stand with your sisters of color. Now, here. Always, everywhere,” according to Columbia and Bergeron. They both said a security guard asked Columbia to leave because he was not registered and because he was putting up posters, but he refused to do so. Shortly after, Lukianoff made the comment about the Indian village, and Columbia shouted at Lukianoff and asked him why he thought it was funny, according to Columbia.Mr. Columbia, feeling very self-righteous, enters a conference to protest when he isn't even registered. Because social justice and then shouts (it seems like if you're offended shouting without waiting your turn is the default choice) at the speaker because he's offended.
While Columbia resisted, the guard dragged him outside of the room, where he was pinned down and handcuffed before being taken to a squad car, Columbia said. Both Bergeron and Columbia said the officer used an appropriate amount of force. Columbia was given a citation, which he called “a mere slap on the wrist,” and said he will appear in court, though he declined to specify when this will happen.
“I couldn’t let the joke go. It was too f—ed up,” Columbia said. “All of the officers treated me well, and I feel bad for putting a security officer who was just doing his job in a position where he had to drag me out. But I also wonder whether I would have been released so quickly … if I weren’t a white male.”
How is "“Looking at the reaction to [Silliman College Associate Master] Erika Christakis’ email, you would have thought someone wiped out an entire Indian village," 'fucked up'? It's not. Maybe a but insensitive but not 'fucked up.' What's fucked up is Columbia's reaction and all those that feel the same way - they think any comment about race when it's not talked about in the context of injustice is "offensive" and 'fucked up.'Some Buckley fellows present at the event gave a slightly different account. They said they were not bothered when Columbia put up signs and only asked him to leave when he interrupted and shouted at the speaker. The signs were taken down after Columbia’s removal.
The situation escalated when Young [Buckley Program President] and another attendee left the room where the conference was taking place to offer food to the protestors in the hallway. Students demanded that a representative from the protesters be allowed to join the conference and voice their views. But one attendee engaged with the protesters, stating that unregistered students were not allowed into the room and adding that speakers within the conference were entitled to their views as well. The standoff quickly became confrontational, with speakers on both sides raising their voices. Young said he did not stay to address the protesters because he was busy organizing the event. He stressed that the protesters were not allowed into the event because they had not registered.
“I will share the University’s policy on free speech,” Dean of Student Engagement Burgwell Howard, who arrived near the end of the conference, told the crowd. “You have a right to free expression, and so do the people inside. As long as there’s a clear path [to allow attendees to leave the conference] you can hold up your signs.”
Howard reminded the student protesters that any attempt at blocking the attendees’ departure would risk arrest, which the students acknowledged.
Around 5:45 p.m., as attendees began to leave the conference, students outside chanted the phrase “Genocide is not a joke” and held up written signs of the same words. Taking Howard’s reminder into account, protesters formed a clear path through which attendants could leave. A large group of students eventually gathered outside of the building on High Street. According to Buckley fellows present during the conference, several attendees were spat on as they left. One Buckley fellow said he was spat on and called a racist. Another, who is a minority himself, said he has been labeled a “traitor” by several fellow minority students. Both asked to remain anonymous because they were afraid of attracting backlash.
Mitchell Rose Bear Don’t Walk ’16, a Native American student and one of the leaders of the protest, said she has spoken to the fellow who said he was spat on. She emphasized that spitting is “disgraceful” and not the message the protestors were looking to convey, but she confirmed that it did happen.
Well, if you can chant in protest I don't see how spitting in a fine alternative. It's clear that the student protesters could not block the pathway of exit and no one said they could not chant, so resulting to spitting and saying that they couldn't "maintain the integrity of this message whilst questioning or silencing other accounts" is just pure bullshit.“The spitting happened,” she told the News Sunday night. “Our movement is founded in the idea that all people’s voices should be heard. We cannot maintain the integrity of this message whilst questioning or silencing other accounts.”
An emotional rally soon followed as the last attendees emerged from LC and left the conference. Bullhorn in hand, Bear Don’t Walk shared her anger with the crowd, which had grown in size, about the comment made at the Buckley event. She expressed despair that this comment came on the heels of discussions about racial issues on campus.
“About an hour ago, we were sitting at the Native American Cultural Center and we were talking. We said today was one of the only days we felt okay on this campus,” Bear Don’t Walk told the crowd. “Then we looked at our Facebook feed and we saw this message about what someone at this freedom of speech conference said. But we rallied and we gathered here to tell them that this is not okay.”
Ending on the chant “We out here, we’ve been here, we ain’t leaving, we are loved” — a phrase that was also used during Thursday’s gatherings on Cross Campus with Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway — protesters soon dispersed. Before leaving, protesters left their signs along the building’s walkway.
Buckley Fellows interviewed said the Facebook post misrepresented what occurred during the conference. Connor Wood ’19 said while there was laughter following Lukianoff’s comment, many attendees were made uncomfortable by the statement. Gabriel Ozuna ’15 added that most audience members were Yale alumni and donors who were not fully aware of the past week’s racially charged events.
They were uncomfortable about it because they were sure that another Yale bitch fest was going to happen, not because it was a racist joke. And that bitch fest happened.“Although I think the protesters misinterpreted the ‘Overheard at Yale’ post, I think the protest is a good sign of healthy debate and free speech at Yale,” Woods said.
Flanagan, 41, worked as a reporter at WDBJ for less than a year before he was fired in 2013 for disruptive behavior, the station manager Marks said.
Marks called Flanagan "an unhappy man" who "quickly gathered a reputation of someone who was difficult to work with."
When Flanagan was fired, he had to be escorted out of the building by police, Marks said. Shortly after that, Flanagan filed an EEOC complaint against the station.
In tweets days before the shooting, Flanagan posted pictures of himself as a child, teenager and former TV anchor. He also alluded to a modeling career and being raised as a Jehovah’s Witness.
. . . .
You want a race war (expletive)? BRING IT ON THEN YOU WHITE...(expletive)!!!" the fax says.
Meanwhile, he praises Virginia Tech shooter Seung Hui Cho, calling him "my boy" and crediting Cho for killing "NEARLY double the amount" of people as Columbine High School shooters Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris.
William also writes that he was often attacked for being a gay, black man, and says Jehovah spoke to him and told him to do the shooting.Given what was said in the article, I don't think Jehovah spoke to him and issued him permission to kill people.
