How is it racist? — Page 4

Because that's what you do when you're Meryl F*CKing Streep.

Worth repeating. And aren't we fortunate that one of our finest actresses is also such a classy human being?

Crude? Like a "bubbling crude" like "black" gold?

RAY-CIST!

I know, baby, and I'd love this to be a chance for all of us to just talk openly and honesty about a whole host of things like white privilege -and straight privilege - and how even though it doesn't matter whether a there was a cabal of people voted against Viola Davis by voting for Meryl Streep. There was no cabal, by the way.

I guess it's not too different from people crying homophobia when Brokeback didn't win a few years back. I didn't agree with that either, but that doesn't change the real issues this country does have with racism and homophbia.

But these things but we just can't here on BWW. This board can have some thought-provoking discussion, and some that are just a hell of a lot of fun, but race just never works. People get defensive, others crying "PC Police" and inevitably people cry racism in jest until it just starts to go from being a little funny to being a little obnoxious. I get it, we can't do it. But can we please just stop the "OMG THAT'S RACIST" jokes? They're really just nothing but wearying at this point.

So offensive to anyone, because I genuinely dig most of the posters in this thread.

I do agree with PalJoey about Idiot, though.

Updated On: 2/29/12 at 10:18 PM

I heard that Stephen Sondheim and David Ives are writing a musical about this very thing.

They're racist in the same way they were homophobic when they gave the Oscar to Philip Seymour Hoffman over Heath Ledger for Brokeback. You know, a huge arts organization clearly would be homophobic for giving an Oscar to a guy playing TRUMAN CAPOTE. Yet according to many, apparently they were.

A Black Lesbian (who usually blames her problems on her parents)

Which makes you, when all is said and done, a gay white jew.

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Updated On: 3/1/12 at 12:06 AM

"Of course racism exists. But Meryl's win probably had nothing to do with the Academy not wanting to honor an African American.

I mean, I think that Octavia Spencer would agree with that assessment."

Spencer's was an affirmative action win. There, I said it. There was nothing extraordinary about her performance, and God knows she wasn't the best in her bunch. And that standing ovation for her was just ridiculous. I'm willing to bet that if Jessica Chastain had won instead no one (except maybe her co-stars) would have stood up.

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While I don't agree that it was an "affirmative action win" (whatever that's meant to mean) I do agree that she didn't deserve the win. I haven't seen "Albert Nobbs" yet, so I can't speak to Janet McTeer's performance, but Jessica Chastain was certainly better in "The Help," and Brnice Bejo was light years ahead of both of them in "The Artist."

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I'm talking Supporting, beyotch.

I haven't seen "The White Iron Lady Who's Not Black and Does All the Better for It."

Also, on the subject of Spencer, let's not forget that she also won the BAFTA, so she must have ridden that white American liberal guilt ferry all the way across the pond.

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I may. I may NOT.

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Wow, you gals were up all night on this one weren't you?

Henrik, clearly you have a passion for this topic that I suspect precludes a dispassionate exchange of opinion.

However, to me, my two posts are far from antithetical - they both support my main thesis that no one is guaranteed employment as an artist, and that issues of race (and all those other bugaboos) is irrelevant when discussing opportunities as a commercial artist (which isn't exactly true - there are some times and places where being of color or a woman or someone else seen as disadvantaged works as a benefit - when a theatre company devotes a season [or entire mission] to African American, for instance).

But another big point is that any lack of opportunities for actors of color (whether real or perceived) is not due to the man viciously trying to keep them down, but only because the money goes where people think it will make more money.

Personally, the actors of color I know are (on average) working more than the white actors I know these days. I'm not saying that's a global average, just what I see in my part of NYC. But I think this particular thread is more about complaints over leading, starring, Oscar-worthy roles in expensive movies than general "work."