I leave a lot of comments online. Usually, it means I've been home for half the day (I've done half days since returning to work after giving birth).
We play a little, the baby and me, then it's nap time and I get online.
This morning, I had time because Grandma is here.
So I go into my e-mail account and I'm reading e-mails from readers and see that there's a comment to a comment I left regarding the awful and racist Lena Dunham.
Ross Bonaime loves Girls, loves it, lives it as much as he can. He wrote the garbage article at Paste magazine praising Lena's awful hosting skills and episode.
Here's the exchange:
As a Black woman, I didn't find the Scandal skit amusing. When Girls
came on, Lena was called out for not having any people of color. Under
pressure, she announced her critics right and she was going to fix that
in season two. Season two comes along and we get a small guest run by
Donald Glover and Lena goes on Fresh Air and tells Terry Gross that it's
just so hard to understand Black people. So I find it really insulting
that our so-called 'feminist' Lena is mocking the only hour long show
starring a Black woman instead of taking on NCIS or any of the other
tired shows that reduce women to props.
I find it really White and
Paste-y that Paste never thinks about the racial implications when
offering 'critiques.' That includes the Katt Williams skit and some
absurd notion that Black people wouldn't know who Liza Minnelli was.
I
think Lena was a lousy host. She has no sense of rhythm, her "Liza"
wasn't even a good high school variety show send up of Liza. She was
awful throughout.
I fail to see why you say she's increased in
popularity when her show never gets even a million viewers. Don't say,
"It's HBO" -- Sopranos and Sex In The City delivered audiences.
Lena's an unattractive and overweight woman who tries to pretend that if you don't find her funny, the problem is you.
No,
the problem's a spoiled and entitled brat who decides to set a show in
NYC but doesn't want any Black characters or Asian characters or . . .
The other problem is nonsense like Paste magazine which tries to hype her as somehow important or talented.
I think the race argument about Girls is a completely tired and
unfair debate. She's giving her account of her version of New York and
her experiences, and if that doesn't involve any black people, then she
shouldn't have to shoehorn them in just because of audience backlash.
Frankly, they didn't make fun of NCIS or any other show because they
aren't as culturally important as Scandal is. They made fun of Homeland
in a very similar way years ago as well. I didn't bring up race in my
review because the skit had absolutely nothing to do with race. What it
did have to do with was the ridiculous nature of Scandal. By that
opinion, should I also mention the abundance of white people in every
skit due to Kenan Thompson's comments on SNL's race problem months ago
too, even if those skits also have nothing to do with race?
I have brought up racial implications in the past of SNL, especially
during the Kerry Washington episode, because that was when it needed to
be discussed. In fact I pointed out how shocking it was that there was a
lack of black hosts, especially females.
If you'll notice, I never said that Dunham did a good Liza
impression, and even stated that she wasn't necessarily strong
throughout the episode. Yet to say Dunham hasn't become more popular
since Girls aired is sort of ludicrous. Girls IS a popular show and it
is HBO's most popular comedy in years. I personally think Girls is an
important show because of its portrayal - sometimes universal, other
times very personal - of what it is like for many people in their
twenties today. Saying she is unattractive or overweight should have no
bearing on the fact that she actually is a talented writer and director
who has a unique voice unlike most people writing for TV these days.
That sounds more like a personal grudge against Dunham. I don't see what
her appearance has to do with her work. I've also never felt like she
is demanding to be funny. If anything, she shows herself as she is and
allows the viewer to take it or leave it. That's actually sort of her
schtick.
If you don't like Dunham, that's fine. You're entitled to your own
opinion. But trying to criticize for not pointing out race in a segment
that doesn't need it doesn't make any sense. No other reviews that I've
found mention it either because it's irrelevant. I don't understand why
this review and all other reviews should glaringly point out racial
differences for no reason rather than not mention whenever diversity is
shown..
Race is very much a part of the SNL episode hosted by Lena Dunham.
http://thirdestatesundayreview...
I'm really surprised a reviewer would make such a false claim.
As Ava and C.I. note in their piece at the link, one of the main
points of the 'feminist' sketch was 'dumb woman of color needs White
woman to liberate her.'
If you don't get the racial aspects, that may explain why you offer synopsis as opposed to criticism.
As a Black woman, I don't need a White man telling me there was no racism.
Tonight, I will be going to town on Little White Ross. I will be using some points Ava and C.I. made about the racist aspect -- made to me, not in the two pieces they've already written on the subject.
In fact, the three of us haven't done any joint-writing since I got pregnant so I might see if they want to work on a response with me.
But it's all so damn racist and sexist and that includes Little Ross and his original remarks in the article -- remarks, as Ava and C.I. were explaining over the weekend, like so many other men -- that were patronizing and insulting.
But thank you, White Ross.
It really is great for me, an African-American woman, to be corrected that there was no racism or sexism involved.
Thank you, White Boy, for informing me of those 'facts.' As a man and as a White person, your opinion means so much more than mine, right? And as a man and a White person, you're better equipped than I am to judge sexism and racism, right?
May I show my thanks to you with
Betty's well known reply?
Kiss my Black ass.
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