@she-ra-cat-ra also made this post here and said:
I didn’t say it wasn’t racist but you do know that there are levels to this kind of thing right? No one in the crew meant to harm anyone but I realize harm can be unintended. Do I think anyone ever thought that the joke was racist? No. Do I think people have a right to being upset about it even though no one meant the joke to be taken that way? Yes. Do I think it’s an overreach to say that the joke links back to Black Face, Minstrel Shows, and over forms of racist media? Yes because it is. None of them were even hinted in the show. Not one line. How can it be a call back to all that when it hadn’t even made it to air? Again she didn’t draw a picture of a happy slave, she drew a line up of Bow’s brothers who had pun names, one of which happened to be Sow. A tasteless joke? sure. One that she apologized for. I’m not going to ‘stay in my lane’ when people are taking something way out of context in an effort to cancel a lesbian showrunner who fought very hard to get a popular show with lesbian lead. Do I think Noelle Stevenson is the greatest person ever and can’t do wrong? No, I’ve said that a million times now. Do I think she’s trying? Yes and that’s more than what I can say for most. She can do better and I hope that she does.
But that post was drawing lines that didn’t need to be drawn.The happy slave is a real trope, it’s an awful part of history and I can understand why people would think about that trope when having a black man dressed as a farmer with the name Sow. Nothing in context was about him being a slave. Nothing at all that hinted that was EVER a thought in anyone’s mind. Nothing at all that the crew thought of any of Bow’s brothers as real characters, they were clearly a gag. Anger is understandable when someone messes up. The level of anger here? It isn’t. I’ve seen people posting that they don’t have anything to do with Noelle Stevenson anymore, that they want She Ra taken away from her, that Noelle must have lied about wanting more PoC in She Ra…. etc.
Normally I would block and disengage with this, but I felt the need to respond because you used my name in these posts and put them in my tag.
1. I have been dealing with white people all day long telling me I’m stupid, wrong, blowing things out of proportion, overreacting, that I’m “reaching” etc. (Reaching is hilarious, because that is AAVE that you are trying to weaponize against me, a Black person.)
That is so far out of your lane, as a white person, I’m honestly stunned you posted this and used my name in it. What you did is called racial gaslighting, and it’s absolutely unacceptable. You have absolutely no right to tell me how to feel about issues that affect me as a Black woman.
2. You are putting words in my mouth, taking my post in 100% the worst faith possible and creating a straw man at the same time. You missed the point. I did not say the joke was on the same level as blackface. If you needed clarification on my post, you could have asked instead of making things up that I did not say.
3. Not once have I ever told people to cancel anyone or find anything offensive. I literally said these words in my post: “Both of these situations assume that Noelle wasn’t being explicitly racist, which I believe to be true, but do not absolve Noelle of their harmful impact to Black people, which is fair.”
I am completely aware that LGBT+ creators are held to impossibly high standards, and in fact wrote a Twitter thread on it. We can still hold LGBT+ creators accountable for implicit racism and anti-Blackness. Also, so not cool to accuse me, a bi person, of purposefully attacking a lesbian creator when you wrote that.
I have been nothing but calm, polite, and civil with anyone who interacts with me, because I know what happens to Black women when anyone perceives us to be mean. And to assume I have been aggressive or calling for people to be canceled is incredibly anti-Black. I will not tolerate anyone projecting aggression onto me when there is none.
Maybe you should go and read Rae’s apology, because they specifically said:
“I’m going to put this right up top here so you don’t gloss over it. LET BLACK PEOPLE SPEAK. I don’t want to see a single fan stepping in and explaining or minimizing or arguing on anyone else’s behalf, whether its for me or Noelle or anybody else. Let people who are hurt talk and explain why they’re hurting, or even just unproductively vent their feelings with no end goal. People have every single right to voice when something’s hurt them, and quite frankly NONE of you have any right to speak for or in defense of me. Its counterproductive and disrespectful to both me and people who are speaking out about their problems. This behavior does not help anyone and only serves to confuse the conversation, not to mention gaslight and endlessly frustrate and antagonize BIPOC people, right NOW, in the biggest active American civil rights crisis of our lives. I cannot stress this enough. Let people speak.”
I am also calling directly on any fans who have done any bootlicking in defense of internet strangers or a cartoon just because you like them in order to minimize the feelings of real black people on this topic to fully stop talking, delete your posts, and pick a charity or fund benefiting BIPOC to donate to as well. If you’ve eaten up any POC’s time directly arguing with them on this topic in any way, send THEM money if they’ll take it. I am absolutely not kidding, and I think its the least you can do.
I get that you’re angry and defensive because there was a ton of misinformation going on, but to go and do that same thing to me is so hurtful.
blakekathryn
janainaart
jacobvanloon
gummygunk
yousharknotpass
jbbartram-illu
vaporwave
