David Njoku

Sometimes little things niggle way more than they're supposed to.

There's a TV show called Ellis about a cop who drives to small English towns when there's been a murder to solve the crime. Often the local cops aren't welcoming. They think they don't need the help.

Ellis is a Black woman

There was a review in The Independent that condemned the show for "identity politics" even tho the show almost never mentions race or gender.

Read the review a week ago but I'm still cross

#blackmastodon

Mar 23 at 8:51amWeb
Show threadKatrien M Michiels4d ago
@davidnjoku oh, wow. You have me wanting to watch this one now, though.
Show threadJody Hughes4d ago
@kmmich @davidnjoku Random drive-by review: I went in to it expecting to be underwhelmed and have been captivated by it. Well above average, though not perfect by any means.
Show threadDavid Njoku4d ago
@Gaolaitch @kmmich I agree. I watch very little on TV these days but I've come back to this show.
Show threadDavid Njoku4d ago
@kmmich It's not a bad show. It's a little formulaic in the way most cop shows are, but she's a strong character.
Show threadDaniel Demmel4d ago
@davidnjoku the show is duly punished for making the entitled right winger critic made uncomfortable by having their attention drawn to the everyday racism
Show threadMichał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦4d ago
@davidnjoku wow, we're back in pre-In The Heat of the Night times, eh?
Show threadoatmeal4d ago

@davidnjoku this is what identity politics looks like when you remove lived experience and create an imagined, cleaned-up reality, nostalgic or romantic of the sort of homogeneity racists dream of. I don’t think that’s what the creators were aiming for, but when you’re afraid of being accused of reflecting reality as it is, you’re already political when you act on it with self-censorship.

https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/116265826206607247

#rooster

oatmeal (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image This is not America. Monochromatically white, depoliticized, and out of touch with current U.S. realities, especially on campuses. I couldn’t make it past the first episode, but I doubt student concerns like Israel’s genocide in #Gaza are represented. Entertainment shapes narratives about who belongs in public institutions and which issues get discussed. I don’t think that was on anyone’s mind in production, but this reads like the equivalent of #Kushner’s generated #Gaza property development brochures - propaganda for the U.S. #MAGA agenda and a vision of what a country could end up looking like after ethnic cleansing. This review is particularly representative of the disconnect https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/reviews/rooster-review-steve-carell-bill-lawrence-hbo #gaza #Kushner #MAGA #rooster #hbo #fascism

kolektiva.social
Show threadSemitones3d ago
@davidnjoku it seems like it *is* about race and gender implicitly, and the backlash proves it. But why in the world would anybody be *upset* about that reflection on society?
Show threadDavid Njoku3d ago
@semitones I understand what you mean, but the thing that gnaws at me is that the mere existence of a Black woman should not be political. It should be possible for there to be a Black policewoman (or a Black actor being cast as a cop) without 'identity politics' coming in.
Show threadSemitones3d ago
@davidnjoku You're right, it shouldn't be.
Show threadStephen Bannasch (316 ppm)3d ago

@semitones @davidnjoku

Yes. Made me think that reality isn’t political. Working to change or actively ignoring reality is political.

And complaining about a show like this is most definitely political.

Show threadDavid Njoku3d ago

@stepheneb @semitones Makes me think of what's going on in America now, where just being Black (or gay or trans or even female) means an employee must be a DEI hire and therefore not worthy of the job.

Maybe the producers were trying to make a point by making the character a Black woman. But there is no way that they could make her a Black woman *without* making a statement.

Show threadSemitones3d ago
@davidnjoku @stepheneb Important to reframe as, **the right wants people to think that** being gay, trans, female, black, etc., is "DEI" **and that's a bad thing**. Plenty of people here believe that DEI, like woke, CRT, and PC before it, are laudable goals for people in society to work towards. And hiring people who look different, think different, etc., is not always the frictionless choice in our society. We should be proud of our diversity
Show threadSefu14h ago
@davidnjoku its a dope show. the lead is amazing. i make no comment on the independent.