Glamour magazine chose someone named Jodie Turner-Smith (I have no idea who that is) as “Woman of the Year,” and this woman of the year claims she’s the victim of racism and Disney did nothing to protect her from it.
Apparently, Turner-Smith starred in the Disney+ streaming series The Acolyte, another one of those dumb and very woke Star Wars streaming series everyone hated. This one was so bad, it was canceled practically before the credits on the first season finale finished rolling.
Anyway, without presenting any evidence (and you can bet Glamour didn’t ask for any), we’re told it was all about the racism…
“The show was unceremoniously canceled, allegedly due to low ratings,” writes Glamour, as though there could be any other reason. “[I]n the weeks leading up to its season finale, the cast faced relentless torrents of racist abuse online from so-called fans who couldn’t handle a Black actor leading a Star Wars series.”
You see, this is why Hollywood is dying creatively and financially. Rather than blame the show’s failure on their own failure to give fans what they want, they blame the fans for being racists, even in a country that made Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, Eddie Murphy, Prince, Michael Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Tina Turner, and Barack Obama superstars.
Hell, a black woman might become our next president.
“[Disney has] got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting fucking dog-piled on the internet with racism and bullshit,” Turner-Smith said about the Disney Grooming Syndicate’s supposed lack of pushback to Acolyte haters. “It’s just not fair to not say anything. It’s really unfair.”
“It would just be nice if the [studios] that have all the money, were showing their support and putting their feet down,” she whined. “Say this is unacceptable: ‘You’re not a fan if you do this.’”
“Make a really big statement and just see if any money leaves. I bet you it won’t, because people of color, and especially Black people, make up a very large percentage of buying power,” she continued. “They might find that it’s actually more lucrative for them, but everyone’s using ‘woke’ like it’s a dirty word.”
Whuh?
What is she talking about?
She’s right that “black people make up a very large percentage of buying power,” but that only proves my point that the rejection of the The Acolyte had nothing to do with race. After all, if just half of black America watched The Acolyte, it would’ve been a hit.
While it’s unfortunate the movie was so awful, no one cared when Halle Berry (a black woman) stepped into the role of Catwoman. Why? Because who in their right mind doesn’t want to see Halle Berry as Catwoman? No one cared 60 years ago when Eartha Kitt (a black woman) played Catwoman in the Batman TV Series. Why? Because who in their right mind doesn’t want to see Eartha Kitt as Catwoman?
Turner-Smith believes “woke” isn’t a dirty word, and yet it is. “Woke” taints everything with affirmative action as opposed to merit. No one blinked at the idea of Halle Berry and Eartha Kitt as Catwoman because no one told Batman fans, You must celebrate the diversity. Instead, it was two superstars who had already earned the public’s admiration taking over a role they seemed perfect for. Period. But when you say this is “woke,” people — including black people — reject it because we are hardwired to reject anything pushed on us that doesn’t involve merit.
Garbage like The Acolyte flops for the same reason the white guy-starring Joker: Folie à Deux flopped this weekend: If you don’t give the fans what they want, they have plenty of other options.
John Nolte’s first and last novel, Borrowed Time, is winning five-star raves from everyday readers. You can read an excerpt here and an in-depth review here. Also available in hardcover and on Kindle and Audiobook.