Kristen Warner
As contributor
As commenter
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Race as the heavy
Thanks for this Ralina! This is probably my favorite episode of the series and one I show in class. I think it's a smart episode for many of the reasons you stated but in particular because it deals with racial difference in a way that is honest (and ... -
ABG is too Black for TV
Al, lovely thoughts! I think you're absolutely right about how and what can be played to a mainstream audience. From what video I could find, Issa didn't even know if she would be in IHLAD or if they would even cast a Black woman in the lead rol ... -
Anybody can be awkward
Gates, nicely done! I think you bring up a good piece with the slipperiness of how Rae uses "awkward" as both simultaneously universal and specific. The lengths that she endures to sell the story as something about a Black girl whose personality ... -
Productive Foolywang
Rashida, Thanks so much for writing this post. I find there are many of us "Blackademics"who struggle with the pleasures Tyler Perry's text give us while acknowledging and holding him accountable for the gross types of Black representations ... -
I don't think I ever used the words Naive or Ignorant
Hi Consuela, I don't think it was apparent that I was accusing fandom of being either of those things. And if not unaware of what casting means, it is highly premature of them to fancast given that the screenplay hadn't and still hasn't bee ... -
Recalcitrant Text
There are probably many reasons I have such a difficult time discussing the book publicly that I haven't thought about but I totally agree that I fear my reputation would be tainted by the series's reputation. It is wholly irrational and yet I w ... -
The Influence of fans
Karen, yeah, of course, fans building websites and creating fan vids are expressions of power--but to what degree? I agree that it is a form of them visibly campaigning for who they believe best fits the types in the book but again, I think they also bel ... -
The American Dream Realized through becoming a jumpoff
Wonderful piece! Yes, the irony of ironies with regard to these women is how they ALL were jumpoffs at some point which is of course, how they landed their men (or the men they had at some point) and how they know the signs to watch for. In many ways this ... -
Kendra vs. Jennifer vs. Shaunie vs. Jackie
YES. As if these athletes are somehow not picking "choice pieces" from low socio-economic backgrounds! Kendra was Hef's "ho" for quite a while--sharing him with two other ladies and she gets to be sweet and athletic with Hank. I t ... -
The Damned tropes
Thanks for your comment Richard. The problem with your story is that it priviliges race in a way that makes it "heavy." When I talk to casting director and folks involved in the industry, they always say the same thing about bringing race into a ...