MovieChat Forums > GLOW (2017) Discussion > Some of the actresses are complaining ab...

Some of the actresses are complaining about the white writers.

posted 4 years ago by samoanjoes (53444)
28 replies | jump to latest

40% of the cast is non-white but the writers are all white. They're complaining that they aren't showcasing what it's like to be a racial minority.

The show isn't about race relations so I don't see why having non-white writers is relevant. Should movies all have non-white writers whenever there is someone not white in the film? Should someone who has autism have to write Rain Man 2. Should someone have been on the Titanic to know how real the horror was when they make a movie?

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/variety.com/2020/tv/news/glow-season-4-inclusion-canceled-1234810596/amp/

[–] Ace_Spade (9463) 4 years ago

It's a weird letter.

It says that they have been relegated to bit-players as the show goes on, but I thought each season expanded the roles of the supporting cast members. From the first scene, it was about Ruth, second and third characters being Debbie and Sam. Season three featured much bigger parts for a lot of the characters, particularly Jenny who I barely remembered from season one, but who features quite a lot in season three.

In fact, one of the weak spots of season three, in my opinion, was that Ruth got a little sidelined for the other characters. I enjoyed dipping into their lives more, but Ruth is the lead and the reason I tuned in. (Well, Sam...but...Sam's the best).

The only secondary character I can think of who got short-changed was Carmen (I also wanted more Carmen). But Jenny had her frustrations with the show and with being misunderstood (climaxing amazingly at the scene in the desert), Cherry continued to have conflict in her personal life, Tamme had her physical struggles, Yolanda and Arthie featured a LOT... Everybody got good storylines. So...what was the problem?

Of course, they also said, "...we are not here to take down our white castmates or our show..." and now they're canceled, so...

[–] samoanjoes (53444) 4 years ago

Oh, I haven't seen the show. I was just reading comments and none were saying how the show was about racism or racial issues.

[–] Ace_Spade (9463) 4 years ago

Weirdly, there actually are some of those themes, but the show makes it about the frustration of the actresses as they are under- and mis-represented in the meat-grinding entertainment industry. It's more focused on the feminist side of things, but it's definitely (partly) about carving out a space for yourself and being an underdog fighting to stand on your own terms. Race is a component of that and the show reflects that for sure.

It's an excellent show, but if you watch it, seriously, these complaints become *more* baffling.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8518) 3 years ago

But don't you know? Everything is racist now and white people are bad.

[–] Ace_Spade (9463) 3 years ago

Yeah, there are some few, very loud people who seem to think that.

GLOW did such a great job of telling women's stories, too, and which gave good arcs to side characters, even focusing on their parallel struggles with race and gender and sexuality. When a major plot arc of season three involves a woman (of colour, no less) struggling with coming out, it's weird that the actors centred in that arc would come out of that plotline going, "Oh, this show isn't focused on minorities enough".

A major throughline in the entire show has been the discomfort these characters feel with the stereotyping of the GLOW show, and recognizing that - even though their wrestling show gives them freedom as women - it's still not perfect, and Bash and Sam still call a lot of shots in uncomfortable ways, and - holy cow, I mean, for crying out loud, the show's messaging is basically on-brand!

It's so confusing, and yet, so par-for-the-course with these wokist ideologues that nothing is ever good enough. Here we have a show focused on women, centring their struggles in the entertainment industry, pushing back against sexism, and as sub-plots, it deals with the Cambodian woman doing free labour (costuming) and dealing with the racism of her stereotyped character every night, it's got a lesbian couple, a man struggling with his sexuality, a woman fighting to be heard in the boardroom, and ON AND ON with the progressive stances and stories.

But it's never enough.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8518) 3 years ago

I agree with everything you said.

I enjoyed the show and felt bad for the girls when it was canceled, but this makes me feel a lot less bad for them.

We live in a weird time. I don't like it. Even just 10 years ago things were a lot different, but now it feels like there are a lot of people out there trying to tell us that up is down and down is up.

I'm reminded of Isaiah 5:20:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

[–] Ace_Spade (9463) 3 years ago

Can't argue with Isaiah there...

I agree. Times are strange and people are clamouring for non-truth as long as it is their favoured version of it. I see this all over the place, and it's got to stop.

People seem to love to divide up into these intense tribes and just spit venom at one another. It becomes impossible to disentangle from conspiracy, since everything is perceived to be as such. Social media outlets have turned into some kind of hydra, growing and re-growing heads. This monster seems to make the opinions of idiots spread like wildfire.

How do you argue with somebody who is pro Q-anon? How can you disprove the narrative of the Wokists? Everything is conspiracy these days, or so it seems. Corruption versus truth... we never got a good handle on that, and the more we magnify our communications, the more apparent it is that this is the case.

Worse, I do have a certain cynicism towards "traditional" news outlets (to some extent), and I can't always deny what the naysayers believe. Yes: the mainstream media are biased. They just aren't as biased as the mob claims.

Up is up. But they just don't teach that anymore.

[–] NGMI (1184) 3 years ago

They were given bit players parts to check off special needs boxes and they're still not happy. They wont be happy until they have it all, without having to do any of the work. Write your own damn show based on the wrestling promotion you started on the streaming service you created, in the country you founded and built (that doesnt turn to cannibalism and mass rape and child abduction).

[–] Ace_Spade (9463) 2 years ago

They really weren't, though. They were given good, strong supporting roles. Tamme's stories are some of my favourite episodes. Cherry, Carmen, and Jenny all get really compelling, great storylines, as well - including several arcs specifically addressing the treatment of racial minorities! The letter is baffling because GLOW felt like one of the most inclusive and representative shows on the market. Granted, it was more focused on feminism, and granted, the three leads were all white, but the show's supporting cast were really well-balanced, confronting gender and sexuality as well as race, and how people have to live and fight for who they are. Finally, I actually felt like the show was spending more time with the supporting cast as the seasons went on to the point where I was a little twitchy in wanting the focus to get back on Ruth and her journey (and, to a lesser extent, Debbie). They got enough focus and screentime that I thought the show was getting off-track!

If anybody looks at the show and how it treated its supporting cast, then looks at how other contemporary shows dealt with race or incorporated minorities (or ignored them), and then read the letter these actors penned to the writers, that person would be utterly baffled at the cognitive dissonance.

[–] DeathbySnuSnu (992) 2 years ago

Interesting line in this letter " left us feeling like checked-boxes on a list" and their solution? Checking more boxes. Couldn't make this up.

[–] samoanjoes (53444) 2 years ago

"Me, me, me, me". That's all I hear from them.

[–] Kowalski (65333) 2 years ago

SIX ACTOR'S OF COLOR FROM A SHOW ASK FOR ONE "executive producer of color or a consulting producer of color for its writers room to “provide accurate insight” to the characters’ storylines."

CRAZY ASS BITCHES...HOW DARE THEY?...DON'T THEY KNOW I AM STILL WAITING ON SANDWICH?...PLUS THIS CARPET ISN'T GONNA VACUUM ITSELF.

SIMPLY THE WORST. NOEMOJI

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 2 years ago

You're like a propaganda sponge.

[–] Kowalski (65333) 2 years ago

NO...I SIMPLY BASE MY OPINIONS ON MY OPINIONS...I AM NOT ALWAYS RIGHT BUT I RECOGNIZE WHERE I COME UP SHORT...MORE THAN MOST CAN SAY. NOEMOJI

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 2 years ago

Probably why I still like you, in spite of you.

youdidntbuildthisemoji

[–] samoanjoes (53444) 2 years ago

The show had 12 writers total the entire run and they said there were no non-writers writers for that season.

[–] Kowalski (65333) 2 years ago

AND? NOEMOJI

[–] samoanjoes (53444) 2 years ago

That means that they did have non-white writers, but didn't have any for that specific season. Given that there were 12 writers for the entire series, the number of writers for that one season would be lower than 12. 2 women wrote 12 of the 30 episodes, so it's pretty obvious we're not talking about a high number of writers for one season.

[–] Kowalski (65333) 2 years ago

UM...OK...BAD BITCHES...BAD. NOEMOJI

[–] samoanjoes (53444) 2 years ago

No need to call them bitches.

[–] Kowalski (65333) 2 years ago

I THOUGHT YOU TOLD ME THEY LIKED THAT. NOEMOJI

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 2 years ago

Great show. After a letter like that, I would have cancelled it too. Let them go make the show they are demanding themselves. It is truly the entitlement era.

[–] samoanjoes (53444) 2 years ago

They asked for it.

[–] Boromir (9748) 2 years ago

I'm sorry but you have to be a piece of shit to try to get colleagues fired from their jobs - especially on the basis of race. They working hard and from the little I seen from season 1 they do great work, and it's not like writers in Hollywood getting enough money anyway.
It is especially annoying because in this case they are the privileged big stars compared to the writing staff.

Wokeist don't see people, only group categories.

[–] samoanjoes (53444) 2 years ago

To be fair, they did say they weren't trying to bring down their white costars. But who knows if a writer would have been fired to make room for someone non-white.

[–] Boromir (9748) 2 years ago

been fired

decrease in salary

And maybe they will decide to fire someone else, maybe an extra or make-up artist, to make room for a new person.

I am glad my sweet Alison ❤️ aren't one of them.

[–] johnmiller (3625) 2 years ago

Everyone's a "victim" these days. The Pussy Generation, indeed.

[–] BOandBarbecue (2264) 2 years ago

a good solution would be for afro-american to write own show by themselfs. stick it to evil racist white peoples: "you see whitey? we create our own shows!! our own character!! our own storys!! we a success without you!". i dont see them do this, tho. they have the power, but no desires.