Stereotyping is the bastard child of identity politics and it seems John Legend—or at least his casting crew—is its newest father.
I know. I know. Who the heck is John Legend, you may be asking. I’ve heard the name, but honestly, I couldn’t cite you one of his songs if my life depended on it. And I’m keeping it that way. Particularly in light of this, a story that has social media butterflies all aflutter:
John Legend Music Video Casts Fat People To Play Trump Supporters; Legend Denies Issuing Casting Call. https://t.co/NExpBVJObU
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 4, 2017
Musician John Legend [or at least his music video casting crew] has put out a casting call for “out of shape” white actors to play the roles of Trump supporters in an upcoming music video, alongside other white actors to play members of the alt-right.
TMZ reported today that John Legend, a liberal and often vocal defender of the Black Lives Matter movement, is creating a music video that needs several actors on a set that looks like a protest rally between Black Lives Matter supporters, and Trump supporters and the alt-right.
According to a listing on Casting Networks in L.A., the project needs eight men and women, between 30 to 65 years old to play Trump supporters. The listing calls for these actors to be “preferably out of shape” and includes a picture of real-life Trump supporters as a reference.
At least he didn't cast skinny people and put them in fat suits. That would have been appropriation… or thinface… or thinwashing.
— (((Seth Berkowitz))) (@sethblink) September 4, 2017
Thin-ism. We can add that to the ever-growing list of Liberal BuzzWords.
I’ve news for you, John, as you sip iced Mimosas poolside from your mansion in the Hollywood Hills—oops, did I stereotype you?—I’ve plenty of friends who support President Trump and they come from all walks of life, including frumpy old white people at which Hollywood peers down its nose. And I’m not alone:
@Joy_Villa @johnlegend . Hey John I found Trump supporters for your casting call. You can interview them in Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/bufuzew3KH
— Epic Messiah (@JeffUSAFAMMO) September 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/Joy_Villa/status/904586302737264640
https://twitter.com/maximus_paulus/status/904107042398281730
Activism: Just finished 20 more thank you letters & met 3 Trump supporters while writing them at a coffee shop. pic.twitter.com/Iq6WAmeWwj
— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) September 3, 2017
Texas sure could use that $150,000,000,000 that @BarackObama gave to IRAN! #Harvey pic.twitter.com/IDCpI4QQLI
— Quinton Jackson (@alaskantexanQCT) September 3, 2017
https://twitter.com/terrymendozer/status/904791791693553664
And you like videos, do you, John? Here’s one:
Odd, they don’t look pudgy. Or geriatric. And they sound perfectly rational to me.
And here’s another inconvenient truth:
Care to cast any of these independent-thinking Trump supporters in your music video, Johnny? I dare ya.
Now, to be fair, Legend is pushing back on the story, insisting the casting call didn’t come from him:
I still think Trump is awful and whoever voted for him did a disservice to the country. But I didn't issue this casting call.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 4, 2017
I still think Trump is awful and whoever voted for him did a disservice to the country. But I didn't issue this casting call.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 4, 2017
Oh, that’s so much better; we’re just “deplorable,” right, Johnny? Go ahead, use the word. Hillary made it great again.
Let’s go to the ads, reportedly posted by an agency called Casting Networks:
Looks pretty straightforward to me. Let’s look at one specific ad:
I reread that particular ad several times. It’s confusing at best. Nevertheless, the last line implies the description applies to the “Trump Rally” actors.
Mr. Legend, it’s not we woeful Trump supporters who are ignorant. No, that little golden statue lies with most of Hollywood. It lies with George Clooney, who fled the U.K. for security concerns only to return to America and bash her, then writing a seven-figure check to the hate-filled bigots at the Southern Poverty Law Center. And it lies with those who should mind their own business, like the U.K.’s J.K. Rowling, who doesn’t have the first clue about what it means to be American.
And Hollywood—who apparently thinks all its consumers are lefties—wonders why its theater ticket sales are plummeting.
So, if you—oops, I mean your casting agency, Mr. Legend—want to cast a music video that displays Mr. Trump’s supporters as they truly are, you’d first have to open your eyes and see the president’s supporters not as you wish us to be, but as we are: a diverse group of people with varying worldviews—and damned good reasons for voting as we did—who are sick of snobbish, arrogant Hollywood know-nothings pointing at us and labeling us (insert perjorative).
And by the way: Where are all the Black Lives Matter lummoxes you’re so fond of? Did they run out of George Soros’ money? I know this much: they’re certainly not in Texas doing what they can for those they say they care about. Perhaps you should focus on their hypocrisy. And yours.
These older white male Trump supporters fit your job description? I thought better of you. I really did. #CreateUnity not #Division pic.twitter.com/XHuuZtV1zZ
— Caryn Jenkins (@carynjenks) September 4, 2017
By the way: there is literally ONE link on Legend’s Twitter wall regarding Hurricane Harvey; it’s a retweet of a Red Cross donation tweet. That’s it. So much for black lives mattering.
One last thought, Mr. Legend: should Trump win a second term in office, all of us “rednecks”—you know, like the armies of generous patriots transporting their personal watercraft to Texas to help imperiled Texans—will thank people like you, er, your casting agency, for the assist.
Who the heck is John Legend, you may be asking.
Well, he has written and performed a couple of really good songs. That have been played incessantly on most pop stations over the last several years. But they’re still excellent. Get out of your musical echo chamber, Jodi. 😉
As to this outrage du jour? Meh. I tend to believe his disclaimer, given that musicians seldom script or produce/direct their videos. If there’s more solid evidence, I might care.
But, yeah, like to see him do something more than point to the Red Cross as concerns Harvey.
Yep. That’s my biggest problem with him. If he cares so much about the lives of black people in America, where is he when they need him? Instead he’s disrespecting part of his fan base and retweeting the Red Cross.
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