Yet many saw a disturbing pattern being followed instead of a joke. "One stupid joke in a lifetime of fighting 4 civil rights 4 all minorities, against networks, studios, at the expense of my nervous system/family/wealth will NEVER be taken from me." Nugent calls Fla."I'm not a racist, I never was & I never will be," she wrote Wednesday. Follow him at /LengelOnTheater and /KerryLengel.ĪBC renews 'Roseanne.' Can Trump tweet be far behind? Besides, what pop culture isn’t problematic? Isn’t it, in fact, the very place where we work out our problems? I’ve been thinking about how nothing will change if we keep consuming problematic pop culture without demanding anything better.”ĭemanding ideological purity from our entertainment isn’t going to make our lives richer. I’ve also been thinking about accountability and the repercussions of our choices. having principles and enjoying things that challenge those principles. Here’s the truth: If you’re white and fancy yourself some version of “woke,” the most uncomfortable conversations you have are with loved ones who see the world differently from you. The contradictions that Gay sees onscreen play out in living rooms across the country. He loves her unconditionally - even when he’s wearing his Trump pin. To put the icing on the cake, a few months later, Dad met his youngest great-granddaughter, who, like the “tokenized” granddaughter on “Roseanne,” has one black parent. They act as if love can protect the most vulnerable members of their family from the repercussions of their political choices.
They voted for a president who doesn’t think the black life of their granddaughter matters. I could not overlook how the Conner family came together to support Mark as he was bullied at school for his gender presentation, after voting for a president who actively works against the transgender community. But I could not set aside what I know of Roseanne Barr and how toxic and dangerous her current public persona is. My first reaction was that the show was excellent.
“I laughed, yes, and enjoyed seeing the Conner family back on my screen. The crux of Gay’s objections (caution, mild spoiler ahead): But after watching the same two episodes that Gay did, I’m going to keep watching. And if anyone wants to boycott “Roseanne” because of Barr’s defiant public persona, or simply skip the show because it doesn’t resonate with their experience of the cultural civil war we have all found ourselves in, that’s perfectly fine by me. I agree with (almost) every word of Gay’s critique. But ultimately she rejects ABC’s vaunted reboot both for the Trumpian politics of the sitcom’s creator, Roseanne Barr, and because some of those views are reflected in the characters and the plot. Gay, an outspoken champion of intersectional feminism, gives props to the original “Roseanne,” the ’80s sitcom that broke new ground in portraying working-class characters. I’m not going to keep watching.” - is showing up all over my Facebook feed, posted and reposted by progressive friends. The author of “Bad Feminist” and “Hunger” is a vital voice on identity issues, which is no doubt why her latest essay in the New York Times - “The ‘Roseanne’ Reboot Is Funny.