Thread by @DrJasonJohnson

This mindset fascinates me. When black people critique Hollywood for failing at representation for decades mostly white studios said we should stop begging to get into movies and "make our own". Now that is the go-to response for black people caping for problematic television

https://twitter.com/IamJovonW/status/1450447723832954881

Pointing out the consistent erasure of MOC and the one sided diversity of straight and queer couples in high profile #Netflix shows amounts to "begging" for inclusion 🤔 Would he make that same argument about Afro-Latin erasure in #TheHeights ? That criticism was "begging" ?

@YouNetflix is part of a long standing theme in Hollywood where "diversity" means centering straight white men and adding a bevy of poorly developed sexually available WOC around them. It's a problem, it's not new but change only occurs when you point it out. But there's more...

#Lupin #Zero #Bridgerton #ClickBait #SexLife all highly promoted Netflix Streamers none of which feature prominent black couples. It's almost as if the only way black people are featured is as half of an IR couple or the sassy black/queer/hood friend. Consumers deserve better

Stop "begging to get into white shows" is the reflexive response of black consumers trained to believe they are only allowed to exist in certain storylines or places. It's also an easy way to deflect from evaluating a show you like by attacking the criticism

I'm much less concerned w/ bean counting the number of black people in any given show than I am about HOW the black characters in a show are depicted and thier story arcs. EX #HacksOnHBOMax features a fleshed out Black / Afro-Latino queer couple, sadly, that's incredibly rare

Any couples featuring two black characters in a relationship are incredibly rare in any high profile streaming/ cable/ TV dramas and that TOO is a huge problem worth noting as a black consumer. Although there are many who'd rather ignore it