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I usually try to keep a consistent influx of material for you all, but I was sick last weekend. Excuses, Excuses. I know. The catch-up has been crucial but I will make it up Sunday with exclusives from The GTW! I can't wait to release The GTW Takeover! Be sure to visit everyday for our must hear GTW tracks. =D
I hate to talk about a topic that so many people have spoken on, but after much deliberation, I figured I'd burst your bubble anyway. CAUTION: Scandal lovers may not like this post. Before I begin. I would like to make a disclaimer. I believe that the writer of Scandal, Shonda Rhimes, is brilliant. The plot and story line are interesting and compelling. I also think Kerry Washington is one hell of an actress. I am very proud of Washington's breakthrough role as the first African American star on Prime Time television. Now that my niceties are out of the way, let me give you my full opinion. As a Black woman with hopes of being successful and having a family, I have many problems with the character Olivia Pope. Though she is a hard working, educated woman, she still is reduced to being a sex symbol. Why is that? Why is it that the only time we can have a Black female star on prime time television, she is reduced to having intercourse with a married man? Olivia Pope's character would have been just as compelling, maybe even more so, if she were to have a family of her own. I know I sound like i'm beating a dead horse, but I posit that there is more wrong with Olivia Pope than just her role as a sex symbol. CAUTION: Progressive Black thought entering... Olivia Pope's character promotes a continuation of the assumption that Black women serve no purpose in society, except for being the love interest to men. Don't believe me? Try to force yourself to see Olivia Pope and President Fitz's relationship outside of the context of the master/house slave love relationship after these next few sentences.
The role that Ms. Washington plays reveals the real issues in American Drama and Literature/ It reveals that not much has changed since the early 19th century in regards to race and gender relations. Women, especially Black women, don't get awarded unless they are degrading themselves. The only Best Actress Award given to a Black woman to date totes a full on naked appearance. We have just become glorified sex objects. Now, racist and sexist projections are slyly entered into culture, subliminally affecting how we see ourselves. So you see, the scandal in Scandal is that racist depictions of our culture have only been covered with accolades and fat payoffs. The scandal is that now we are allowing ourselves to play these role because they come with breakthrough time slots, Emmy nominations, and paychecks. I too was in the Scandal haze, until I had to chew on the nasty fatback of questioning the reality of myself having to be some White man's whore when I could afford a 401K. I was stuck at the fork in the road of whether to support this television show, which deserves an Emmy for it's drama. or boycott it for continuing the ideas that successful Black women cannot have families of their own. My final decision has been to stand outside of the masses who watch it, but join the ranks who read of the latest drama between Fitz an Olivia on Twitter. Hey, I'm an English Major. I do like good drama, just not at the expense of my own portrayal. Hope I didn't ruin your #ScandalThursday. I'm sure you'll still tune in at ten. |
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More About MkMk is 23 year old Chicagoan. She attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., studying English. Now back in Chicago, Mk has focused on writing her truths. Outside of ATS, she also writes on Youth Alert, a blog for young Christian believers. Mk is also a stylist at Akira Hyde Park. When she isn't working on the Mag, Youth Alert, or at Akira, Mk is with her family, she spends her time with a good book or cooking.
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