Twitter Eviscerates White Saviors, Magical POC and More #TiredMediaTropes
Writer Robert Jones Jr., who writes about social justice under the moniker "Son of Baldwin," instigated widespread lampooning of the most persistent discriminatory entertainment and media themes when he launched the trending #TiredMediaTropes hashtag on Twitter yesterday (January 4).
He told Colorlines via email that the hashtag originated in a private conversation with film critic ReBecca Theodore-Vachon, journalist Rebecca Carroll and author Daniel José Older. Theodore-Vachon shared a flattering TV Guide review of a new episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" where the show's White protagonists turn into a Black family after watching "The Wiz":
Tonight's #ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia's "turning black" episode is pretty brilliant https://t.co/Eg7xUgHifn @alwayssunny pic.twitter.com/zblU7wuPtU
— TV Guide (@TVGuide) January 4, 2017
"I immediately began to tweet my disgust at the premise (which I found to be a kind of contemporary Blackface) and received pushback from White and Black fans of the show," Jones said. "The show's fans told me that I have to understand the 'context' of the show and because it takes racist potshots at everyone, it's 'not really racist.' I found that logic to be flawed and I rejected it."
The episode and original conversation, as well as the responses to his criticism, led Jones to create the hashtag and accumulate other demeaning tropes with the following tweets:
#TiredMediaTropes "The Aw Shucks Lovable Bigot"
— Son of Baldwin (@SonofBaldwin) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes "The Black Queer Person that Only Dates White People"
— Son of Baldwin (@SonofBaldwin) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes "The Black Woman Must Be Lighter than The Black Man She's With"
— Son of Baldwin (@SonofBaldwin) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes "The White Person Whose 'Down' Just Because They Like Rap Music"
— Son of Baldwin (@SonofBaldwin) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes "If There's Two Black Women on a Show, They Must Be Enemies and Fist Fight at Some Point"
— Son of Baldwin (@SonofBaldwin) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes White People Making Themselves Central to Everyone Else's Stories pic.twitter.com/DB1XxAp2t4
— Son of Baldwin (@SonofBaldwin) January 4, 2017
Other users quickly started tweeting their own examples:
5 white actors 1 black actor and either 1 Latinx actor or 1 Asian actor= #Diversity #TiredMediaTropes pic.twitter.com/vyRYofM91Y
— ¥Shogun Mila¥ (@milah212) January 4, 2017
Asian women are only either shy delicate flowers or femme fatale dragon ladies & neither can resist white male desire. #tiredmediatropes
— Michi Trota (@GeekMelange) January 4, 2017
When a show wants ALL OF THE DIVERSITY CREDITS for hiring a latina/biracial actress but the character she plays is white.#TiredMediaTropes
— Shanelle Little (@ShanelleLittle) January 4, 2017
No Portrayals of Latinx Intellectuals/Artists/Leaders. Instead we are gangbangers/rapists/criminals/servants/feisty/loud #tiredmediatropes
— Xicanx Futurism @LainieEscovedo) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes Native peoples being helpless until a white man comes along and shows them how to fight back. pic.twitter.com/sddCgrN9ik
— Eric Hanke (@Eric_Hanke) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes Black main character(s) used as a plot device for the white characters to better themselves #WhitePrivilege pic.twitter.com/qtwcmnLII0
— Funk Force (@FunkForceFilm) January 4, 2017
Every gay film is from a white, fit, young man's prespective #TiredMediaTropes
— Viktor T. (@wondermann5) January 4, 2017
False belief that PoC didn't exist in Europe in medieval days,so they betta not show up, however all dragons are welcomed. #tiredmediatropes
— WhatFreshHellisThis? (@LisaBolekaja) January 4, 2017
Whenever there's an interracial relationship, it must always involve a white person. You can have two POC, you know. #TiredMediaTropes
— Me? I'm tight AF! (@Yoo_Tori) January 4, 2017
Male actors can damn near be 70 years old and still run around in action flicks, while a woman over 30 is shelved. #tiredmediatropes
— WhatFreshHellisThis? (@LisaBolekaja) January 4, 2017
Arab women are depicted as hypersexualised props or submissive and abused wives of their "terrorist" male counterparts #tiredmediatropes
— dardishi (@dardishi) January 4, 2017
#TiredMediaTropes inspiring disabled people 'touched by God' exceedingly good humored about the lack of services etc....
— #AuditTheVote (@hyperlocavore) January 5, 2017
@SonofBaldwin #TiredMediaTropes the wise, ancient Asian (somehow played by a white person).
— Luigi Board (@Onefourfiveone) January 4, 2017
Share the tropes you're tired of in the comments.