Stacey Dash Approves Of White Actor Cast As Michael Jackson
Stacey Dash has weighed in on the controversy over Joseph Fiennes being cast as the late King of Pop Michael Jackson in an upcoming TV movie.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, the actress’s pronouncements on TV or on social media are usually met a lot of hostility and backlash on Twitter, and other popular media channels and online social media sites. Dash also gets it from many of her peers in the entertainment industry, and the response to her opinion about the white Shakespeare in Love actor getting the Jackson role will likely be no different.
The storyline of the above-mentioned movie, a comedy, revolves around a supposed road trip by Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando that happened in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attack in New York City.
On her blog, the Clueless star and Fox News commentator argued that many in and out of Hollywood who have condemned the casting decision are missing the big picture about diversity and inclusion.
“But I say, BRAVO! I’m sick and tired of being told ‘Sorry, Stacey, this is a Caucasian-only role.’ Counterintuitively, this decision by Hollywood — which looks like a diss to blacks — is actually what we’ve been saying all along: roles should NOT be based on color…”
Stacey Dash shares her opinion on a white actor playing Michael Jackson: https://t.co/eusiCjHS0R pic.twitter.com/1PkVyLSE4B
— E! News (@enews) February 4, 2016
By way of evidence, she added that a current Broadway hit about the life of Alexander Hamilton features mainly actors of color portraying the Founding Fathers.
“I don’t care about the race of the actors portraying historical figures and I can’t wait to see Joseph’s portrayal of Jackson…It’ll be amazing as long as he plays him truthfully and authentically… I want to see more of this diversity and thinking outside of the box with the equality that this designation entails — this is the right track. “
On her 49th birthday last month, while discussing the Oscars diversity controversy, Dash outraged Twitter by calling for the end of the BET network and the BET Awards (which set off a feud with BET) on grounds that they are a form of segregation and denounced Black History month for similar reasons. She subsequently wrote that “Black history IS American history. We are not a category or a special interest group. We are Americans. Our accomplishments cannot be limited to 28 days.”
Whether you think the Clueless actress is clueless, the fact that the entertainment community seems to be tolerant of just one point of view would be difficult to describe as edgy on the part of an industry that generally prides itself on edginess.
Stacey Dash on Casting White Man to Play Michael Jackson: ‘Bravo!’ https://t.co/DT3jGwaFst pic.twitter.com/HtCFg3ebOU
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) February 4, 2016
Responding to all the Twitter hate, Dash — who grew up in a rough South Bronx neighborhood — decided to set the record straight in a separate blog post, and advised the black community, in her words, to wake up.
“I’m not ashamed that I’m black. I’m half Black and half Mexican. I don’t hate my skin. What I hate is the stereotypes that so-called ‘black entertainment’ has created. I hate they say that I am not ‘black enough’ once I open my mouth. I hate that liberals make the rules – white liberals are the most racist people I’ve ever met. They demand that black people act a certain way, vote a certain way, and think a certain way. ‘You aren’t black enough,’ I’ve been told by producers. Why would a white man say that me, a black woman? Because they have a stereotypical view of black people that they want to portray to the world. I don’t fit the mold. Blacks go along with it without even realizing they’re short changing themselves.”
Stacey Dash’s contrarian views started to emerge about three years ago. You may recall that in October of 2012, when the 2008 Obama voter originally tweeted an endorsement of GOP nominee Mitt Romney for president, she was flamed on social media in a most vulgar, offensive, and, at times, racially charged way — a phenomenon that is ongoing. Again whether you agree or disagree with her, she has riled up her Twitter detractors a whole bunch of times since then for going against the liberal Hollywood consensus.
The Stacey Dash memoir, There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative, has a June 2016 publication date.
[Photo by Alexandra Wyman/Invision for America Film/AP Images]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8Eh-Kf7lY
