Why Memes Around Breonna Taylor's Death Are Not Doing Her Story Any Justice
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with pop culture critic Cate Young about the proliferation of memes around Breonna Taylor's death and how many disregard Taylor and her story.
The Problems With Black Suffering On-Screen
If trauma is person-dependent, then is the label “trauma porn” erroneous? Depends on who you ask. When comparing Candy’s storyline on Pose to When They See Us, pop culture critic Cate Young says, “When They See Us is witnessing the actual trauma these men witnessed and have audiences recognize that pain. I think it’s more far off to call Candy’s storyline as trauma porn, because these women are always subject to that kind of violence. Pose is supposed to be a venue where they can shine and not be subject to the kind of stories that we know happen in real life.”
The Impact of Netflix’s When They See US
A brief interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chris Warburton about the impact of Netflix’s new limited series When They See Us based on the Central Park Jogger case of 1989.
@Battymamzelle Talks About Why We All Need To Be Watching Hulu’s Shrill
Shrill is one of the first series to truly explore what experiencing fatphobia is like, but it also makes room for joy. "Shrill is the first time I've really seen a fat woman represented in a way that did not pity them." @battymamzelle talks about the new Hulu series based on Lindy West's memoir.
Widening The Lens: Integrating The Toronto International Film Festival
Cate Young […] published an essay during the festival for Jezebel critiquing the racial politics of a new Nazi-era interracial romance called "Where Hands Touch" starring Amandla Stenberg and has several other pieces from the festival in the works. She says, as a critic based in Trinidad and Tobago, many of these films will never open in cinemas around her. "I follow a lot of critics on Twitter and I'm always outside those conversations," Young says. "I never had access to those spaces. For the first time I was on the inside in a meaningful way. It was just great to be around people who take films so seriously, which was new for me."
For Harry Potter Fans, Johnny Depp’s Presence In “Fantastic Beasts” Is Painful
Many also noted Sony’s recent decision to replace Kevin Spacey in All the Money in the World as an example of a contentious lead actor who was replaced even when it was inconvenient. In that case, Christopher Plummer stepped into Spacey’s former role following sexual assault allegations against Spacey. At the time it was an unprecedented move; now it’s publicly, provably possible. “If Ridley Scott can reshoot an entire movie in two weeks, you can recast Johnny Depp,” Harry Potter fan Cate Young told BuzzFeed News.
BUZZSAW MAGAZINE: Taylor Swift and White Feminism
White feminism is easily marketable, as its lack of tenacity in critiquing patriarchy and its emphasis on empowering women allows it to appear more respectable, and thereby more palatable, to a mass audience. And for stars like Swift, who want to appeal to their audiences but don’t want to incite too much controversy, white feminism becomes an effective way to seem in touch with the sociopolitical sphere without the baggage.
Viola Davis And The 'White Feminist' Backlash
But as Young and others have explained it, “white feminism” is not necessarily feminism by white people. Instead, it is feminism for whites — that is, it benefits only whites. The term is a way to caution feminists who might ignore the lives and experiences of women of color.
The Brutal Truth Every White Feminist Needs to Hear
White feminists often "forget" to apply an intersectional framework to issues that affect women, Young said. For example, last year's viral video targeting street harassment "served to reinforce racist narratives about men of color preying on white women," she said. "That no one in the organization was able to pinpoint that as an issue before the video was released is an example of how non-intersectional thinking can give us blinders about things that matter very much to women who aren't facing the same issues as us."
Reclaiming The Booty: Nicki Minaj Shows Black Women's Challenges
"The advantage that white women have is that they are automatically presumed to be sexually pure, so any deviation from that is seen as a break from the patriarchal confines of sexual oppression," said Cate Young, author of the feminist pop culture blog BattyMamzelle.