#doing it right
Chills. I can’t imagine my own high school showing up like this less than a decade ago to protest disgusting legislation like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill. The support Gen Z shows for the LGBTQ community is breathtaking.
The fight goes on. Keep it up.
I think you all need to know the consequences of this brave action.
The kid who started the walkout at the original school was indefinitely suspended, even though he had permission for the demonstration (their excuse is that he got permission for the walkout, but not for the little Pride flags he handed out). Other participating kids at other schools have similarly been punished.
Teachers who supported students walking out are also being punished, fired, blacklisted from working at other schools.
Homophobic kids are ratting out their fellow students and teachers for supporting the walkout to get them in trouble with school administrations.
The consequences are continuing.
So yes, applaud this - this is great, and it’s brave, and it’s inspiring. But be aware of what the reaction has been.
I agree that we do need to be aware of the reaction but like… why do you think we are talking about it being so chillingly brave? My heart stops every time I see people doing stuff like this, not because I am scared of their protest, but because I know the risks they are facing to do so, I know or can guess the possible consequences, I know what would have happened as OP said even a decade ago. Do you think everyone (anyone) sees this and goes “this was only done because there would be no consequences”? Where do you think we think the bravery stems from?
Bravery isn’t just about doing the right thing when others are doing the wrong thing or doing the right thing only when there are no consequences for doing so, nor is it only about being scared and doing something anyway. That “being scared” part? There is something legitimately there to be scared of- the consequences. And bravery in this instance is being scared of exactly that reaction and then doing it anyway because it is right. Bravery in this instance is a large group of people saying “I know this will likely hurt me, but I cannot let them hurt others without protest.”
I may not have heard the exact details of this particular situation, but it’s not hard to guess in general what they’ve faced to do this. And their protest is great, and brave, and inspiring because of what the reaction might have and has been, not in spite of it.
Rick Riordan’s response to the racism and hatred directed at Leah after she was cast as Annabeth:
“Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase”
“This post is specifically for those who have a problem with the casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase. It’s a shame such posts need to be written, but they do. First, let me be clear I am speaking here only for myself. These thoughts are mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the opinions of any part of Disney, the TV show, the production team, or the Jeffries family.
The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be. Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth’s strength. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind hero they want to be.
If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. You have no one else to blame. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong. As strong as Leah is, as much as we have discussed the potential for this kind of reaction and the intense pressure this role will bring, the negative comments she has received online are out of line. They need to stop. Now.
I was quite clear a year ago, when we announced our first open casting, that we would be following Disney’s company policy on nondiscrimination: We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to disability, gender, race and ethnicity, age, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other basis prohibited by law. We did that. The casting process was long, intense, massive and exhaustive.
I have been clear, as the author, that I was looking for the best actors to inhabit and bring to life the personalities of these characters, and that physical appearance was secondary for me. We did that. We took a year to do this process thoroughly and find the best of the best. This trio is the best. Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase.
Some of you have apparently felt offended or exasperated when your objections are called out online as racist. “But I am not racist,” you say. “It is not racist to want an actor who is accurate to the book’s description of the character!”
Let’s examine that statement.
You are upset/disappointed/frustrated/angry because a Black actor has been cast to play a character who was described as white in the books. “She doesn’t look the way I always imagined.”
You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leah’s years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit. Without having seen her play the part, you have pre-judged her (pre + judge = prejudice) and decided she must have been hired simply to fill a quota or tick a diversity box. And by the way, these criticisms have come from across the political spectrum, right and left.
You have decided that I couldn’t possibly mean what I have always said: That the true nature of the character lies in their personality. You feel I must have been coerced, brainwashed, bribed, threatened, whatever, or I as a white male author never would have chosen a Black actor for the part of this canonically white girl.
You refuse to believe me, the guy who wrote the books and created these characters, when I say that these actors are perfect for the roles because of the talent they bring and the way they used their auditions to expand, improve and electrify the lines they were given. Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true.
You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white.
Friends, that is racism.
And before you resort to the old kneejerk reaction — “I am not racist!” — let’s examine that statement too.
If I may quote from an excellent recent article in the Boston Globe about Dr. Khama Ennis, who created a program on implicit bias for the Massachusetts Board of Registration for Medicine in Boston: “To say a person doesn’t have bias is to say that person isn’t human. It’s how we navigate the world … based on what we’re taught and our own personal histories.”
Racism/colorism isn’t something we have or don’t have. I have it. You have it. We all do. And not just white people like me. All people. It’s either something we recognize and try to work on, or it’s something we deny. Saying “I am not racist!” is simply declaring that you deny your own biases and refuse to work on them.
The core message of Percy Jackson has always been that difference is strength. There is power in plurality. The things that distinguish us from one another are often our marks of individual greatness. You should never judge someone by how well they fit your preconceived notions. That neurodivergent kid who has failed out of six schools, for instance, may well be the son of Poseidon. Anyone can be a hero.
If you don’t get that, if you’re still upset about the casting of this marvelous trio, then it doesn’t matter how many times you have read the books. You didn’t learn anything from them.
Watch the show or don’t. That’s your call. But this will be an adaptation that I am proud of, and which fully honors the spirit of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, taking the bedtime story I told my son twenty years ago to make him feel better about being neurodivergent, and improving on it so that kids all over the world can continue to see themselves as heroes at Camp Half-Blood.”
(x)
Beyond his art, Neal Adams is rightfully remembered as an eternal champion of creators’ rights and for the part he & his work played in the Comics Code revision of ‘71 but his contribution to John Stewart’s creation is – I think – a rather underrated aspect of his career, especially as it’s such a great reminder of the kind of person he was. Taken from an interview conducted and transcribed by Allen W. Wright over at the Green Arrow: Bold Archer fansite, here’s Neal discussing John’s beginnings (x).
I only met him once or twice, but all the above is true to Neal’s voice as I remember it (from those Friday-night get-togethers that DC people had sometimes in a nearby bar, back in the days when their offices were still at 666 5th Avenue).
…He’s so much missed.
I didn’t know any of that. And I thought I knew my DC lore.
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Katherine Applegate tweeted this letter yesterday in response to the absolute bullshit going down in the Texas and her intent on missing the TLA conference (click the link for transcript in tweet form).
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Christmas can be a hard time for some people.
Don’t judge people or get angry if they won’t come to your function, maybe they’re doing their best just to keep their heart beating today.
Don’t expect people to bring presents, it’s been a hard year, they might be struggling just to put food on the table, keep the lights on or buy their meds.
Don’t force the holiday spirit on people. Some people have suffered severe trauma through the holiday period. You still expect them to be jolly about it just for you?
Christmas is a time to love, to be kind and care for others. Not to force big parties, bankruptcy, meltdowns or flashbacks on others.
Fuck societies expectations. Just spread the love.
I left Doom at Your Service unfinished for weeksbecause I was worried about a sad ending and didn’t think I could handle it, only to discover that it had the most perfect ending ever? Has a drama ever ended so happily?
I. Am. In. Heaven.
