ScreenRant Star Wars Article Epitomizes Everything Wrong With The Left’s Racial Perspectives
It’s no secret that ScreenRant and parent company Valnet have been riding the Woke bandwagon since it became fashionable to do. In the process, they’ve devolved from a legitimate pop culture news source to yet another access media parrot seeking mainstream Hollywood approval, and the subsequent cracker that comes with it.
The incessant seal-clapping has become a major problem for the outlet, with more and more articles taking an opinionated stance on cultural issues that simply do not align with the vast majority of the country. The newest example of ScreenRant’s descent into political bootlicking comes courtesy of writer Emmanuel Noisette, regarding supposed racism over Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show.
It’s worth dissecting the article, just to paint a picture of how obtuse and skewed the Left’s view on racial perspectives really is, and why it will eventually lead to the outlet’s destruction as the cultural pendulum swings away from them. Noisette starts out by touching on the racism directed at Obi-Wan actress Moses Ingram, which is literally a small drop in an ocean at this point.
Yet, the insinuation is obvious from the start – racism is a massive problem in the Star Wars community, and it’s growing like an out-of-control tumor.
Except, it isn’t.
In fact, it represents the same fractional microcosm of racism that exists writ large across the country. Right out of the gate, Noisette starts out with a false pretense, before moving onto the predictable and clichéd checklist of Woke talking points.
“Contrary to the belief that the critiques were about her acting or character, the hundreds of comments directly referred to her race, complexion, and more,” says Noisette. Notice the number given – hundreds. Not hundreds-of-thousands, or tens-of-thousands, or even thousands.
Hundreds.
We’ve seen a few of them, and many don’t amount to racism at all, merely attacks levied against a Star Wars character that very few people like. Others, however, do amount to racist attacks, and that’s par for the course for anyone who has spent a single hour on a social media platform. Racists, bigots and morons are everywhere, and they’re not going away with a snap of the fingers.
Noisette then goes on to reference LucasFilm getting out in front of a freight train that never was – their infamous “There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.” When a person’s narrative is preloaded to think or expect a certain thing, they will look for any single offense to justify it.
Also, I’d love for LucasFilm to name those 20 million species. Seriously.
Naturally, racism should be resisted in all its forms, but the Left keeps making the same mistake over and over again – demanding racism despite short supply. They have no intention of solving racism, or making it go away. Hence, the continued harping on an issue that is nowhere near the “epidemic” we’ve been led to believe.
Next, the author blames LucasFilm, the company, for the attacks levied against Moses Ingram. Here, Noisette actually has something resembling an argument, if for but a brief moment.
Unfortunately, Noisette quickly loses the plot, seconds after picking up the scent. In the article, he states “If the studio knew this harassment would happen, it should have taken more proactive action rather than waiting for the actress to reveal the traumatizing messages; minority actors shouldn’t have to carry that trauma and burden.”
How, exactly? Where is the proposed solution, and what exactly does Noisette consider a “proactive action?” The very statement is obtuse.
This is another common blunder within Leftist circles – point out a small problem, blow it out of proportion to make it seem like what you’re fighting against is larger than it actually is, then propose no actual working solutions. Again, the objective is not to solve the problem, but to use it as a political baton against anyone the Left does not like.
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He continues, “Far more than dealing with the fallout of recasting Star Wars characters, Lucasfilm has to be proactive with harassment. Given the franchise’s history with its minority actors being harassed and facing nasty attacks, a new approach is necessary.”
This is a direct reference to the Kelly Marie Tran debacle, which turned out to be a rather dubious claim of anti-Asian racism with no actual evidence to back up the assertion. Tran deleted her Instagram account after supposedly being attacked by “toxic fandom” consisting of misogynist and racist Star Wars fans.
The article then goes on to bring up attacks made against Star Wars actor John Boyega for being a black stormtrooper, which is ironic, given that Boyega himself once joked about the idea. In the end, most Star Wars fans felt that Boyega’s character Finn was the most likeable of the Disney sequel bunch, adding further irony to the pile.
Noisette really steps in it, however, when he references “online trolls” sending “offensive, racist comments” to High Republic alum Krystina Arielle, which is the height of hypocrisy. This, right here, is the crux of the intersectional identity politics argument posited by the radical Left.
Krystina Arielle is one of the most notorious, overt and venomous racists currently working at LucasFilm, and she makes no effort to hide it. A quick check of her social media feeds is, quite frankly, shocking, but it does reveal the inherent hypocrisy of the Left when it comes to racist hate speech. If they do it, they’re justified and praised as heroes.
Similarly, if Arielle were white, she’d have been given the boot instantly, her career destroyed, and everyone knows it.
Undeterred, Noisette then talks about Star Wars characters representing a “white perspective” for decades. “Obviously, there’s nothing racist about telling a story from a white person’s perspective,” says Noisette. “However, if that is the only perspective presented for over four decades, then it’s no wonder some racist-minded people would feel comfortable with and emboldened by the franchise.”
Mistake number one!
Star Wars is not The Color Purple, and racial perspectives hardly factor into a story set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. This forced diversity mindset has infected every franchise imaginable, most recently Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series. Recently, a so-called “super-fan” video was released to try and hype the series.
It went over like a lead balloon, and Amazon was forced to yank it down after massive fan backlash. The messaging of the video was the same being proselytized by Emmanuel Noisette – let’s force racial diversity for the sake of political messaging into a franchise that would otherwise, in a normal world, be strictly about escapism, and entertainment.
Conservatives, non-Woke liberals and independents have been saying this for a long time. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with introducing racially or sexually diverse characters, but when it’s done for the sake of a intersectional checklist, it immediately turns into political propaganda, instead of just inviting people to join the fun.
Next, Noisette makes the case that black Star Wars actors have gotten the short end of the stick. “Star Wars does include several notable minority actors in various roles, but they don’t get the visibility and attention they deserve. Darth Vader is voiced by legendary Black actor James Earl Jones, despite being depicted as a white male.”
The delusion continues.
“Billy Dee Williams became the first Black actor with a feature role in The Empire Strikes Back but was still regulated to a secondary character. Samuel L. Jackson, who played Mace Windu, was the first Black Jedi featured and was killed off in a way from which other characters have easily returned.”
At no time does Noisette even consider the possibility that James Earl Jones had a cool voice that epitomized Darth Vader as a character, that Billy Dee Williams led the strike team that took down the second Death Star, or that Mace Windu literally beat Darth Sidious in a lightsaber duel, and nearly ended his reign.
Also, Mace was gifted with his own unique lightsaber color that nobody else had.
No, they were all short-changed, you see… because of racism! The pattern becomes more evident. Noisette can’t explain any of this away, so he’s required to switch tactics in order to affirm his own delusions about race. And therein lies the secret – it’s never enough, and it never will be enough for the Woke Left.
I make the argument, as I have many times throughout the years, that Noisette – and other Leftists who share his dementia – are attacking their own side. Hollywood is Leftist HQ, and has been for quite some time, so why is this a problem in the first place? If challenged, Noisette couldn’t give you an answer, because it contradicts his argument.
This is part of a broader narrative on the Left, who seem to be guilty of the very things they’re accusing everyone else of, whether it’s racism, sexual abuse, misogyny, child abuse, etc.
Similarly, the character of Rose Tico didn’t get less screen time in The Rise Of Skywalker because she was Asian. She got less screen time because Rose was a horrible, empty character with annoying habits and an unlikeable personality. Any actor, male or female, from any race could have filled that character’s shoes, and the result would have been the same.
Later, Noisette finally hits the nail on the head, even if he probably doesn’t realize it. He mentions Disney’s horrid treatment of John Boyega, referencing his character Finn getting shrunk on Asian Star Wars posters, and generally being mishandled into oblivion by J.J. Abrams, who openly acknowledged that he had no clue where the sequel trilogy was going in terms of story.
In an ultimate twist of irony, Noisette shines a light on something both Left and Right can actually find common ground on – the issue of LucasFilm and Disney’s hypocrisy regarding not just racism, but its ties to a genocidal Chinese dictatorship, its flip-flopping regarding Florida’s anti-grooming bill, etc.
For a brief moment, one has to wonder if Noisette finally solved the puzzle, but alas, it all goes out the window.
He spends the next part of the article going on and on about actors of color heading up their own shows, directing new films, etc. In his own words, “The various perspectives could impact the storytelling in different ways that could diffuse the negativity harbored by any toxic fans online.”
Once again, a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Left push intersectional identity politics and “racial justice,” which annoys people from all walks of life (and ethnic backgrounds) who don’t buy into their narrative, and simply want entertainment bereft of politics. The resulting backlash then convinces those same Leftists that racism is an even larger problem than they first thought, and the cycle continues.
When Noisette talks about “diffusing negativity,” he’s dreaming in Technicolor. The negativity will expand and grow outwards, but not for the reasons he or his fellow Left-wing slacktivists think. It’s here that the disconnect between the Woke and non-Woke truly manifests.
“It’s important to understand that when it comes to diversity and inclusion, it’s not merely a numbers game or trying to meet an arbitrary quota,” says Noisette. “Quantity does matter, but the quality of the roles matters as well.”
Mistake number two!
It is very much a numbers game, and it’s all about arbitrary quotas. Hollywood has introduced racial and sexual quotas across the board. Was Emmanuel Noisette asleep when the Oscars announced its Woke quotas back in 2020? Will Noisette attempt to gaslight everyone into thinking that quotas are not the principle driving force on the Left?
Then, almost on cue, Noisette goes after LucasFilm and Disney… again.
“It’s great to see Rosario Dawson finally play the lead role of Ahsoka Tano in her own series. However, she’s going to be covered in orange makeup and presented as an alien.” says Noisette, who accurately concludes that Dawson’s character is, in fact, a Togruta, and not a black human.
“Audiences need to see themselves to feel represented, and true inclusion offers a sense of pride when people see their perspectives and stories from an authentic place.” he concludes. Again, notice the mention of “perspectives and stories from an authentic place.” This is codespeak for “put our politics front and center, and make the story a secondary – or tertiary – consideration.”
In conclusion, Emmanuel Noisette makes all the classic mistakes of radical Woke Leftists, yet cannot reason past his own deranged, racist ideology long enough to see the forest for the trees. His article is a wonderful demonstration of the aimlessness of Woke culture, and how it offers no actual, real solutions to the problems it works so hard to cultivate.
Remember, in Noisette’s Left-leaning world, it’s Okay that Universities like Harvard discriminate against Asian-American applicants. That’s not racist.
In Noisette’s Left-leaning world, it’s Okay to get rid of standardized testing in order to artificially prop up racial groups in the name of “racial equity.” That’s not racist.
In Noisette’s Left-leaning world, it’s Okay for race hustlers like Ibram Kendi and Robin D’Angelo to preach that racism should be fought with racism. That’s not racist.
Except it is racist, and it seems like his side is all-too-often the guilty perpetrator. Those who cannot clean up their own backyard should refrain from telling their neighbor to clean up their front yard. That’s not how any of this works.
Noisette finally concludes his sadly misguided article by saying “Star Wars should start making their leads in movies more diverse, never be compromised in their marketing, and continue to trickle down in other mediums. Couple that with strong repudiations of bigotry and continued support of their actors, Star Wars can be the beautiful sci-fi reality the majority of fans believe it to be.”
That will only occur when LucasFilm and fellow extreme Left-wing ilk give up the false narrative that racism is everywhere, lurking on every street corner, and behind the eyes of every Caucasian person. It occurs when they acknowledge that most people across both sides of the political spectrum are not, in fact racist.
However, doing so would mean that we’d return to the days before Barack Obama was elected, and race relations were considered by voters on both sides to be moving in a healthy direction. That simply won’t be tolerated by the modern Left. The racism must continue, and the Left will artificially amplify it, even as real-world racism shrinks.
It must never go away, or so too will the power, as eloquently stated by the great Thomas Sowell.
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