Lena Waithe is facing a negative reaction on social media to her new series “They”, some saying that “they thought a white person wrote it” because of the portrayal of racial violence.
Several people took to Twitter on Saturday accusing the show of resorting to “hate crime fantasies” because of a scene in the fifth episode in which a baby is brutally killed while his mother is being raped.
The new horror series tells the fictional story of a black family moving from North Carolina to a completely white neighborhood in Compton, Los Angeles, during the Great Migration of the 1950s.
Despite the hope that this move will be an escape from Jim Crow’s south, the Emory family will quickly face the danger of supernatural forces and racism from their new white neighbors who, among other things, throw the word n in their front lawn.
Lena Waithe is facing a negative reaction on social media to her new series “They” (promotional poster in the image), some saying that “they thought a white person wrote it” because of the portrayal of racial violence
The series, created by black producer and writer Little Marvin and produced by Emmy Waithe award-winning black producer, actress and screenwriter, was released on Amazon Prime Video Friday.
But anger over the series erupted in large part after the Los Angeles Times published a play asking if the series had gone “too far.”
The review highlighted a flashback moment in episode five that showed the child being killed before the family moved away from North Carolina.
On stage, Lucky’s mother hides her son Chester in a closet while a white crowd enters her house.
The crowd finds them, and the men sexually assault Lucky, while the woman stuffs the baby into a pillow and throws him while chanting “cat in the bag” before leaving the baby on the floor, killing him.
The episode in question was written by Little Marvin and Dominic Orlando and directed by Janicza Bravo.
Social media users cracked down on the violent description and slammed it on Waithe, calling into question the description of violence against people of color, with some calling it “propaganda for white terrorists.”
“I have been a super fan of horror for over 30 years. “They” of Lena Waithe is the cheapest kind of horror, “wrote one person.
“It is propaganda for white terrorists and tortured porn fetishes. There is a huge difference between fear and disgust. The show is disgusting.
The series, created by black producer and writer Little Marvin (left) and produced by black producer, Emmy Award-winning actress and screenwriter Waithe (right), was released on Amazon Prime Video Friday
Another person intervened: “Lena Waithe, like a lot of bourgeois black artists, uses black trauma to give the depth of their work that she is too lazy or unable to offer.
“Too often people treat a work as profound, because blacks are victimized and Waithe doubles down to look profound.”
Others question how black people approved the series.
“I think lena waithe should review them and try to decipher who her target audience was,” one person wrote.
“Who exactly was this series for?” honestly, when I saw the trailers for this and read about the series, I thought a white person wrote it. DO NOT look at them. ”
Another agreed: “How far Lena Waithe could go could be a sign that there is still little or no diversity in these rooms, because there is no way Lena has told this story to a living black person who received a green light “.
“Lena Waithe will pay for her crimes against the black community,” wrote a person next to a memo of an angry Barney dinosaur.
Several people took to Twitter on Saturday to throw out what they claim is appealing to “hate crime fantasies” for a brutal scene in the fifth episode in which a child is brutally killed while his mother is raped
Both Waithe and Little Marvin are black.
Little Marvin defended the spectacle of violence, saying that it was necessary for the “authenticity” of the experience of people of color in that period in America.
“Yes, there is a concern, but at the end of the day, I, as an artist, have to stay with me and fight for the authenticity of the show,” he told the LA Times.
“If I can sleep at night knowing that the whole business has authenticity and integrity, then I’m fine.”
He said the goal was not to be “a provocative or hot button,” but to ask two things: “What terrified us the most and what made us feel the truest.” Usually, these two things were the same.
The executive producer also highlighted the key moment of its launch, as he said it is “a scary place in 2021”.
“We are incredibly fractured and divided in the middle,” he said.
“There are people who want to bring the country back to a period they consider great and there are people who are fighting for progress. This is a scary place in 2021. ‘
The nation is facing racial reckoning following the death of George Floyd and several murders by black police officers.
The new horror series tells the fictional story of a black family moving from North Carolina to a completely white neighborhood in Compton, Los Angeles, during the Great Migration of the 1950s. A clip from the show
Despite the hope that this move will be an escape from Jim Crow’s south, the Emory family is quickly faced with the danger of both supernatural forces and racism from their new white neighbors who, among other things, throw the word n in their lawn. front.
The trial of white police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of Floyd is currently underway in Minneapolis court.
Floyd’s death has sparked renewed calls for racial justice and an end to systemic racism, but it is also growing as concerns about the resurgence of white supremacy and extremism.
Little Marvin said he has seen shocking videos of violence against people of color in recent times that inspired him to tell the story of “They.”
“My inspiration was to wake up every day and watch cell phone videos of black people being terrorized in certain respects, whether by threats from the police, surveillance or something else,” he said.
“This history goes back to the founding of our country. I was also thinking about the American Dream. There is nothing more iconic about this than owning your own home.
“There is great pride in this, especially for people of color. But, as you know, it was just a dream. It was a nightmare for people of color.
Little Marvin defended the violence by saying that it shows the “authenticity” of the experience of racism and several users of social networks agreed that those who criticize it are just “uncomfortable” who face the reality of racism
Several users of social networks have agreed with the creators, arguing that those who criticize the description of violence are just “uncomfortable” facing the reality of racism.
“#THEM on Amazon is crazy. This new kind of horror that examines black trauma through racism will not go away soon, “one person wrote.
“And judging by the reviews, it makes our melanin-free friends uncomfortable. So you know it’s okay.
Another person agreed, replying, “I’m glad you’re enjoying it (?!)! I couldn’t understand more – I heard a reviewer say it’s too much and he wished she had been called back.
“I’m missing the whole point.” A very difficult show to work on all things considered, but I’m glad it gets the recognition.
Criticism was largely directed at Waithe, who is better known than Little Marvin, after she became the first woman of color to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a comedy series for the Netflix comedy series Master of None.