Ayyyoooo!
I’m coming at you on Juneteenth, and I think it’s incredibly important to acknowledge that before I get going here. Hoping everyone can set aside some time today to reflect on what this day means and why it’s getting a much deserved spotlight this year.
Here is one thing I’ll be reading today to commemorate June 19th.
Let’s get to it!
The Celebs are At It Again
They’re back, baby. Let’s dig in.
Oh man. There’s almost too much to unpack here. Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents.
Let’s start with actor Aaron Paul, the second person we see in the video. My guy, the folded “prayer hands emoji” pose (🙏)? The somber look down at the floor followed by a contrite gaze into the camera? The dramatic delivery? Aaron, you’re doing too much my dude. Next, let’s analyze the black and white filter on the video. Why, though? To let people know that this is really serious? To emphasize the fact that “taking responsibility” is a black and white issue? Couple the coloring of the video with the ridiculously somber piano notes scoring the sequence, and it’s just way too over the top. We get it y’all, you’re in your emotions on this one. I’d also like to call attention to the fact that many of the participants here are CLEARLY reading their lines. As if it wasn’t already obvious that there were producers carefully coordinating every last move here, you had to have Stanley Tucci reading things like “I’ve been a very, very bad boy” from cue cards behind the camera?
This video makes me think less highly of Kristen Bell. And I don’t want to think less highly of Kristen Bell! I like Kristen Bell! Everything I’ve heard and read about her makes her seem like a cool, down to earth person. But yeah, taking part in this little group project makes me doubt her judgment a little bit.
And can we circle back on Aaron Paul for just one second? Aaron Paul was doing the absolute MOST in this vid. The last 20 seconds of this video display the most egregious case of overacting that I’ve seen in quite some time. He really dug deep on that one. He ratcheted the “emotional vulnerability” scale up to a full 10. The last time he overacted like this, he won himself an Emmy - maybe he’s just gunning for that award-winning status again? But seriously, my guy is overacting more than Mark Ruffalo in the notorious “They Knew!” scene from Spotlight. Speaking of Marky Mark, where was Ruffalo for this video?!
To conclude, “I Take Responsibility” is a pretty rough watch, you guys.
As of the time of writing this, the video is what the kids like to call “getting ratio’d” - it has 807 likes compared to a whopping 27,000 dislikes on YouTube. The comment section for the video has been disabled fully, which is never a good sign! That rarely happens and can really only mean that early commenters weren’t holding anything back. Let’s pull a little sampling of the takes on Twitter, shall we?
Oh. Damn.
I can’t stop watching it. I can’t get enough.
“I Take Responsibility” calls to mind the infamous “Imagine” fiasco from early on in the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The two star-studded outputs have a lot in common. In both, you have a group of largely white celebrities preaching a message of solidarity and unity to their legions of fans. The message is well-meaning. There’s nothing sinister or ill-intentioned about it, but it also lacks in substance. The performances are just that: they’re performative, shallow gestures of unity in an era when much more is needed. More than that, the contributions are overly self-important. They imply that people are eagerly waiting on pins and needles for their messages - that people just cannot carry on without hearing from their favorite actors on the issues du jour. At a time when a lot of people are badly struggling and in many cases fighting for their lives, they don’t need this hollow nonsense. It’s corny.
Knowing and acknowledging that these displays of solidarity are poorly executed, though, I’ve been wracking my brain over the last few days to analyze how they come together. Why do celebrities do this, when they can so easily just……not?
I think a lot of the disconnect boils down to the social circles celebrities run in and the feedback loops they’re consequently a part of. In the last few years, a lot has been made of the fact that our friend groups and social media networks are echo chambers - that we surround ourselves with people who share similar vantage points and thus are exposed to a limited sampling of opinions. This fact of modern life has been exposed time and again, most famously in the 2016 election but also routinely as social media companies and their societal impact has been called more critically into question. We’re all in our own bubbles to a certain extent - we all know the trope of the “millennial coastal elite” by now. But when that bubble consists of the most elite echelon of Hollywood actors and actresses? Man, that’s a super bougie bubble!
This bubble effect can lead to a certain detachment from reality. When your group text consists of an Emmy-winning actor, a popstar with billions of YouTube views, and literally Wonder Woman, are you really the most tuned in to what message would be the most impactful for people in challenging times like these? The detachment from reality extends to the feedback loops they’re receiving as well. When your feedback loop consists of a homogenous group of incredibly powerful, very rich, largely white people, one would be fair to question just how much these people are being questioned. Maybe it’d be worth adding one person to the brainstorm session who *doesn’t* live in Hollywood Hills, drive a Tesla, and shop at Erewhon for their snacks!
Last year’s drama involving Ellen DeGeneres and a Dallas Cowboys football game is illustrative of the feedback loop effect described above. I don’t want to digress too far into celebrity gossip minutiae (if you’re really interested, you can get caught up on all the deets here), but the key points are thus: Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi sat in Jerry Jones’s box for a game between the Packers and Cowboys. Ellen sat next to George W. Bush. People got mad that she sat next to President Bush and was friendly with him. People’s anger went viral and forced Ellen to talk about the situation on her show.
The comparison between Ellen’s controversy and that of the unfortunate celebrity solidarity videos is an imperfect one — luckily none of the celebrities in the above videos have been loudly called out for their association with an anti-LGBTQ President who bogged America down in unnecessary warfare for years. Yet, similarities can be found in the comments section of Ellen’s video explaining her friendship with George Dubya. The top comments on her Instagram post indicate that her famous pals agree with her decisions to associate with whomever she’d like.
When the loudest voices in Ellen’s world are fully in support of her every action, how surprised can you be when she fails to consider that people may disagree with a seemingly straightforward decision to attend a game with some friends?
The saddest and most ironic thing about the “I Take Responsibility” mishap? It wasn’t just a tone-deaf video with moral platitudes; the clip was actually filmed to promote a very good cause. The video debuted in tandem with a website launch that provided people with ways to take action. Visitors to the ITakeResponsibility.org are encouraged to sign petitions that fight police brutality, donate to Black Lives Matter-related causes, and mobilize upcoming voting efforts. Unfortunately, these noble efforts were clouded by a woefully over-the-top video that obfuscated the message. A few years down the line, we won’t remember the website, the causes it pushed, or what resulted from it. We’ll only remember the black and white video, the cue cards, and Aaron Paul’s truly absurd performance.
In “8:46,” Dave Chappelle’s newly-released surprise special that hit the airwaves last week, the comedian reflects on why people yearn to hear from people like him in the middle of such powerful protests and other forms of activism. “Why do y’all need to hear from me,” he wonders, “when the streets are speaking for themselves?”
He makes a valid point while also showcasing the reason his fans are so eager to hear him speak out during times like these. He’s thoughtful, articulate, and authentic but also raw and emotional. In short, he’s the consummate spokesperson for the moment.
The rest of em, though? Ehhhhhhh. I’m not so sure we need to hear from them as much as they seem to think we do.
Rolling right along into some things I like and dislike this week 🚂🚂🚂
Two Things Joe Likes This Week
1) Spoofs of the “I Take Responsibility” video
Let’s stay on-topic for one quick second. Man, the spoofs of this video are just too damn good. I’ve included my favorite one above but there are too many to pick from out there. These videos are entertaining as hell, but they also underscore so much of what went wrong in the original.
The celebrities who took part would be well served from watching these interpretations and taking a good long look in the mirror as they evaluate how best to pitch in during fraught times. Will they? Probably not.
2) A good old-fashioned rap beef!
I love a good old rap beef! It’s been a while since we’ve had one, and I’m so excited that they’re back!
This one took shape over the last couple of days. It all started with a subtweet (what a 2020 thing to say), with Chicago rapper Noname criticizing the most financially successful rappers who had yet to speak up about the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd’s death. J. Cole took her subtweet to come at him personally, and he released a song, “Snow On Tha Bluff,” that addressed Noname head-on.
Cole has since taken criticism for his comments about Noname, but I don’t have too much of a problem with them - she did arguably invite such a fight with her initial tweet. But the plot thickens! Noname has clapped back with her own diss track, which dropped Thursday night and is titled “Song 33.” While engaging in the back and forth, Cole has done his part to emphasize that the two rappers are ultimately on the same team; he even tweeted Noname’s song out to his followers after it came out.
This is no Drake vs. Pusha T-level battle yet - I doubt we’ll have a song that outs either party’s secret child anytime soon - but it’s good to have some rap beef fodder to argue over nonetheless. If anything, I’m thankful that this brouhaha elevates the profile of Noname, an incredibly talented rapper who has been underrated for far too long.
One Thing Joe Dislikes This Week
1) Can we get a media spotlight on the case of Robert Fuller?
In the last couple weeks, an incredibly disturbing trend has been developing: 5 Black people have been found dead and hanging from trees in public places. This is not confined to one area of the country, either: it has happened in Oregon, Texas, New York, and California.
One of the California cases hits particularly close to home for me, literally. Last week, Robert Fuller was found hanging from a tree in a public park near City Hall in Palmdale, California. Palmdale is a desert city about an hour north of Los Angeles. I grew up playing in baseball tournaments in Palmdale. It’s hard to fathom that a city I once played sports in has had a Black man appear hanged from a tree downtown.
The cases are all still being investigated, and a lot is still unknown. But it does bother me that I sense a lack of national coverage on these stories.
George Floyd’s death was caught on video. Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting was caught on video. Robert Fuller’s hanging was not captured on tape. Is it really as simple as that?
Three Song Recommendations from Your Old Pal Joe
1) Run the Jewels - “Ooh La La” feat. Greg Nice & DJ Premier
With Run the Jewels’ fourth album, RTJ4, dropping last week, there may not have been a better-timed album release in the last 10 years; few are better suited to make music during a time of protest than Killer Mike and El-P. Indeed, it’s fitting that their new record features contributions from Zack de la Rocha, the frontman from one of the most politically charged bands of all time. Here’s an early favorite from RTJ4.
2) Leon Bridges - Sweeter feat. Terrace Martin
On a first listen to Bridges’ new track with frequent Kendrick Lamar collaborator Terrace Martin, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s nothing special - a simply stated and sparse tune. On repeated spins, however, Leon’s powerful lyrics (“Why do I fear with skin dark as night?/ Can’t feel peace with those judging eyes”) and Martin’s gentle saxophonic notes prove that it’s a standout in its own rite.
3) Teamarrr - I’m That feat. Rapsody
Haitian-American artist Teamarrr might not be on your radar yet, but I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from her in the years to come. This song featuring Rapsody is a good indicator of that; getting a track placed on HBO’s Insecure is another. I for one am excited to see her profile continue to rise.
Another one bites the dust. Happy Juneteenth and a happy weekend to everyone out there.
With love,
Joey