‘Racism and the racial appropriation’: A former Trump advisor has the most confusing ‘Wicked’ take
Dr. Gina Loudon, a MAGA media personality, has proven that the war on wokeness has no idea what it’s raging against. The former member of Trump’s campaign media advisory board in 2020 complained that the musical film Wicked racially appropriated the character of Glinda by casting Ariana Grande, a Hispanic…?
Yes, you read that right. Louden criticizes the film for casting Grande in the role of Glinda, “a ditzy, blonde, white” character because she is Hispanic. Lord, have mercy on us all. On her show, Dr. Gina Prime Time, which airs on a far-right cable news network, Real America’s Voice, she attacked the film for being too “woke,” with her main complaint over Grande’s casting. “I saw it, but I was very excited at the idea of seeing the interpretation of this. But I should have known it’s Holly-weird,” she started.
“I should’ve known they’d try to make it woke in the ways that they could think of. Let’s just start with the fact that they have Ariana Grande, who is obviously a Hispanic woman, playing the part of a ditzy, blonde, white really villain, when it comes right down to it, for this particular movie. The racism and the racial appropriation I just thought was offensive, frankly.”
While many right-wingers like to paint those on the left with such terms as liberal crybabies, they literally have to invent stuff to be offended over. For those unsure of Grande’s background, she is Italian American, not Hispanic, and falls under the category of “white.”
A history of racism
Historically in the United States, racism has been ever-present. In the past, even being “white” wasn’t enough, you had to be the right kind of white. Many Italian, Irish, and Greek immigrants were treated as lesser than those from countries like England, Germany, or France. It took a long time for the perception of those from these communities to be considered “acceptable” whites. Furthermore, Hispanic is not a race, it’s an ethnicity, and therefore you can have Black Hispanics or white Hispanics. Deciding who is and isn’t white is a tool used by white supremacists to divide and other people they see as lesser than.
Regardless of what MAGA morons like Louden think, diversity in films isn’t a “woke” concept. Sure, certain artists, filmmakers, and actors may feel obligated to create a space where people feel seen and represented and are doing it simply for that, but it’s also just a part of where the market is shifting. Production houses want to make money, and by appealing to broader demographics, they can do just that. It’s not so much a case of “wokeness” as it is capitalism.
Of course, she was dragged online for her nonsensical rant.
One user pointed out that so often, people like Louden want to be considered the victim.
Of course, the level of absurdity leaves us with no other option than to just laugh.
When the internet exists, and you can search anything in the world, including what race one of the most famous singers in the world is, you have to wonder how this stuff happens.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
