on neil labute's "the cast system"

first, let's just get out the way labute's glib discussion of the history of racism in this country... just the way he talks about it reeks of such white boy privilege and entitlement that i almost can't even take him seriously... but of course, his whole argument is based on entitlement... and from such a cocoon of resource and privilege that it's laughable... because truth be told, both he and we know that he and his ilk have the resources and privilege to do whatever they want... so, what's he complaining about...

second, i have to say, and i know this isn't exactly PC... but the feeling i got when reading this... was just Wow... can't we have anything? really, can't we just have anything w/out your need to co-opt our shit? i mean, really... for the last couple of years, all we've been hearing is how joss stone is the re-incarnation of black soul... almost every critically acclaimed film about people of color made in the last 10 years (and beyond, for that matter) has been by white people... and i'm not just talking about Dreamgirls (mainly cause i think it sucked, but that's another story)... from Quinciera to Tsoti, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Whale Rider, Our Song, Raising Victor Vargas, Girlfight, etc... need I go on... and all this is the age of so-called equal opportunity... it's not enough to co-opt our bodies, our neighborhoods, our style, speech or music.... you must assert your right to the very stories we tell to save ourselves... Lorraine and August were speaking to black folks about specific experiences based on a historical, social past and present, ie. the black experience in America... to attempt to disconnect the body of the work from the bone structure its based on, it's nonsensical...

The fact that he's relegated the whole basis of racism in America to "something that doesn't really matter anyway," means that he doesn't understand what Lorraine or August were talking about in the first place... and if that's not the best reason, why he has no place being anything more than a paying audience member at any production of their work, I'm not sure what it is....