Of Course

[Content Note: Racism.]

(I was in the middle of composing this post when my laptop died at the end of the year of our lord Jesus Jones two thousand and fourteen. It's still relevant, unfortunately, so here it is...)

So, one of the things to come out of the Sony hacking is a leaked email indicating that Sony Pictures' co-chair Amy Pascal would like Idris Elba to be the next actor to play the iconic role of James Bond. Which makes perfect sense, if you have ever watched Idris Elba onscreen for three seconds or less.

But Elba is black, so cue the caterwauling of aggrieved racists.

@JJ_Bola tweeted this collection of racists' responses to the mere suggestion that Elba—a fine actor and by all accounts a cool bloke—might be cast as Bond:


Yawn + seethe = contempt.

Everything about this is terrible in the most exasperatingly familiar way. And, once again, I am struck by the utter hypocrisy of those who love to pretend they don't know how culture works when they want to defend the status quo, but suddenly know very keenly how culture works when they want to express their profound grievance that it might change in a way that threatens their privilege.


Get to fuck, losers.