Matt Damon interrupts successful black woman filmmaker to explain diversity to her

[gollygee]

http://jezebel.com/matt-damon-interrupts-successful-black-woman-filmmaker-1730553152

During a discussion about one of the films, Brown helpfully points out that she’s worried that the only black person in the entire movie is a prostitute who is slapped by her white pimp. All she’s saying is that perhaps this roomful of white people should be cognizant of who they hire to direct a character like that—AKA hire some people of color so they can treat the role with some dignity and prevent it from descending into a racist trope.

“You’re looking at this group right here and who you’re picking and the story that you’re doing,” she says calmly. Luckily, Matt Damon is there to swoop in with this Smart White Man cape and interrupts Brown in order to explain diversity to her and this room full of white people. He argues that actually, the less diverse directing teams brought up the same issue about the prostitute character that Effie is raising.

Effie counters by saying that his summation is “not necessarily true,” and Matt Damon interrupts her again, this time by laying out what exactly diversity is.

“When we’re talking about diversity you do it in the casting of the film not in the casting of the show.” Meaning that they don’t have to hire any diverse filmmakers on Project Greenlight as long as they throw a few women and black people onscreen.

[Fred Sanders]

1. What Damon, a progressive hero, is explaining, in my opinion based on this, is not diversity, seems more like how casting

for a movie should work, dictated by the script and theme, not by quota.

For me more evidence than this is required to conclude Damon does not get it...because all his adult life he has proven he has...good reputations are hard to tear down, as it should be.

Was the successful female black filmmaker present throughout the event, and therefore in the best position to pass judgment on the quantity of Damon's explanation, of the same opinion, I wonder?

[gollygee]

2. Even progressive heros are part of our white supremacist society

We all (all of us who are white) need to always remain awake to issues like this. No amount of past work means that we "get it" and don't need to worry anymore.

He can be a good person and not have been right in this case. People aren't always right or always wrong. She was there for the whole conversation, I'm not sure other than that, but she's in a better position than we are. He tells her that if they worry about hiring diverse filmmakers, it will compromise the project. Almost all filmmakers are white men, or at least white, so it's like he's saying that happened naturally and white men just make better filmmakers if he says that worrying about diversity will compromise projects. Otherwise, NOT worrying about diversity could equally compromise projects - you'd want to reach out and get the best and get past whatever is causing most filmmakers to be white men despite the fact that it is statistically impossible that so many of the best would be white.

[Fred Sanders]

3. Maybe I misread, but Damon is talking about the film cast, not the production crew and other staff?

I do not disagree thst even progressive heroes can suffer from white privilege, but I do not see this as evidence Damon suffers much.

White privilege is to me also white suffering....they have the privilege, we suffer from it.

Damon has not made me suffer with his words or his deeds, ever. Ever seen him on Bill Maher?

Just the wrong guy to use as an example, is all I am saying.

[gollygee]

5. She was dealing with a real issue that was really happening

You don't pick and choose what situations are going on in front of you, and nobody gets a free pass.

She said that she was concerned that the only black character in the movie was a prostitute who gets hit by a white pimp, and that with an all-white prroduction crew it was possible for that story line to fall into racist tropes.

He said that films only need to worry about diverse casts (which they didn't in this case, but whatever) and that there is no reason to worry about diversity in production crews, and in fact said that concerns about diversity in production crews could undermine the quality of the production, as if it's just natural that almost all people involved in film production are white. We should be concerned that whatever causes film production crews to be almost entirely white is compromising quality.

[Cosmocat]

4. I like Matt Damon A LOT

I don't like this show much.

I tuned in casually for about 10 minutes and this exchange was part of it.

IMO, it was an extension of Damon and Affleck dominating the group overall, which was my impression when I tried to watch it the during the first season.

Not sure it reflects his overall view on the topic matter, though she made a REALLY good point about him babbling (my word) about diversity when she was the only minority in the room, and I think one of two women, in the context of the only black character in the film being a prostitute who ends up getting hit by her white "pimp" if I heard the exchange correctly.

I think he just was caught up in the moment generally as it was the time to start to pick the director they were going with when she brought this up. He did say in an after clip they showed that he appreciated her bringing it up.

[loyalsister]

6. Even progressive heroes can be condescending

He dismissed her lifetime experience of not seeing people who share her physical characteristics on the screen in roles that reflect dignity and come across as people we would like to know.

[Starry Messenger]

7. Effie Brown is part of the panel of the show, so she was there the whole time.

Last edited Wed Sep 16, 2015, 09:01 AM - Edit history (1)

I like Matt, he's been a huge supporter of teachers' unions, but he wiffed this one.

I watched the episode and wanted to give Effie a hug--she made a great point, and others on the panel kind of "me-too'd" after she came forward and made the point about the only Black character in the script needing to be handled with sensitivity, and could benefit from considering a more diverse choice for director. But she was the one who came out and said it, which took some resolve. She was also the only woman in the room.

[yardwork]

8. Every time someone brings up quotas I know they don't get it.

She didn't say anything about quotas. That is a red herring designed to redirect the conversation.

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Oh, Matt, Matt, Matt.

He's may not be a good ole boy, but it sounds like he likes hanging with his cronies.

[Dorian Gray]

10. Usually love Matt Damon

but he seems to be a condescending prick here. I've heard people defend him by stating that there were other crews who were up for the part of working on the film who weren't chosen who ALSO didn't address the issues that Effie Brown is asking about. But that doesn't take away from the fact that he interrupts here to explain to her his "truth" without listening and thinking about her complaints, taking them seriously.

[closeupready]

11. I've heard from people who've met him that he's kind of into himself.

So the idea that he would attempt to impose his singular view of race relations on those who surround him ... doesn't surprise me, to be perfectly honest.

Now, perhaps those impressions are misguided or simply wrong. Maybe he had a bad day. I have them, too. We all do. I don't know - I've never met him. But FWIW, that's why this story seems plausible to me.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. I saw that last night and my jaw kind of dropped.

I worked in the film industry for years and I think this illustrates just how pervasive and deeply embedded the attitudes resisting genuine diversity are. The fact that it was a female director candidate and the female line producer who raised the issue around the film's portrayal of the character while no male candidates made the same point speaks volumes about the need for diversity BEHIND the camera as well as in front.

[Dorian Gray]

13. This

post is truth.

[suffragette]

14. "Whoo, wow...ok"

Gotta say my reaction was the same as hers when I just now watched the exchange on YouTube.

It does show how entrenched that bias is. He should really re-watch and re-listen and re-think his position.

[CTyankee]

15. I didn't even understand his point.

WTF, Matt?

That woman was terrific. He shudda STFU and let HER talk...Couldn't he just say "I'd like to hear more about what you are saying..." He shudda just stepped back, shut his mouth and LISTEN TO HER!