This video argues that the backlash against Lupita Nyong'o's casting as Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey represents 'masked racism'—a form of prejudice where people use seemingly reasonable excuses (like historical accuracy or physical appearance) to hide their true objection to people of color in prominent roles. The speaker points out the hypocrisy that white actors like Matt Damon and Tom Holland, who don't match their characters' ethnic backgrounds, face no criticism, while talented actors of color are singled out. The video suggests that racism manifests as fear of people of color succeeding in positions of prominence, and that true artistic merit should transcend racial considerations.
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Why Are People So Angry About Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy
Added:Let's talk about the Odyssey of the RC.
>> [music] >> Hey guys, it's John out here in the back deck. I hope you guys are having a fabulous day wherever you are. I'm sitting here with a fabulous mug of John show coffee. You know, I I am a I am a movie buff. I love movies and I'm fascinated by not only the the films themselves, but the making of the films and how the process of the films.
And there's one film coming out that uh I am seeing this next week and I'm very excited about it. It's Christopher Nolan's the the Odyssey.
But there has been an online struggle with this with this casting of this movie.
And I find it rather sickening.
And the reason I find it sickening is because the the excuses people make for their racism are ridiculous and it's just blatant racism.
Um Lupita Nyong'o, who is a beautiful beautiful woman, beautiful woman, um has been cast as Helen of Troy.
And the people are coming out saying, you know, this black woman shouldn't be Helen of Troy. She doesn't look like she's from that part of the world at all.
You know, people have said Athena shouldn't be uh of mixed race, meaning Zendaya.
Right? And what's so interesting to me about it is is that Matt Damon isn't Greek and doesn't look Greek. And he's the star of the movie.
Um Tom Holland is British. He's not Greek. And yet he's one of the stars of the movie.
Anne Hathaway doesn't look look uh Middle Eastern or Greek or Mediterranean in that way.
When you when you look at the casting of the movie, the only people who are being singled out as a problem are the people of color.
And yet, they're two of the most beautiful women in the world. You know, Lupita Nyong'o and Zendaya, beautiful beautiful women, beautiful women.
Lupita Nyong'o, uh you know, an Oscar winner, I believe.
Uh Zendaya, multiple Emmys and, you know, potentially an Oscar in the future, right? Extremely talented, beautiful women, and highly intelligent.
You see them in interviews, they're incredible in in their delivery of of of their concepts of their parts in the movie.
This this idea of their casting being wrong is absolutely just masked racism.
Because they don't like the fact that these people of color are in these positions.
The interesting thing is is that, you know, first of all, the Odyssey is a myth.
It's it's mythology. It's it's It's also a a a fantasy and, you know, Cyclopses and things of that nature.
It's like you already have to suspend your belief to make the story itself work.
But why can't you suspend your belief because someone of color is in the movie and someone or some people in who are of color in the movie who are who are extremely talented, extremely beautiful, and, you know, personally, I think Lupita Nyong'o is just one of those beautiful beautiful women.
Now, of course, beauty is subjective, but I don't see any reason why a black woman can't be the the face that launched a a thousand ships.
Why?
Because you know, why can't she be?
It's only because of color. It's only because that someone has decided that that that black person can't be beautiful enough to launch a thousand ships.
It has nothing to do with the fact that she's not Greek or any of or or or lighter skinned.
Has everything to do with the fact that they don't like people of color being cast in these roles. Right?
It it has everything to do with racism.
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>> And I find racism one of the most abhorrent things in the world.
Uh there's a a neighbor over here who had a all tricked out Jeep and I had a tricked out Jeep and one day I was driving by there waved at him and he called me over and I we started talking.
And I was like, "Oh, well, maybe I got a a cool new friend. This might be fun."
And then we he got into politics and um and he I said, "Yeah, I'm I told him how much I really like Obama."
And he literally he literally said, "I couldn't vote for him."
And and by the way, he agreed with me on all the points I made about all the good things he had done.
And he he says, "I couldn't vote for him." I said, "Why?" He said, "Cuz he's black."
I never spoke to that guy again.
I never spoke to that guy again.
Cuz I'm I'm I don't I'm not part interested in in being part of uh trying to solve his racism.
You know, that's going to be for him himself to figure out. But racism itself makes no sense. It's it's the fear of of somebody of a who is different getting ahead.
It It That's all racism is, you know?
What's the difference between a white person and a black person other than the color of their skin?
They're all human. They're all part of the oneness of God. And this oneness of God has to have many faceted colors and and ideologies and beliefs because we're all part of the oneness of God.
You know, it's funny. People will drop into their camps and get angry.
You know, when I when I talk about the fallacies of religion, religious people come out and use profanity and cuss me and yell me and holler me, tell me what an idiot I am.
I put out a video the other day on on what I found when I did 30 days of study on on tarot card readers online.
Guess what happened?
Tarot card readers started using profanity and cussing me out and screaming at me and yelling at me.
People drop into these camps, and they defend them. There are zealots of all kinds. And racist zealots are the worst because they're they're judging people for who they are.
They're They're They're looking at their identity and saying, "Look, your race is not worthy to be this."
I'm disgusted by this conversation of Lupita Nyong'o or Zendaya not should not being in this movie. She shouldn't be in this movie because of their color.
I think it's one of the most disgusting demonstrations of hate there is.
Because like I said, they're they're extremely talented. They're extremely capable. They're extremely intelligent.
They're extremely beautiful. I mean, and think about Think about casting in general.
You know, when Robert Pattinson was cast as Batman, everyone was up in arms.
When Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker, everyone was up in arms.
You know, when Ben Affleck was cast as Batman, everyone was up in arms.
And yet, they all did a great job. They all did a very good job. They all did a great job. Talented people do do good work.
I am excited to see this movie.
I'm not going into it with any expectations. And I also think about this from an artistic perspective, this woman who is so beautiful, Lupita Nyong'o, right?
In a cast that's mainly white, this beautiful black woman representing, you know, something so beautiful that it launched a thousand ships, artistically, that makes perfect sense.
Because someone who is so striking in that vast sea of whiteness is going to be something like, "Oh my god, she's stunning. She's beautiful.
She's, you know, wonderful."
And she's so different.
She stands out so differently.
I think it's beautiful casting. I think it's wonderful casting. And I'm so happy that they cast someone with extreme talent in that role.
I know we're talking about movies today, but this video is not about the movie.
It's about people hiding their racism by using uh false narratives.
People will do that often. And often even in my own in my own commentary, they'll they'll make a a a a comment, and they'll say that in my video I I'm implying something, or I'm or I'm saying something, or I I have a struggle with something.
They create narratives to support their narrative.
Videos on my channel are just information.
You know, people who add stories to it, they're just trying to justify their own position.
And I I don't have I'm not racist.
I'm just not racist.
I That kind of got kicked out of me when I was about 19 years old.
Um I was becoming a racist because my father was a racist, and I was trying to get his approval.
But I had a a a big epiphany moment, and I've talked about this in other videos, where I felt the purity of love and and um right after that there was no racism, homophobia, all of it all went away.
And when I look at it now I'm like I'm like I see the blatant racism that's being masked by artistic license. And I think that I think that you know, we're all one with God. And when you find somebody as beautiful as Lupita Nyong'o put into a a a role that she's built for talent-wise I think that I think that it's not about her.
It's about your hate and your racism.
Remember, Matt Damon is not Greek. He does not look Greek. He doesn't have the dark curly hair and the deep brown eyes.
He He doesn't have any of that.
And yet for some reason it's okay that he is Odysseus.
Ask yourself why.
And that my friend is my thought on this. You guys have a great day and I will talk to you soon. See you. Bye.
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