Posted on 07/06/2022 1:24:06 PM PDT by nickcarraway
After pledging $4 million to Brandeis University over “guilt” about the lack of racial diversity on “Friends,” co-creator Marta Kauffman is now expressing regret over how the show represented another demographic: transgender people.
In an interview with The Conversation on the BBC World Service that will air on July 11, Kauffman called it a “mistake” to refer to the transgender mother of Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) as his “father.”
“Pronouns were not yet something that I understood,” Kauffman told the BBC. “So we didn’t refer to that character as ‘she.’ That was a mistake.’”
The character, who had the stage name of Helena Handbasket, was played by Kathleen Turner, who said on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” in 2019 that she wouldn’t have accepted the role if it was offered to her again “because there would be real people able to do [the role].”
Kauffman is also the creator of the hit Netflix series “Grace and Frankie,” and explained that she now tries to cultivate a welcoming environment on set for all people.
“I like very much to create an environment where we have a happy set and a happy crew. It’s very important to me that where we are is a safe place, a tolerant place, where there’s no yelling. I fired a guy on the spot for making a joke about a trans cameraperson. That just can’t happen,” Kauffman said.
Last week, Kauffman spoke to the Los Angeles Times about “Friends” and its lack of racial diversity. Although she has defended the show in the past, she had a change of heart and decided to donated $4 million to Brandeis University to establish the Marta F. Kauffman ‘78 Professorship in African and African American Studies.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” Kauffman told the L.A. Times. “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago. “
Kauffman opened up further to BBC about the lack of Black people and other people of color on “Friends,” saying, “‘Friends’ has been criticized in a number of ways. The biggest one being that we did not have enough representation of Black people. And over the course of the last few years I’ve gotten to the point where I can say, unfortunately, ‘Yes, I am guilty of that.'”
“I’ll never make that mistake again,” Kauffman continued. “I was clearly part of systemic racism in our business. I was unaware of that, which makes me feel stupid. That was a very valid, extremely difficult criticism which still… I get emotional about. … If I knew then what I know now, there are certain things I would have changed. But I didn’t know them and I have since learned.”
i can’t begin to say how happy i am, to not have the slightest who these people are, or idea what any of this is about...
but, if somebody actually paid $4MM for bad writing cause, well, black, then what about the Chinese and mexkins and the muslimes they dint write parts for???
“Dick van Dyke”
AKA- Penis von Lesbian
When the social puritans come looking for people about stuff they did 25 years ago the only appropriate answer is “Get a life” and slam the door in their faces. But instead the Friends creator groveled once about not having black characters and so she will be made to grovel forever.
Why doesn’t the old left just issue a blanket apology for not foreseeing how insane future generations of little commies would become.
Sometimes it happens fairly quickly. Robespierre had Danton guillotined. Lot's of commies got neck-shot. Typically, the true believers don't get it to the end: communism is just a power play.
Never saw it.
Goes without saying!
Last month she was crying that ‘I Was Part of Systemic Racism.’
Here is what he needs to say: I’m sorry for being politically incorrect and unwoke 25 years before those two items ever existed. Please let me apologize for any future incorrectness and committing an “ism” at anytime in my past for when the become offensive at anytime in the future 10,000 years. (sarcasm)
My pronoun is “they”. The great thing about it is whenever a screw up is made the answer is always “They did it” “They are to blame”. It’s like accepting blame without accepting it.
/sarc
She 1: Chasing the syndication $$$$$ by kneeling to the perverted class that controls Executive network positions.
And 2: Just good old fashion virtue signaling for social credit/vanity.
Grace and Frankie is possibly the least funny comedy I have ever seen out of the corner of my eye. My wife watches it and I have to leave the room and find something else to do. It is so politically correct that even the stuff which should be funny is not.
Never having seen the show I have no idea what Kathleen Turner looked like at the time, but she certainly did not age well.
Because in the past 20 years, we've created out of nothing a brand-new category of "real people."
Kathleen Turner does’t view herself as a real person?
Oh, who CARES, Marta? It’s not at all important. Really, it’s not. 🙄
They did the same thing with Quagmire’s father on Family Guy. Much better show by the way.
That’s not very tolerant at all.
-PJ
And was married to a lesbian...
-PJ
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