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Jenny Slate Left "Big Mouth" So a Black Actor Can Rightfully Take Her Spot
After four seasons portraying the half-Black Missy, Slate has made the right decision to depart the Netflix show.
06.25.2020
After four seasons voicing the lovable Missy Foreman-Greenwald on Netflix's Big Mouth, Jenny Slate has announced that she will be leaving the show.
Missy, a recurring role in the animated series that stars Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, is a goofy bookworm who wears overalls and talks with a high-pitched lisp. She is a best friend of lead characters Nick and Andrew. She's self-assured and very smart. She's also half-Black, a well-intended move towards a more inclusive group of characters that's faltered by the fact that Slate is white.
<p>Slate is a comedian and go-to voice actor known for her roles in <em>Obvious Child, Parks and Recreation, </em>and the unforgettably adorable <em>Marcel the Shell with Shoes On </em>mini-series. After performing in all but one episode since the series premiere in 2017, Slate has faced very little retaliation for playing a Black character; the criticism of <em>Big Mouth</em> thus far has mostly been aimed at its portrayal of minors in sexual activities, or its iffy <a href="https://www.popdust.com/in-defense-of-big-mouth-2640891302.html" target="_self">definition of pansexuality vs. bisexuality</a> last year. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>But, while the show's plot has never discussed Missy's race at length, to cast a white actor in her role was a bad move. Slate's autonomous choice to retire from the show is a noble decision.</p><p>"I have come to the decision today that I can no longer play the character of 'Missy' on the animated TV show <em>Big Mouth</em>," Slate wrote on Instagram. "At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play 'Missy' because her mom is Jewish and White—as am I.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>"But 'Missy' is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people. I acknowledge how my original reasoning was flawed, that it existed as an example of white privilege and unjust allowances made within a system of societal white supremacy, and that in me playing 'Missy,' I was engaging in an act of erasure of Black people. Ending my portrayal of 'Missy' is one step in a life-long process of uncovering the racism in my actions."<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Her statement continues: "As I look back on the nature and emergence of my own voice in comedy, I know that I have made mistakes along the way. I can't change the past, but I can take accountability for my choices. I will continue to engage in meaningful anti-racist action, to be thoughtful about the messages in my work, to be curious and open to feedback, and to do my best to take responsibility for the ways that I am a part of the problem. Most importantly, though, to anyone I've hurt: I am so very sorry. Black voices must be heard. Black Lives Matter."</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><div id="a38f0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ac8b573e311b0160b7fc200d24dbd33a"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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</div></blockquote></div><p><br></p><p>Nick Kroll, one of the show's creators and principle writers, also posted a statement about Slate's decision to depart: "After thoughtful discussion with us and our Black collaborators, Jenny Slate has decided, and we wholeheartedly agree, that Missy on <em>Big Mouth</em> should be voiced by a Black actor...We sincerely apologize for and regret our original decision to cast a white actor to voice a biracial character. We made a mistake, took our privilege for granted, and we're working hard to do better moving forward."<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><div id="4e9df" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6c0ee17bd524b540b011444f4378cd66"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CB1KskYATHv/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
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</div></blockquote></div><p><br></p><p>Lack of Black representation in media is not a new issue, but the recurrence of white voice actors portraying Black characters is especially dangerous—<a href="https://shadowandact.com/the-new-blackface-minstrelsy-when-white-actors-voice-black-characters-in-animation" target="_blank">some have likened it to blackface</a>. In the past, actors like Mike Henry and Hank Azaria have come under fire for voicing Black characters in <em>The Cleveland Show </em>and <em>The Simpsons</em>, respectively. </p><h4></h4><p>In the world of adult cartoons, <em>Big Mouth </em>is making strides in creating a more woman- and queer-friendly series. It's about time their anti-racism catches up.</p>
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TV Features
Why Yu Yu Hakusho Still Holds Up Better Than Any Other Old School Anime
Even to this day, "Dark Tournament" remains the defining shonen "Tournament Arc."
07.10.2020
Shueisha
Oftentimes, it's impossible to separate the quality of the anime we grew up watching from the sense of nostalgia those series evoke.
Case in point: Dragon Ball Z. Historically, DBZ is likely the most influential anime series of all time, both redefining the shonen genre for every series that came after it and introducing an entire generation of Western kids to Japanese animation through the legendary Funimation dub on Cartoon Network's Toonami block. Chances are high that if you meet someone who loves anime and grew up in the late '90s or early 2000s, they'll have a deeply personal bond with DBZ.
At the same time, it's hard to argue that DBZ holds up in the modern day, especially for new viewers coming in with fresh eyes. The pacing of the original series is super slow, the fights drag out forever, and while DBZ created so many of shonen's most prevalent tropes ("This isn't even my final form!"), almost everything DBZ ever did has since been done better by other series.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0OTI4Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTU5OTU3MzE4MX0.ESkdKGn2pb3eRN1pnfp3w2DvaMpVpYpQ85OCVlHYcUI/img.jpg?width=980" id="fae5c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6d6be39acadf9f67b2d52a3edb06f3c5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Frieza">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Shueisha</small></p><p>The same can be said for many older anime series, which makes recommending pre-2000s anime to newer anime fans an incredibly difficult task. But there are an exceptional few series that truly have stood test of time—series that, even with a knowledge of everything that came after, make you think, "Wow, they really might never top this." <em>Yu Yu Hakusho </em>is one of those rare series.<span></span><em></em><br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Created largely in response to the massive success of <em>Dragon Ball Z</em>, <em>Yu Yu Hakusho </em>was intended to be <a href="https://imgur.com/a/PeRMWaC#GpZvygm" target="_blank">a heartfelt story that evolved into a battle manga</a>.<strong> The result was a series with strongly defined characters who, when they eventually entered the larger-than-life battles typical of the <em>shonen </em>genre, did so with deeply personal, grounded, relatable stakes.</strong></p><p>The series follows the adventures of Yusuke Urameshi, a high school punk who unexpectedly dies while trying to save a child from a speeding car. Due to Yusuke's unexpected act of heroism, there's no reserved space for him in the afterlife. The resulting limbo leads to his appointment as a "Spirit World Detective"—a human capable of liaising between the human world and the Spirt World. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>The <em>Yu Yu Hakusho</em> anime aired from 1992 to 1994, but even to this day, its second major arc remains the defining <em>shonen </em>"Tournament Arc."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0OTI3MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NDEwNjczNH0.rJeLi06KTKb77-XeRz1ZBU3nt6mhSv38gsJdDlhvs0o/img.png?width=980" id="5d45c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="296484fe65771a1575ee69216dfa8f9f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Toguro">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Shueisha</small></p><p>The "Tournament Arc" trope—literally, a story arc that revolves around a tournament of some sort—has been repeated in almost every major <em>shonen </em>series since, but it's never quite matched the greatness of <em>Yu Yu Hakusho</em>'s "Dark Tournament." <br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Typically, tournament arcs are a fun excuse to jam-pack a show with as many fights as it possibly can in quick succession. "Dark Tournament" is no exception, but <em></em><em></em><em>Yu Yu Hakusho </em>series creator, Yoshihiro Togashi, did an exceptional job imbuing the saga with heavy emotional stakes. </p><p>In almost every other anime with a tournament arc, the characters are participating of their own volition in order to achieve some sort of goal—winning and being the strongest in <em>DBZ</em>, progressing to the next Ninja Rank in <em>Naruto</em>, showing off their powers to Pro Heroes in <em>My Hero Academia</em>. </p><p>But in <em>Yu Yu Hakusho</em>, Yusuke enters the tournament against his will, threatened by the arc's main antagonist—an insanely powerful demon named Toguro—with the brutal murder of all his friends and family should he refuse. The tournament itself is a battle amongst demons, and Yusuke and his team enter as the lone human contestants, earning them the vicious hatred of the bloodthirsty demon spectators.<em></em></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Whereas earlier tournament arcs, namely those in <em>DBZ </em>and <em>Saint Seiya</em>, revolved around martial arts and occasional energy blasts or special attacks, <em>Yu Yu Hakusho </em>upped the ante. Its demon contestants utilized absurd powers and weaponry, ranging from yo-yos to mystical gas that reverses one's age. Moreover, considering the fact that many of the contestants were demons, cheating and unfairness abounded. <strong>Every single battle placed Yusuke and his team in a life-or-death underdog situation, making for one of the most consistently high-tension seasons in anime.</strong><br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>The animation is top-notch, too, full of strange color palettes and warped perspectives, giving specific scenes and attacks an incredibly unique flavor that still stand out amongst a sea of battle <em>shonen</em> (Hiei's Dragon of the Darkness Flame comes to mind).</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0OTI3Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMjkyODc1OX0.nr-yNZwHJRDEAN7-qbwSwrzCJFsmjv2E2rPdRDmvLes/img.jpg?width=980" id="6aab8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d06a585b5c06ff809a95cba5baf15ff7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Hiei">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Shueisha</small></p><p>On top of incredibly inventive fights and captivatingly high stakes, Toguro ended up being much more than a one-note villain. <strong>Throughout the Dark Tournament, his motivations are fleshed out in a way that make him both tragic and understandable, ultimately putting his obsessive interest in Yusuke into full perspective. </strong><br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>As a whole, the Dark Tournament feels like much more than the sum of its parts.</p><p>The following two arcs in <em>Yu Yu Hakusho </em>continued the series' creative streak with bizarre powers and distinct art direction, along with its willingness to flesh out villains in interesting ways. Still, the <em>Dark Tournament </em>stands out in its ability to execute such a common trope in such a memorable fashion, unmatched even over 25 years later.</p><h2></h2><p>So for anyone who likes <em>shonen </em>anime, be it old classics like <em>DBZ</em> or new hits like <em>Demon Slayer</em>, do yourself a favor and check out <em>Yu Yu Hakusho</em>.</p>
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Is Wayfair Using Furniture for Child Trafficking?
About a year after being accused of selling furniture to ICE detention centers, e-commerce site Wayfair is in another controversy.
07.10.2020
Wayfair, the e-commerce website beloved by millennials on a budget who don't want their apartments to look just like IKEA showrooms, is no stranger to controversy.
Last summer, employees of the company organized a protest after allegations surfaced that Wayfair had sold $200,000 worth of furniture to border detention facilities. Now, Wayfair is being suspected of trafficking missing children in their furniture.
<p>Threads on Reddit and Twitter pointed out that Wayfair had listings of storage cabinets and pillows being sold for thousands of dollars–with names that correlated to those of missing children. One example is a $13,000 storage cabinet called the Yaritza Storage Cabinet; last month, a 16-year-old girl named Yaritza Castro went missing from Connecticut. Screenshots indicate that multiple, nearly-identical cabinets were being sold for jarringly high prices under different female names. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>"Is it possible Wayfair involved in Human trafficking with their WFX Utility collection? Or are these just extremely overpriced cabinets? (Note the names of the cabinets) this makes me sick to my stomach if it's true," a Reddit user by the name of PrincessPeach1987 <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/ho2pqv/is_it_possible_wayfair_involved_in_human/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf" target="_blank">posted in a subreddit dedicated specifically to conspiracy theories</a>. People in the responses generally agreed; before long, the topic had reached the masses on Twitter, sparking a nationwide conversation.</p><p></p><p>While Wayfair boasts a vast array of sellers on their website, the brand of the cabinets—WFX—is a trademark of the company itself. While these cabinets were all being sold for over $10,000, similar cabinets on Wayfair typically go for prices between a few hundred dollars and $1,000. Furthermore, some Reddit users pointed out that searching the SKU number of the cabinets in question pulls up photos of minors.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><div id="3cdc1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a02702eb27d90679d38cc37070e47cbe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1281278680753455107" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Here’s a sketchy thing I saw today & did some searches ... https://t.co/4lRewtPoIY</div> — Luna 💓 (@Luna 💓)<a href="https://twitter.com/edmmariluna/statuses/1281278680753455107">1594315617.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"There is, of course, no truth to these claims," <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/wayfair-child-trafficking-conspiracy-theory-cabinets-scandal-1517013" target="_blank">Wayfair responded in a statement to <em>Newsweek</em></a>. "The products in question are industrial grade cabinets that are accurately priced. Recognizing that the photos and descriptions provided by the supplier did not adequately explain the high price point, we have temporarily removed the products from site to rename them and to provide a more in-depth description and photos that accurately depict the product to clarify the price point."<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Since Wayfair has been accused of selling to detention centers, the ties between children at detention centers and human trafficking is no coincidence. Over the last decade, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/04/11/immigration-detention-sexual-abuse-ice-dhs/" target="_blank">there have been staggering numbers of sexual abuse claims filed by people in immigration custody</a>, with very little investigation. </p><p>Under President Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy starting in spring of 2018, thousands of migrant children have been separated from their families. During a hearing in April 2018, Steven Wagner—a top official with the Department of Health and Human Services—said <a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Wagner%20Testimony.pdf" target="_blank">the Office of Refugee Resettlement was "unable to determine with certainty the whereabouts of 1,475 [unaccompanied migrant children]."</a> </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Expectedly, this sparked an even larger backlash—especially considering that Trump's zero-tolerance policy explicitly targeted the Mexican border, and <a href="https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=205054" target="_blank">Mexican and Latin American women and girls are at a disproportionately high risk of sex trafficking in the United States</a>.</p><p>The Redditor who started the thread about Wayfair told <em>Newsweek </em>that she has been "involved in a local organization that helps victims of human trafficking," which has led her to be "suspicious most of the time now." According to<a href="https://www.childrensrights.org/newsroom/fact-sheets/child-sex-trafficking/" target="_blank"> information obtained by ChildrensRights.org</a>, sex trafficking is one of the world's fastest-growing criminal industries, generating an estimated $150 billion per year.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Due to the increased vulnerability of being separated from parents, children in the foster care system are at the highest risk of child trafficking—a statistic that could very well ring true in ICE's detention centers. </p><h2></h2><p>The jury is still out on whether or not this conspiracy theory is true, but if you needed another reason to boycott furniture retail giants and resort to your local Craigslist, this one is as good as any.</p>
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