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In Aziz Ansari Right Now, the comedian and actor’s third Netflix standup special, Ansari brings his shrewd humor to numerous subjects, including some timely topics such as the #MeToo movement and Crazy Rich Asians. He also addresses the Apu controversy on The Simpsons, criticizing creator Matt Groening for the way he handled the situation. It’s not the first time Ansari has broached the topic of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon; the character, voiced by Hank Azaria, has come under fire for reinforcing stereotypes about Indian culture. But the trouble with Apu only became mainstream in recent years, as Ansari notes an increase in “newly woke white people.” Joking about how it came to his attention, Ansari says, “Yeah, Candice. I am aware of it. I saw it 30 years ago. It’s a white guy doing an Indian voice. I appreciate the support, but things don’t just become racist when white people figure it out.” The comedian went on to mock Groening’s … [Read more...] about Aziz Ansari discusses

Netflix staged one of the most anticipated events of this summer’s Television Critics Association press tour: A panel on Stranger Things, the throwback thriller that channels elements of 1980s horror and science-fiction cinema to depict the mysterious happenings in and around a small Midwestern town in 1983. Two of the most noteworthy actors in a series full of them are a well-known face and a new one: Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, whose son vanishes in the series’ first episode, and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, a 12-year-old with an enigmatic past and supernatural abilities. At the TCA, The A.V. Club participated in a roundtable discussion with Ryder and Brown to discuss various aspects of Stranger Things. Ryder started out by discussing her character: Winona Ryder: I think that my character reacted completely appropriately to that situation, which was incredibly both unimaginable in terms of the grief, but also completely bizarre in terms of what was happening. I … [Read more...] about Winona Ryder and Millie Bobby Brown discuss

Dear Caucasian Brethren, I decided to sit down and write this letter to you because every time I try to have a nuanced conversation with you, I am interrupted by the same shrill refrain. Here is an excerpt from every conversation when I ask you to help me find a solution to a problem: Us: Black Lives Matter seeks to end the abuse by the state against— You: First, your people need to address black-on-black crime!  Us: Let’s discuss the inequities in education, employment, housing— You: Let's talk about black-on-black crime!!! Us: It looks like the Zika virus is spreading to— You: It’s not spreading as fast as black-on-black crime! Us: Have you seen this black woman who went missing? You: She probably took a wrong turn in y’all’s black-on-black crime and got lost. Advertisement Look, I understand your reluctance to discuss the problems. I know it feels accusatory. I know it seems like we try to pile all the problems of society and black … [Read more...] about Open Letter to White People Who Are Obsessed With Black-on-Black Crime

Dear Lifehacker, Photo by Probably Okay . Dear Frustrated Debater, Advertisement Step 1: Make Sure You Know What You're Talking About First, check yourself. Seriously—make sure you're not the one being irrational here, and you're not the one using faulty information to prove your point. As with any debate or argument, it's easy for both people to get hot under the collar and pretend that they're the one capable of separating fact from fiction, while the other person is throwing a shrieking fit. Make sure you're not the problem first, and make sure that your positions are well thought out, researched, and backed up, and that you're approaching the discussion calmly. When presented with an opposing view, take a little time to research it and make sure you're not the one reacting poorly. You note that this tends to happen with this person frequently, so it's possible you're walking into a debate with him knowing that things will likely turn badly. Whether you're being … [Read more...] about How Do I Get Out of an Argument with an Irrational Person?

It looks like we got a little bit ahead of ourselves here. In a recent interview with The Undefeated, Williams says his Esquire Magazine quote, where he said he identified with both “feminine” and “masculine” parts of himself, was misunderstood. Advertisement “Well, first of all, I asked last night. I said, ‘What the hell is gender fluid?’,” Williams began the interview. The Undefeated reports Williams as saying: He was misunderstood, he says. “But what I was talking about was about men getting in touch with their softer side of themselves. There’s a phrase that was coined by Carl G. Jung, who was a psychiatrist, who was a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, and they had a splitting of the ways because they had different ideas about the...what do you call it? Consciousness. Unconscious. It’s collective unconsciousness. But he coined a phrase that’s, ‘Anima animus.’ And anima means that is the female … [Read more...] about ‘What the Hell Is Gender Fluid?’: Billy Dee Williams Clarifies Usage of Gender Pronouns, Says He Was Simply Discussing the ‘Softer Side’ of Men