Jemele Hill
Jemele Hill
BroadwayRox3588
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/5/16
#1Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/14/17 at 4:47pm
White House officials are screaming for ESPN journalist Jemele Hill to be fired, following her calling President Donald Trump a white supremacist.
I'm curious as to what everyone's thoughts are on this.
mar6411
Broadway Star Joined: 9/19/09
#2Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/14/17 at 5:40pm
I apologize because you'll feel like you're being picked on you since you often feel that way. Sorry in advance.
When I saw there was a thread started about white washing Evita - and even before any responses were posted - I knew what the thread would descend into. And the same thing here again. Look forward to Dave19 and qolbinau getting hard at the opportunity to post on this thread. It will be depressing and ugly. And there will not be a discussion.
Just ugh. But carry on - and since you started the thread, I think it's incumbent upon you to say what you think in a reasoned and thoughtful post.
BroadwayRox3588
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/5/16
#3Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/15/17 at 1:54am
mar6411 said: "I apologize because you'll feel like you're beingpickedon you since you often feel that way. Sorry in advance.
When I saw there was a thread started about white washing Evita - and even before any responses were posted - I knew what the thread would descend into. And the same thing here again. Look forward to Dave19 and qolbinau getting hard at the opportunity to poston this thread. It will be depressing and ugly. And there will not be a discussion.
Just ugh. But carry on - and since you started the thread, I think it's incumbent upon you to say what you think in a reasoned and thoughtful post."
Often? I have only said that once, and it was totally true in that instance. Also it has gotten to the point where nearly every thread has erupted into non-discussions and just bashing. The Flea Market autograph thread turned into people basically ripping on stans.
Anyway, my thoughts are pretty simple. The executive branch demanding that a journalist (who happens to be a woman of color) lose her job because she criticized a government official's questionable attitude towards POC seems pretty un-American to me. Especially when said government official lauds people who have said much worse, like Ted Nugent.
#4Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/15/17 at 8:38am
I don't think her race has anything to do with it, but everything she said was obviously true and squarely in the mainstream of discussion about Donald Trump, so she should not be in any trouble.
#5Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/15/17 at 2:23pm
I'm really shocked DISNEY is just letting this unfold. If I were them, I would be stepping in and telling whoever is in charge of ESPN to give her a promotion and raise.
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UncleCharlie
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/26/16
#6Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/15/17 at 5:18pm
Call_me_jorge said: "I'm really shocked DISNEY is just letting this unfold. If I were them, I would be stepping in and telling whoever is in charge of ESPN to give her a promotion and raise."
Interesting take Jorge. As I'm sure you are aware, ESPN has been suffering a loss of subscribers and revenue the past few years and that's a big cause for concern at Disney. They recently even had a major round of layoffs. Many attribute it to the general trend of cord cutting and also overpaying for rights to properties like the NFL but others also point to the belief that ESPN has become too political and is criticized for being too left leaning.
So regardless of whether John Skipper and the others in charge at the Worldwide Leader personally agree with Jemele, this type of attention and controversy reinforces the criticisms of ESPN, flies in the face of their desire to be less political and quite frankly is the last thing they need right now. Now Jemele has the right to say what she wants and ESPN certainly is not going to fire her over this, but this is a controversy they don't need and puts them in a position no matter how they handle it, of alienating an important part of their audience. Interested to know your thinking on why Disney would want to instruct ESPN to give her a promotion and a raise for placing them in a very difficult position.
yankeefan7
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/12
#7Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/24/17 at 2:00pm
Very simple, she is still there and not at least suspended because she is an African American woman. Doug Adler (white male) described Venus Williams as using guerilla tactics in a tennis match and was fired because ESPN thought he was basically saying she was a gorilla (racist remark) which is absurd. The term "guerilla" tactics in tennis was used in an ad campaign with tennis legends Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras many years ago so it is not a new term. ESPN fired Curt Schilling (white male) because of his comments about gender identity in bathrooms. While most people will disagree with his point of view, he was just expressing his opinion like Ms. Hill. I give you two examples and you tell me what the difference is in these situations. Finally, let me add I have enjoyed Ms. Hill on her shows with Michael Smith and when she was a panel member of the show "Sport Reporters".
Updated On: 9/24/17 at 02:00 PM
#9Jemele Hill
Posted: 9/25/17 at 9:24am
yankeefan7 said: "Very simple, she is still there and not at least suspended because she is an African American woman. Doug Adler (white male) described Venus Williams as using guerilla tactics in a tennis match and was fired because ESPN thought he was basically saying she was a gorilla (racist remark)which is absurd. The term "guerilla" tactics in tennis was used in an ad campaign with tennis legends Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras many years ago so it is not a new term. ESPN firedCurt Schilling (white male) because of his comments about gender identity in bathrooms. While most people will disagree with his point of view, he was just expressing his opinion like Ms. Hill. I give you two examples and you tell me what the difference is in these situations. Finally, let me add I have enjoyed Ms. Hill on her shows with Michael Smith and when she was a panel member of the show "Sport Reporters"."
Based purely on your description here, I don't think Doug Adler should have been fired, or disciplined in any way, as with Jamele Hill. Schilling is a completely different case, though, since his comments were directed against an entire class of oppressed people, not one individual who is the most powerful man on earth.
