And all your effort contributes nothing meaningful to society, your community, or even anyone else but you. So forgive the rest of us if we don't quite see the big deal here.

Considering there are non-American white populations around the world that don't have anywhere near the barbaric racism of US society, do you think there might be a bigger factor than skin colour at play?

You feel smug when people ignore you? Explains why you're smug all the time.

The fact that my not having answered has bothered you for days really makes me feel important.

OH THANK GOD WE'VE FOUND THE ANONYMOUS INTERNET COMMENTER RESPONSIBLE FOR MODERN DAY JIM CROW. I've been looking for that asshole everywhere.

When it's a no-name model or faceless fashion line, we have no problem calling it appropriative, oppressive, exploitative, and so on.

"Sir, we are 'they'."

Have you realized yet that I used "pet" precisely because I doubt that you are as vociferously defensive of all human celebrities as you are here, even though they are all human, and that you are objectifying a stranger too, in your own way, by deciding that she needs your defense?

I never said it was your doing - my original comment was directed at Burt up there. You're reference to "pet celebrities" in your defense of the objectification of minority celebrities (which no one forced you to make) is definitely problematic, and your insistence on digging a deeper hole about how it's okay to…

So...you didn't read the quoted portion of my original post? The part where I pointed out exactly the scope of my criticism?

I'll answer your question with another question: why are you so ardent about defending your right to reduce people, particularly (in this case) WOC and members of the LGBTQA+ community, to stereotypes for your amusement? A trans woman joking about how someone else looks like a trans woman is still offensive, and…

I can see your problem - you think celebrities can be "pets" that one can claim as "theirs". I can't say I understand, since I see people as, you know, people, not just vectors of certain stereotyped traits and behaviours.

OH GOD THANK YOU I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY

You know she's a person, right? Not some sort of mystical totem you can claim as your own.

So the alternative is to let people rant, rave, and cause significant distress to others for the duration of a transatlantic flight, just because they were the victim of racism? Would you tolerate that from the victim of any other abuse?

"Please leave the plane."

I'm more unsettled by the attitude in the article and comments about wanting Laverne to be some kind of "my trans best friend" (that last paragraph in the OP, for example) like Laverne and her character are one-and-the-same and are there for the amusement of cis- straight people.

Try to watch this without screaming "I LOVE YOU, LAVERNE. PLEASE LET ME BE YOUR BEST FRIEND AND PLAY BARBIES WITH ME AND TALK SHIT ABOUT HOW MY BARBIES ARE TACKY AND DRESS LIKE SAD REJECTED REAL HOUSEVWIVES CAST MEMBERS." Just give it a try.

I feel sorry for you, Uber. It must be tough having to EXAGGERATE things all the time just for clicks. You've turned into a bully who can't take criticism and just looks for the negative in things that you disagree with.

What a surprise, Pinkham can't take criticism without getting absurdly defensive.