Yeah, fair enough.

Yeah, that’s exactly what it is - eye opening. I think I was already a pretty empathetic person, but it increased my empathy for people who may feel bullied, unfairly characterized, pushed to the fringe, tokenized, objectified, etc. But as you said, I know my experiences were still very different from someone whose…

I understand your point that action doesn’t require politeness, and that minding your manners could actually stall progress in some cases, but not in this particular case. Cho was a dick about this. Yes, racism is a bigger dick. And yes, Tilda’s claim of ignorance about anything in the media is dumb, she should have…

Yeah, she could have listened better. I think there’s a knee-jerk reaction to want to ‘defend’ by saying ‘well, just so you know that my intentions were in the right place, even if I made the wrong decision...this is what I was thinking...’. Which can seem like just looking for validation or being defensive and not…

OK but it’s still a dick move to make it sound like TS was so awful in the conversation.

I read it as her just wanting to share what she was told re: what they were thinking in their casting decisions b/c it colored her own thinking surrounding the role. It seems valid to explain that while she understands it’s seen as whitewashing, she thought, at the time at least, that the casting decisions were…

If Swinton stepped aside by refusing the role, she wouldn’t necessarily have done that ‘so that an Asian actor can play an Asian character’. Perhaps she should have refused it on pricipal (I could understand anyone feeling that way), but they could just as likely have given it to another non-Asian actor.

I agree with you, but yeah I’m wondering if Tilda was just a higher profile actress than they could find in an actor of Asian descent (maybe they tried but said actor wasn’t available, who knows).  

Mmmm, yeah idk. Speak for yourself. I’m white and am not helpless and clueless. I’ve made the effort to observe, research, ask questions, listen a lot, immerse myself in other cultures, build relationships with people of various backgrounds different than my own, etc. and it has broadened my perspective immensely.…

I had a similar experience, so it was interesting to read about yours. I never mention mine b/c I’m white, so, there’s really no way to discuss it without being an asshole.

And maybe Cho’s negative feelings about this interaction are understandable, but she’s still a dick. It would have made far more sense to just be a sane adult and reach back out to Swinton and say ‘You know, I’ve been thinking about this some more, and here’s how I feel about what we talked about.’ Rather than just…

While I completely understand what POC are saying wrt Cho possibly feeling some pressure to explain this shit to TS, personally I’m happy when someone asks me to explain something, especially something sensitive like cultural stuff, to them. I like that someone would think that I’d handle that conversation well, that…

It makes sense to me and I’m going to keep this in mind, thank you.

While I agree with you on some counts, I think your characterization of what TS said is intellectually dishonest. Is it an actor’s job to decide whether or not ‘the Celtic perspective somehow advances the narrative in a superior way’? She isn’t making casting decisions other than the decision to take the role or not -…

Agreed that it’s not an either/or, and an Asian actor that doesn’t replicate the Fu Manchu trope would be preferable. However, the casting decision isn’t Tilda’s fault. I wonder, was the only ‘correct’ move on TS’s part to not accept the role?

While I understand the thought of reaching out to Cho as a public figure who’s been vocal about whitewashing in film, it does seem a little strange to me that TS wouldn’t have any other Asian contacts to ask. It seems like a conversation better had with someone you know personally. Scottish highlands, OK, but she’s a…

Pretty sure there’s no such thing as a ‘woke white person’.

In the emails she’s exceedingly polite and helpful. Her representation of this conversation after the fact is what seems malicious.

Totally understand your point, but I’ve also seen criticism of white people when they/we do something without asking POC how they feel, what they need, what would be meaningful to them wrt efforts made to be more inclusive/diverse/thoughtful in these areas. I think sometimes a POC is asked what THEY think or how THEY…

Cho may be fed up with that very real issue, but that doesn’t excuse her completely misrepresenting this conversation. It makes her look like an asshole. And maybe TS wasn’t ‘on the mark’ enough for some people, but at least she’s trying to understand?