When Celebrities Get Too Sensitive: Did Mindy Kaling & Michael Fassbender Overreact?

I recently read an interview with Mindy Kaling in Parade magazine. It was then made into a meme in Upworthy, which I then saw on Facebook (got that?) Well, let me get back to the point. I think Mindy Kaling is amazing. She has achieved so much and is funny and talented. Not for an Asian woman, nor one who is not supermodel thin, just as a woman.

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This is what she said, ‘“I always get asked, ‘Where do you get your confidence?’” she says. “I think people are well meaning, but it’s pretty insulting. Because what it means to me is, ‘You, Mindy Kaling, have all the trappings of a very marginalized person. You’re not skinny, you’re not white, you’re a woman. Why on earth would you feel like you’re worth anything?’”

I think Kaling is being super sensitive here. I am white, I am (relatively) skinny, a UK size 8/10 and you know what? People ask me where I get my confidence all the time. Because that is the thing about confidence, when people have the courage to go for their dreams and work hard, everyone else wants to know how to do it too. I get asked where I get my confidence in interviews, at parties, by friends and family, and as a writer, I also ask other people where they get their confidence, not because they are an ethnic minority or different in any way, but because it is a question people want to know the answer to. Hell, I always want to know the answer because even though I come across as confident, I have my off days.

So Mindy, I love you, I really do. You are gorgeous, funny, witty and super successful, but sometimes a question is just a question or like Freud said: A spade is just a spade.

Now for Michael Fassbender. Fassbender has been complaining about people talking about his penis. Apparently this would never happen to a woman. Really Michael? Are you kidding? People have been talking about Sharon Stone’s Basic Instinct vagina for decades. ‘It wouldn’t be acceptable it would be seen as sexual harassment, people saying [to an actress], “Your vagina …” You know?’ he complained.

I don’t know if you have seen Shame but I have. If you don’t want people to discuss your penis maybe don’t get it out in such graphic detail. And as for this not happening to woman; it happens to woman all the time. Screenshots are taken and put on porn sites, Seth MacFarlane’s ‘Boob Song’ happens at the Oscars (which didn’t upset me even if it upset many others, you can’t do nudity in a film and then get offended when people mention it) and in films such as Knocked Up, nudity by women is talked about openly. Even the Daily Mail and celebrity magazines take screenshots from both sexes and publicise it out of context. Which is why nudity in a film is never just of that film, it is now you, naked, all over the internet and media for the rest of time. It is not fortunate, or even moral, it just is.

 

Stefans TV Picks; 21st June

Monday 21st – Five, 23:00
What happens when a crew of anonymous criminals is put together to pull off a perfectly planned bank heist, only for it to go horribly wrong with pretty gruesome results? Only Tarantino knows. The films that Quentin has released into the world have often been viewed as masterpieces but his 1992 breakthrough movie still stands out as one of the best. I am of course talking about Reservoir Dogs. With brilliant writing and outstanding camera work (tracking shots that rival Goodfellas’ restaurant entrance for all you movie buffs out there) Dogs is an absolute must!

Tuesday 22nd – E4, 22:30
Any fans of Family Guy will know that the last few seasons of a once great cartoon started to run dry. The creator/writer, Seth McFarlane, needed to come up with a new concept to save the franchise and so he gave us The Cleveland Show. A spin off from Family Guy, The Cleveland Show follows the adventures of long suffering character Cleveland Brown as he moves back to his hometown of Stoolbend, Virginia with his 14 year old son (who is constantly hopping between genius and idiot) and meets up with old friends and his highschool sweetheart. As part of E4’s Toonsday, they are showing the entire first season again, so make sure you catch the first episode and get reminded of what good cartoons are like and don’t worry about the danger of spin-offs, this is much more Frasier than Joey.

Wednesday 23rd – BBC 1, 14:15
I know, I know, not everyone is digging the football, but this is an important game. After Robert Greens terrible butter covered hands and last weeks game that made me realise that even someone like me could be a professional footballer, today’s Match of the Day Live will show the game that will decide whether England are in the rest of the tournament or not. As we face Slovenia I shall be wearing the three lions on my shirt, singing along to The Great Escape theme and asking all, even if they don’t like the game, to cross their fingers for our boys to win. EN-GER-LUUUUND EN-GUR-LUUUUND EN-GUR-LUUUUUND

Thursday 24th – BBC 4, 21:00
Ever since I’ve been a teenager I’ve loved the band The Eels. The creative force behind the band is that of lead singer Mark Oliver Everett known simply as E. Always one to shy away from the spotlight until he is on stage, in Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives: Mark Everett we see a rare glimpse into the life and history of E as he travels America finding out more about his father, a genius who developed the theory of parallel universes, yet was unable to build a relationship with his son who saw him as a stranger with whom he lived. For fans of the band, Parallel Worlds will help identify the meaning behind E’s deeply personal lyrics, for those not familiar or who don’t like The Eels, this show will be like a brilliant version of Who Do you Think You Are!

Friday 25th – BBC 2, 21:00/Channel 4, 22:00
What’s all this then? Two selections? That is right my friends, a nice double bill for you tonight. Starting on BBC 2 in Are You Having A Laugh? David Walliams presents a documentary all about the use of disability in TV. With input from actors and comics including Stephan Merchant, Dom Joly and Ben Miller, we’ll see the attitude towards how disability has been portrayed over the years and how it has changed to become, sometimes questionably, used in comedy today. Straight after over on Channel 4 we have the glorious return of The I.T Crowd. The BAFTA award winning sitcom is back for season 4. Once again we shall get to join the (primarily basement situated) adventures of Moss, Roy and Jen. This week Jen decides she wants more from her job and applies as Entertainment Manager and asks the boys from I.T to help her find ways to amuse her boss’ business connections.

Saturday 26th – BBC 1, 18:05
His enemies have formed an alliance against him, his assistant has been shot, his Tardis has been destroyed, the stars are all going supernova and the Doctor is trapped in the Pandorica. The finale of Doctor Who promises to be action packed and full of answers to so many questions and my inner geek is waiting with huge anticipation for the last episode. Although after this I’m really not sure how I’m going to fill the hour between 6 an 7 on the following Saturday evenings!

Sunday 27th – E4, 23:00
This week opened with one of my favourite filmmakers and I felt it would be nice to close it with another, that filmmaker is Kevin Smith. Dogma (the fourth in Smith New Jersey Chronicles) tells the story of two angels, Bartleby and Loki (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) who are trying to find a way back into Heaven after being banished for reasons including getting drunk and flipping God the bird, while Bethaney Sloane (Linda Fiorentino), after being given a Holy Quest by the angel Metatron, tries to stop them. It is as much a study in, and questioning of dogmatic faith as it is an outlet for Smiths love of dick and fart jokes. This was the first of his films I saw and instantly got me hooked on Smiths writing style and his returning characters Jay and Silent Bob. Cleverly written and thought provoking when your not laughing, Dogma shows the side of religion you never see in church.