Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

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  • Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

    Great read. For all the calls of diversity in entertainment , it's a damn shame that a biracial man has to curb his language. How disturbingly Orwellian...


    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/o...er-mosley.html
    "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

    "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

  • #2
    Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

    Good piece. Thanks.
    Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

      read this article when it dropped.

      i understand Mr. Mosley telling a story and quoting what someone said to him. he was expressing his own experience in this specific situation. he wasn't "calling" anyone the n-word.

      i even believe if it was a white person relaying the conversation and used the n-word in retelling the story and they quoted the officer's language, then i still feel it shouldn't be an issue. it's about something someone said, Mr. Mosley didn't use the word himself.

      there is a fine line in the workplace where someone might feel offended by language or even that there is a hostile work environment because of language.

      the thing about harassment, is that it doesn't matter if the person using the language isn't offended by it, it's whether the other people in the room are offended.

      as a white woman i would never use that word. not even to repeat a story.

      about a week ago i started watching "Dear White People," which is a great show. it's set in a predominately white ivy-league university where black students navigate life on campus.

      so everyone's at a party together and they're singing and dancing to a rap song and the singer uses the n-word-- Reggie, a black student, tells his white friend that he can't say that word. the white kid's like, "what're you saying, i can't sing the song?" Reggie says, "yeah, that's right, you can't," and they get into a fight because the white kid doesn't understand why it's okay for Reggie to use the word when singing the song and the white kid can't, he's expected to "mmm" the word, because he's white.

      my daughter is 17 and a senior in high school, and i have repeatedly told her that i don't want to hear her say that word when she sings rap songs, and she'll curb it when she's with me, including swear words, because she knows i don't believe that as a white girl she should use the n-word.

      but, around her friends, which are black, white, and bi-racial, she sings the songs along with everyone else. she listens to other music, too, but hip hop and rap are very big, and popular genres.

      i want her to watch this episode of "Dear White People," because i want her to understand how a white person using the n-word is insensitive to an entire culture of people and that she might, one day, find herself in a situation where someone doesn't appreciate or respect her "freedom of speech."

      i used to work as a buyer/analyst in a place that sold multicultural and black hair care and beauty products and i watched a white woman in the work place use the n-word all the time-- it was offensive. she claimed that because she grew up in the ghetto, which she didn't, she could use the word. the problem is, no one could file a claim against her because she was ****ing the owner-- yeah, everyone in the office knew except his wife.

      anyway, i totally respect and admire Mr. Mosley's position and decision. he has the right to freedom of expression the same as each of us. i don't see anything wrong with his story. i commend him on getting out in front of it to tell his story, the true story.

      wonder what happened to the person that filed the complaint?

      sorry to have rambled on.
      be well peeps,
      FA4
      "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

        Originally posted by sc111 View Post
        Good piece. Thanks.



        You're welcome. Mosely will be okay, but, like him, I worry about a writer who shares his experience but not his reputation will get this treatment.
        "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

        "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

          anyone who would snitch on Walter F'in Mosely for speaking the truth about the LAPD doesn't deserve to work in a TV room. this would be like going in to write the People v. OJ and never being allowed to discuss Mark Furman and all the **** he said and did on the job as LAPD to the author writing the book that sunk the state's case

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

            Originally posted by Madbandit View Post
            You're welcome. Mosely will be okay, but, like him, I worry about a writer who shares his experience but not his reputation will get this treatment.
            I hear you. The ridiculous thing is that a Black man is called on the carpet for sharing an experience he had in relation to racist cops. How are we as a country ever going to address racism in America if Black people are not allowed to express their experiences with racism because it makes white people uncomfortable?
            Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

              Originally posted by Madbandit View Post
              Great read. For all the calls of diversity in entertainment , it's a damn shame that a biracial man has to curb his language. How disturbingly Orwellian...


              https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/06/o...er-mosley.html
              These stories make me so mad on so many levels. I want to find that writer who turned him in and kick them in the balls. Because I know it was a white male that did this.

              You're not making the world a better place and you're certainty not making a better TV show when a writer's room isn't a 100% a safe space to say anything that's about the work. Walter is there for his personal experience!

              By the way, the difference between today and when I grew up is you don't call HR, you tell the man to his face you didn't like what he said. And then that man can choose to tell you to STFU or say why the person is wrong and you shake hands.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

                Originally posted by Bono View Post
                These stories make me so mad on so many levels. I want to find that writer who turned him in and kick them in the balls. Because I know it was a white male that did this.

                You're not making the world a better place and you're certainty not making a better TV show when a writer's room isn't a 100% a safe space to say anything that's about the work. Walter is there for his personal experience!

                By the way, the difference between today and when I grew up is you don't call HR, you tell the man to his face you didn't like what he said. And then that man can choose to tell you to STFU or say why the person is wrong and you shake hands.
                i agree, if you have a problem with someone or something they say, stand up and speak your truth. it shouldn't matter what anyone thinks except you and the other person.
                "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

                  Originally posted by Bono View Post
                  These stories make me so mad on so many levels. I want to find that writer who turned him in and kick them in the balls. Because I know it was a white male that did this.

                  You're not making the world a better place and you're certainty not making a better TV show when a writer's room isn't a 100% a safe space to say anything that's about the work. Walter is there for his personal experience!

                  By the way, the difference between today and when I grew up is you don't call HR, you tell the man to his face you didn't like what he said. And then that man can choose to tell you to STFU or say why the person is wrong and you shake hands.



                  According to NBA legend, TV writer and professional co-pilot (Ha!), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the staff writers on Star Trek: Discovery are diverse, which makes me if this issue was really based on personal jealousy, under the guise of being offended. Still, you're right.



                  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/am...n-word-1238332
                  Last edited by Madbandit; 03-18-2023, 12:38 AM.
                  "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

                  "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

                    By the way, from all accounts this show has terrible writing. So maybe just maybe he quit the show too because it wasn't very good.

                    I'm just saying, I wonder if what is left unsaid is "I'm too good for this sh%t and now you want me to deal with this dumb crap from a 20 year old?"

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Why I Quit the Writers' Room by Walter Mosely

                      Originally posted by Bono View Post
                      By the way, from all accounts this show has terrible writing. So maybe just maybe he quit the show too because it wasn't very good.

                      I'm just saying, I wonder if what is left unsaid is "I'm too good for this sh%t and now you want me to deal with this dumb crap from a 20 year old?"
                      good observation.
                      "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

                      Comment

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