Everything That Upset the Internet This Week

by Meghan McKenna

What is the web-o-sphere angry about this week? A Hollywood casting choice, a celebrity tweet and a photograph of a dead giraffe. Here’s everything you need to know.

Scarlett Johansson has been cast in a transgender role

THE STORY: On Monday, Deadline broke the news that Scarlett Johansson has been cast as the lead in Rub & Tug, a film based on the real story of transgender massage parlour owner Dante “Tex” Gill.

THE REACTION: 

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: This isn’t the first time a cisgender actor has taken on a transgender role in a Hollywood film—and Johansson was the first person to make this point. “Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto, and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment,” Johansson told Bustle via a press representative, referencing three actors who have gone on to win prestigious awards for their portrayal of trans characters.

Johannsson, however, clearly didn’t do her research: each of these actors have, in some way, expressed regret about taking on trans roles. Even Jill Soloway, who cast Tambor as a trans woman in her Emmy-award winning show Transparent, has said “it is absolutely unacceptable to cast a cis man in the role of a trans woman. Ever.” In the 2016 interview with TV Insider, she went on to say, “If anybody has been reading the Internet they understand how awful it is for trans women to see cis men portraying them. It’s an insult.”

I think it’s safe to say that the opposite is equally as insulting. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time Johansson has taken on a highly controversial role. In 2016, she became one of the most prominent examples of Hollywood whitewashing after being cast as a Japanese character in The Ghost Shell, a popular manga series. Rupert Sanders, who directed The Ghost Shell, is also the director behind Rug & Tug. Let’s not forget to include his name in this backlash.

Amber Heard tweets an ICE warning

THE STORY: Early Tuesday morning, Heard posted about an ICE checkpoint near her L.A. home, writing, “Just heard there’s an ICE checkpoint in Hollywood, a few blocks from where I live. Everyone better give their housekeepers, nannies and landscapers a ride home tonight…” The tweet has since been deleted.

THE REACTION: 

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Heard may have intended for her tweet to be satirical—meaning, she meant to throw Hollywood’s elite under the bus, dragging them for their life of excess. This explanation, however, doesn’t excuse Heard from the racist undertones of the message. Her “joke” heavily plays into the stereotype that domestic hired workers— be it housekeepers, nannies or landscapers—are living in America as illegal immigrants. By reducing these roles to this stereotype, Heard is implying that immigrants aren’t able to hold other jobs in society.

A Kentucky woman posts a “trophy kill” pic

THE STORY: Tess Thompson Talley, a 37-year-old, shared “trophy kill” photos online of a black giraffe she shot while on a hunting trip in South Africa last summer. “Prayers for my once in a lifetime dream hunt came true today! Spotted this rare black giraffe bull and stalked him for quite awhile,” Talley wrote in a Facebook post which has since been deleted.

THE REACTION:

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Following the mass outcry, Talley has responded to multiple media outlets with comment. “This is called conservation through game management,” she said in a statement to the TODAY show. She then goes on to say that the criticism she’s faced is sexist.

“For all the people wishing death or even threatening death to me, this does nothing positive for your ‘movement,’ it only shows the world how lopsided your priorities are,” she said. “The very same picture could have been posted, and are posted daily, of men with their trophies and not a word is said.”

Uhhhm, okay. Remember that dentist that killed Cecil the lion? Yeah, well he isn’t even a practicing dentist anymore.

In related news, this week three alleged rhino poachers were eaten by lions on a South African game reserve. The circle of life! 

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