Disco Writer used the N word in the writers room.

[Gingerbread Demon]

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/wa...iters-room-after-n-word-complaint-1203326990/

He was telling a story about his life and used the N word to describe a moment in his life and then got a call from HR and now has left the show.

Not sure what to make of this but surely if you are talking about yourself in the first person why would anyone else take offense if you used a word to talk about yourself in a non derogatory way? He didn't seem to infer this on other people.

 

[Lord Garth]

I think there's something more going on here. Speculation only, but I wonder if someone else on staff didn't like or didn't get along with him and tried to nab him on a technicality by complaining to HR?

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Hyper-sensitivity to every little thing is the hallmark of our society now.

I refer to my late mom and her sister and brothers as Polacks, and myself as a half-Polack sometimes. I don't care who likes it.

 

[David cgc]

I think there's something more going on here. Speculation only, but I wonder if someone else on staff didn't like or didn't get along with him and tried to nab him on a technicality by complaining to HR?

This writers' room has sounded like a nightmare for years, it wouldn't surprise me if there was something like that behind that kind of bizarre tattle-tailing. The high turnover and constant accompanying series re-tools are not indications of a positive work environment, never mind the bullying reports last year.

I refer to my late mom and her sister and brothers as Polacks, and myself as a half-Polack someyimes. I don't care who likes it.

That's probably for the best, since the people who like it are probably not the kind of people you want to associate with, if only for your own safety.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I think there's something more going on here. Speculation only, but I wonder if someone else on staff didn't like or didn't get along with him and tried to nab him on a technicality by complaining to HR?

I think you might be right but someone must have had some kind of axe to grind to run to HR and make a formal complaint. Toxic work environment indeed.

 

[DEWLine]

That this is how we found out that Walter Mosley was involved with Star Trek at all disturbs me deeply.

 

[NCC-73515]

Especially if that was the word that cop used back then. In that case, he was simply quoting an LA cop.

 

[Guy Gardener]

1. Walter is black, and old as dirt.

2. Walter quit, he wasn't fired.

This is a story about an old black man who is told by white assholes that he is not allowed to use his word, so fuck them.

 

[Tuskin38]

1. Walter is black, and old as dirt.

2. Walter quit, he wasn't fired.

This is a story about an old black man who is told by white assholes that he is not allowed to use his word, so fuck them.

We don’t know which writer complained

 

[Casas9425]

The writers room for this show seems like a nightmare.

 

[KennyB]

We don’t know which writer complained

This is a corporate setting.....not hanging out with peers. Know the room. It sounds like he was given a warning and quit. He is a great writer and most likely not used being told what to do. There were other persons of color in the room as well. If brought to HR they have to do something.....he did not have to quit and write an OpEd that democracy was dying because he can't use racial slurs at work.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I'm hiding from the Harry Potter movies.

Is there a point where Ron says to Hermione "Witch please"?

 

[F. King Daniel]

It's Star Trek. The most SJW show in the universe since 1966. Of course they don't want you using that word.

 

[Beckerjr]

PC culture run a muck. Doesn't surprise me at all.

 

[KennyB]

PC culture run a muck. Doesn't surprise me at all.

HE QUIT. The only thing surprising is HR only gave him a phone call to explain that it wasn’t an acceptable word to use.

 

[Rahul]

Holy shit. The DIS' writers room is a toxic hellhole.

And to everyone blaming "PC culture" or "SJWs": FUCK THAT.
This is very much a rightwing thing to do: A white male telling a minority person to stop complaining, that "hey, racism is over. So stop talking about racism. Otherwise that makes us uncomfortable. Which makes you the real racist."

The issue isn't a black person dropping the n-word here. The issue is a socially conservative environment shutting down minorities to talk about racism. On a Star Trek show. Fuck that. These people can go to hell.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Holy shit. The DIS' writers room is a toxic hellhole.

And to everyone blaming "PC culture" or "SJWs": FUCK THAT.
This is very much a rightwing thing to do: A white male telling a minority person to stop complaining, that "hey, racism is over. So stop talking about racism. Otherwise that makes you the racist."

The issue isn't a black person dropping the n-word here. The issue is a socially conservative environment shutting down minorities to talk about racism. On a Star Trek show. Fuck that. These people can go to hell.

I didn't think of this angle and it sums up the world today nicely.

 

[serabine]

Holy shit. The DIS' writers room is a toxic hellhole.

And to everyone blaming "PC culture" or "SJWs": FUCK THAT.
This is very much a white male rightwing thing to do: Tell a minority person that "hey, racism is over. So stop talking about racism. Otherwise that makes you the racist."

The issue isn't a black person dropping the n-word here. The issue is a socially conservative environment shutting down minorities to talk about racism. On a Star Trek show. Fuck that. These people can go to hell.

Interesting take.

He doesn't say that anyone complained because he was retelling his own experience of racism by a cop, but because in quoting the cop verbatim he was repeating a particularly ugly racial slur. For all we know it was one of the other African American writers in the writing room who complained about it, not "to shut him down" but because they might have their own ugly experiences with the slur. Or they belong to a subgroup you'll find in every minority group where discussions exist whether slurs can or should be "reclaimed", and fall on the side of thos who don't want these slurs around in any capacity. Compare that to current pushback from some members of the lgbtg community to the term "queer".

As for the whole thing, I wonder if this strong reaction is a direct result of the upheaval around Berg and Harberts. They were verbally abusive to staff to the point that they had to be removed, so it makes sense that the production company might come down quickly on anything even remotely in the ballpark of "hostile" language if it gets reported in to HR. And it's sad that Mosley (who I have only read Devil in A Blue Dress from, since he was prominently featured in a course on crime fiction I once took) decided to leave over that. Especially because how he describes it he wasn't even in any real trouble with HR (as in an actual formal reprimand with documentation and such), and just got a call asking him politely to avoid using that term in the writer's room, which ... isn't a terrible request? People will know what you mean even if you just say "the n-word" and still understand the point of your story.

 

[Rahul]

Interesting take.

He doesn't say that anyone complained because he was retelling his own experience of racism by a cop, but because in quoting the cop verbatim he was repeating a particularly ugly racial slur. For all we know it was one of the other African American writers in the writing room who complained about it, not "to shut him down" but because they might have their own ugly experiences with the slur. Or they belong to a subgroup you'll find in every minority group where discussions exist whether slurs can or should be "reclaimed", and fall on the side of thos who don't want these slurs around in any capacity. Compare that to current pushback from some members of the lgbtg community to the term "queer".

As for the whole thing, I wonder if this strong reaction is a direct result of the upheaval around Berg and Harberts. They were verbally abusive to staff to the point that they had to be removed, so it makes sense that the production company might come down quickly on anything even remotely in the ballpark of "hostile" language if it gets reported in to HR. And it's sad that Mosley (who I have only read Devil in A Blue Dress from, since he was prominently featured in a course on crime fiction I once took) decided to leave over that. Especially because how he describes it he wasn't even in any real trouble with HR (as in an actual formal reprimand with documentation and such), and just got a call asking him politely to avoid using that term in the writer's room, which ... isn't a terrible request? People will know what you mean even if you just say "the n-word" and still understand the point of your story.

Yeah, it DEFINITELY wasn't one of the other black writers complaining...

They very much SAID - verbatim - the complaint was about that word making people "uncomfortable in a working environment". Not insulting. Uncomfortable. When an old black guy said it talking about the past. If you think that wording came from anyone else than a young, conservative white guy, I've got a whole ton of bridges to sell you.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Hyper-sensitivity to every little thing is the hallmark of our society now.

I refer to my late mom and her sister and brothers as Polacks, and myself as a half-Polack someyimes. I don't care who likes it.

For the use of the P-word, you must now resign from Trekbbs.