T. Ruth Herdy
Here we are in 2021, and tonight marks the premiere of a show called “Chad”. This show is about a 14 yr old boy dealing with his first year of high school and his quest for popularity as he navigates unfamiliar territory within his personal life. Wow! That sounds fantastic! A coming of age story, how great and nice! And to top it all off, the story is about a person of color, yes, a Persian boy. Cut, print, check the gate, moving on! Right? Well, mostly.
Remember the last 18 months when “Cancel Culture” became a thing? Actors and actresses had to apologize and quit roles because they were the “wrong” race or gender or didn’t have enough culture or took too much of someone else’s. This was supposed to be some cleansing, some righting the ship from all of the “wrong” people taking what is not theirs. “Cancel Culture” runs under the guise of putting things where they rightfully belong. In walks “Chad”.
“Chad” is a woman. A woman who identifies as a woman, and not a young boy. Nasim Pedrad, the SNL alum, is the creator, producer, head writer, and main actor as “Chad”. How? In 2019, I wouldn’t care. But since COVID came through and gave a bunch of bored people time to kick and sludge through media to ensure that actors were 100% of the color, creed, and context of what they wanted; this has to go. I want to live in a fairer and more just world, so let’s cancel some shit. Let’s hold everyone to these “standards” for acting a producing now. A woman should NOT play a little boy. It shouldn’t happen. Not anymore. I probably would have thought this show was funny a couple years ago, but I’m glad that CC reminded me that people can’t act differently than exactly what they are. Even though many woman voice male and female children on cartoons, I’ve come to realize that’s wrong too. You can’t pretend anymore. You have to be it.
Remember Kristen Bell got axed from “Central Park” where she voiced a mixed character. Apparently being 50% isn’t enough, and Nasim Pedrad is 0% male so she’s out. Same for Jenny Slate on “Big Mouth”, 50% ain’t enough, and she was even Jewish like her character. Tough luck, Jenny. Then we’ve got David Herman who played Marshmallow on “Bob’s Burgers”. Marshmallow is a black transgender person. 0% so cancelled. Pretend is over now in magic land. If you’re not it on the nose, get out. I feel bad for people in action movies now though, poor people will actually have to get shot and die on set. We can’t have any fakers. Yet somehow, “Chad” is premiering tonight. 0% a boy, and 0% an adolescent, yet we’re letting this adult woman play a man these days. Can you just imagine a grown man creating, writing, producing, and starring as a teenage girl? Can you? It would never happen. He would be labeled a pedophile and a bigot. But when it’s a “Persian” female, well….you look like we want you to look, and so we’ll allow it. What’s also weird is that Persian is an old term, outdated. It’s Iran now, and people can make the distinction to separate themselves from Iran, but she’s even escaping the ‘modern’ terminology for herself. That doesn’t sound very forward thinking and inclusive to me, does it to you? We must get rid of these bad older names because someone now can get offended. Sorry, “Chad”
It would be a “Chad”, I guess. Since “Chad” is the slang terminology for a white person that someone considers a douche and bullies others to get their way no matter how wrong it is. It’s okay, I can say it, I’m white. I’ve done my 23andMe, since apparently we’re going to be needing documentation of who we are to make sure of how we can dress, talk, and basically hold ourselves. With a culture that’s so pent up on “moving forward” and inclusion, you would think they would move forward and be well…inclusive. But that’s not the case.
There are all these rules about the freedom we can have now, and how we HAVE to bow down to certain others because they want freedom too. This is all well and good until it breaches another’s freedoms. Someone can’t say you can be anything you want and express yourself how you want, and then when you say you want “cornrows” they say, “well, what are you? Define yourself so we can determine if it’s okay for someone like you to wear this.” What in the actual hell is that? This is just one example. That’s not freedom, that’s not inclusion. You’re asking to prop up some on a pedestal while you exclude others. It’s not right. Everyone should be able to dress as everyone, everyone should be able to pretend to be everyone else, everyone should be able to say the same words to each other. Period. Those should be the basic rules to life. When you add caveats, you eliminate freedom that EVERYONE should have.
There needs to be sensibility in this world and we clearly don’t have it. Do I really care about “Chad”? No, I don’t. It’s someone playing pretend and playing a character. I am sensible. Only knowing morons would actually have a problem with someone pretending. It takes a lot to be a moron, know about it, continue to be a moron, and then spout your shit to the world as if it’s Gospel. Let’s be real and sensible here. The people in charge of this “Cancel Culture” movement don’t want fairness and they don’t want equality. They want their way. Plain and simple. And they know it and still shovel the shit mouthful by mouthful saying it’s all for a more “equitable world”. Hmm, looks like “Cancel Culture” is actually a “Chad”.