Donald Glover’s Atlanta, is a TV show on FX that follows the lives of two cousins navigating their way in the Atlanta rap scene in an effort to improve their lives and the lives of their families. The show has only begun its second season and has already received critical acclaim and various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Glover, and two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. ‘Atlanta’ has made Glover the first African-American to win an Emmy for the category of Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. I consider myself a Donald Glover supporter in all that he does both in film and in music. I have been a huge fan of the series since its beginning in 2016, so when I found this article, I was absolutely dumbfounded. This piece by huffingtonpost talks about a situation between the network and Glover before the show ever aired. Apparently, some studio heads from FX network asked Glover to cut out his use of the ‘n-word’ in the pilot episode of ‘Atlanta’ for undisclosed reasons. Glover was recorded commenting about the situation, saying, “I’m black, making a very black show, and they’re telling me I can’t use the N-word! Only in a world run by white people would that happen.” I was so appalled when I found this article, not just for what it said, but also because of how recent it is. The article is from three days ago, and it is talking about a situation that occurred almost two years ago. Why is this just coming out now? How did it get out? I have so many sorts of these questions that I think will probably go unanswered. Nevertheless, this situation happened and we must deal with it. How could FX possibly think that they could censor someone’s show in this way? The use of the word brings a certain level of truth in its context of the show. It is a necessary aspect that must be included in the show for its authenticity. But the network is concerned about what certain viewers might think of FX after hearing the n-word on this show and therefore they asked Mr. Glover to remove it. Even though the n-word did not appear in the pilot episode, it has been used since. Was it fair for FX to ask Mr. Glover to censor his episode if it was just the pilot? In the end I believe this action by FX continues to show the racist agenda of these media powers and their censorship of black culture.
A blog dedicated to exploring the civil rights movement in Memphis, TN
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