• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Awkwafina (Shang-Chi) is being accused of cultural appropriation by some, for previous use of a “blaccent” while she was rising to fame

mangopositive

mangopositive

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
2,431
User Banned (2 weeks): dismissing concerns surrounding cultural appropriation
She was really great on Shang-Chi. This seems like one of the more uncontroversial controversies I've seen brought up in recent times. Then again, I'm a white man who probably doesn't get it.
 
Soap

Soap

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,169
User Banned (2 weeks): dismissing concerns surrounding cultural appropriation
Probably run by the same conservatives that tried to keep Gunn out of the MCU.
 
darkhunger

darkhunger

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,270
USA
User Banned (2 weeks): dismissing concerns surrounding cultural appropriation
As an Asian-American who grew up in Queens this is like how half of us talked in junior high and high school in order to fit in. It's dumb headlines from ignorant people.
 
krazen

krazen

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,121
Gentrified Brooklyn
It depends. NYC kids are built differently and AAVE though hip-hop has a wider spread then you would see in any other city. You've got Action Bronson who's 100% white, but when you do the math of him being an Albanian from Queens (who by and large their immigrant status keeps them adjacent if not immersed in heavily POC mixed neighborhoods) it suddenly starts to make a bit more sense. I know people bring up socioeconomic class, but with hip-hop being youth culture here by and large..its tough to call.

darkhunger said:
As an Asian-American who grew up in Queens this is like how half of us talked in junior high and high school in order to fit in. It's dumb headlines from ignorant people.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I agree with this take.

THAT SAID.

It's hard not to see her act as a minstrel show. It's no coincidence that she leans heavy on her blaccent with comic relief roles, and ironically enough if you put a black actor in that same role saying those same lines…it looks fucked up.

For someone who was a 'rapper' in Akwafina's it sounds like a white person reading urban dictionary. Even her rap career was sus; I remember seeing her play shows around the city and it was less about trying to hone her craft and work her way through that established system (open mics, aligning herself with other underground rappers etc) but basically a generic 'white' hipster rapper on party bills. The fact she dumped that career quick when her acting career blew up unlike lets say Riz Ahmed or Childish Gambino also lends to the fact she was culture vulturing trying to get famous. Hell, lets look at Riz Ahmed. Grew up -immersed- in hip hop culture, has a pretty solid rap career for over a decade, speaks the slang on wax because of the medium…but he's not taking roles of Indian Cabbie #3 like Akwa's quote OR non-black hip-hop clown.
 
L Thammy

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
49,977
Saying about this is about "hypocrisy" doesn't sit well with me. If she's appropriating other cultures and that's a point to criticize, sure. But I don't think there's that's any less offensive if she makes her own culture something to be mocked from the outside.
 
Brawly Likes to Brawl

Brawly Likes to Brawl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,063
Ryohei Suzuki's bedroom
Having your community's culture be used as a pretfy accessory to garner clout, only to be thrown out if not outright vilified when it's no longer convenient is extremely frustrating, guys.
mangopositive said:
She was really great on Shang-Chi. This seems like one of the more uncontroversial controversies I've seen brought up in recent times. Then again, I'm a white man who probably doesn't get it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You really don't.
 
Truly Gargantuan

Truly Gargantuan

Still doesn't have a tag :'(
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,034
All I know is that Twitter user is toxic af. They seem real happy to be "cancelling" somebody.
 
krazen

krazen

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,121
Gentrified Brooklyn
Brawly Likes to Brawl said:
Cultural Appropriation, particularly of black culture, is a real issue that has been discussed for longer than most of you have been born.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yup. Elvis was stealing rock music from acts like Chuck Berry wholesale, at a time when if Chuck walked into those same establishments they would have called the cops.

Even the original minstrel shows weren't about solely about making fun of black people. Those white actors were talented in song and dance and when it came down to the 'performance' executed it to be as close to the dances and songs were in the black community at the time. The idea was to create a safe space to consume African-American culture "ironically", while dehumanizing the group
 
tsmoreau

tsmoreau

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,434
Always found her kinda sus

It's not even the accent and the affect or whatever here, it's the specific word choice. Being generous I thiiink she's trying to align, like "We're in the same boat."

But the same boat it ain't. It's a boat, but it ain't the same boat at all.
 
Mars

Mars

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,988
Brawly Likes to Brawl said:
Cultural Appropriation, particularly of black culture, is a real issue that has been discussed for longer than most of you have been born.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Let's be real, this — like many issues about stuff like this is on some "fuck you, got mine".

This has been pointed out countless times, but for whatever reason… it's not a big deal or I'm unreasonable in concerns to an individual using my culture as a stepping stone in their career and tossing it aside when you start getting the "right" attention — but occasionally pulling it out of retirement if the pay is right.

She has been called out on this for years and now its issue because she has some clout? And she shouldn't be called out?
 

Deleted member 10014

User requested account closure
Banned
Jul 11, 2021
382
Cyclone said:
How much leeway do you get for growing up in that culture though? I was listening to an interview with a black comedian from the same area in New York and she mentioned that's just how people from there talk. Noted it wasn't appropriation when you grow up in it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I very much doubt she spoke like this growing up.
 
Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,270
Originally I assumed that this is just how she speaks but it's kind of noticeable how she dropped it the moment her acting career got more serious, so I can understand the critics
 
Mesoian

Mesoian

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 28, 2017
26,427


This is how I came to know Awkafina.

And yeah, her being like "I don't do accents" NOW, in 2021, is pretty dishonest. She got famous for doing accents. She was doing them as recently as Bojack.
 
Brawly Likes to Brawl

Brawly Likes to Brawl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,063
Ryohei Suzuki's bedroom
krazen said:
Yup. Elvis was stealing rock music from acts like Chuck Berry wholesale, at a time when if Chuck walked into those same establishments they would have called the cops.

Even the original minstrel shows weren't about solely about making fun of black people. Those white actors were talented in song and dance and when it came down to the 'performance' executed it to be as close to the dances and songs were in the black community at the time. The idea was to create a safe space to consume African-American culture "ironically", while dehumanizing the group
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It happens a lot on tiktok too. Black creators on the platform get the dances they make stolen without any citation on the regular. White tiktokers go viral and in a lot of cases make money off of dances that they've plagiarized, A few months ago when Meghan Thee Stallion's new song "thot shit" came out, black users on TikTok decided to hold a boycott against recording any new dances for it and it resulted in the rest of the userbase being completely lost on how to approach the song because the default up until this point was to just wait and see what the black users were doing and copy it wholesale with no credit.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the song's lyrics contain INSTRUCTIONS on how to dance to it and people still couldn't figure it out. That's how deeply entrenched the economy on stealing black effort is.
 
Last edited:
litebrite

litebrite

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
21,832
Brawly Likes to Brawl said:
It happens a lot on tiktok too. Black creators on the platform get the dances they make stolen without any citation on the regular. White tiktokers go viral and in a lot of cases make money off of dances that they've plagiarized, A few months ago when Meghan Thee Stallion's new song "thot shit" came out, black users on TikTok decided to hold a boycott against recording any new dances for it and it resulted in the rest of the userbase being completely lost on how to approach the song because the default up until this point was to just wait and see what the black users were doing and copy it wholesale with no credit.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's the history of American culture within a capitalist system built on systemic racism.
 
Tbm24

Tbm24

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,226
I feel like this thread has been made before with the exact same takes. That may have been back at GAF I really don't remember but it includes the same bullshit about her being raised in Forest Hills and using it as a judge of her exposure to black people and culture. It's the dumbest fucking take I've ever read for something like this.
 
DemyxC

DemyxC

Member
Dec 3, 2020
701
On one hand, I don't like how she appears to not live by her words, but half of the twitter mfers talking shit are legit worse than her. I always dislike when people preach respect but don't actually apply the shit they say universally, and twitter is like the biggest offender for people doing that shit.
 
Kusagari

Kusagari

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,382
zero_suit

zero_suit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,567
Brawly Likes to Brawl said:
It happens a lot on tiktok too. Black creators on the platform get the dances they make stolen without any citation on the regular. White tiktokers go viral and in a lot of cases make money off of dances that they've plagiarized, A few months ago when Meghan Thee Stallion's new song "thot shit" came out, black users on TikTok decided to hold a boycott against recording any new dances for it and it resulted in the rest of the userbase being completely lost on how to approach the song because the default up until this point was to just wait and see what the black users were doing and copy it wholesale with no credit.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Happens in every avenue in America.
 
Tbm24

Tbm24

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,226
zilla_tha_killa said:
I very much doubt she spoke like this growing up.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm going to say probably actually. Just because it's not even remotely surprising to see and hear people speak like this if you grew up and went to High School in New York. I've known of Awkwafina back when she was just making a bunch of Vines doing the same thing. Now, I'm not saying it's okay overall, It's just been part of my normal for my entire upbringing going to school in Queens and Brooklyn.
 
demondance

demondance

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,808
She used to do interviews and shit in that accent. People called it out at the time. She seems to be a very cynical person.

I don't think she needs to be cancelled or something. But she rode her old persona to fame and dropped it when she broke through to a higher level of acting offers. She, of all people, should sit out conversations on "minstrelsy" and cultural appropriation. At least have the class to sit out that particular angle of self-promotion when you have a history like hers.
 
Yasuke

Yasuke

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
19,817
As someone who likes Awkwafina nowadays, there's nothing wrong with people continuing to bring this shit up when she's never meaningfully apologized for any of it. She blew up and just acted like it never happened, and it's weird, yet incredibly regular, behavior. It wasn't even that long ago.

Stop accusing black folk of being opportunistic now that her career is reaching new heights; we've been having this conversation for years, and of course the discourse about it would increase at a time when she's increasingly focused on due to her starring in the newest film from the biggest studio in Hollywood currently.
 
L Thammy

L Thammy

Spacenoid
Member
Oct 25, 2017
49,977
Tbm24 said:
I feel like this thread has been made before with the exact same takes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Putting aside anything else, you're going to hear people repeating themselves if the same topic comes up and nothing has changed. The conversation being the same does not indicate where the issue is.
 
Volimar

Volimar

volunteer forum janitor
Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,325
My sister was like this depending on who she was around. Like around family she spoke one way and around her friends she spoke with the "blaccent". It got real annoying when she'd just start busting out "...know what I'm saying" at the end of every sentence too. I doubt she even knew she did it.
 
skillzilla81

skillzilla81

Self-requested temporary ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,043
Mr. Snuffleupagus said:
Didn't say it was a force for good, don't put words in my mouth. All I'm saying is: blaccent = not good AND the timing is just to coincide with the movie and hence just feels like a issue raised now in order to stir shit.

I don't know if she still does this though or has prior apologised, so I'm open to learning more of course.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The timing is because she literally just said she won't do accents and used the word minstrel to describe that. Except, she is guilty of appropriating and doing exactly that.

Edit: Apparently it's an old interview? Still gross as fuck and the use of the word minstrel is disgusting given what she's doing to the culture.

Cyclone said:
How much leeway do you get for growing up in that culture though? I was listening to an interview with a black comedian from the same area in New York and she mentioned that's just how people from there talk. Noted it wasn't appropriation when you grow up in it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Then why's she only talk that way in movies and while rapping? How can she say she refuses to do an accent and play off of black culture?
 
Last edited:
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,032
This been a discussion since jump. Just folks ignored black folks as they often do. Dollars to donuts she only goes Awkfina because it's her brand
 
demondance

demondance

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,808
Brawly Likes to Brawl said:
It happens a lot on tiktok too. Black creators on the platform get the dances they make stolen without any citation on the regular. White tiktokers go viral and in a lot of cases make money off of dances that they've plagiarized, A few months ago when Meghan Thee Stallion's new song "thot shit" came out, black users on TikTok decided to hold a boycott against recording any new dances for it and it resulted in the rest of the userbase being completely lost on how to approach the song because the default up until this point was to just wait and see what the black users were doing and copy it wholesale with no credit.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that the song's lyrics contain INSTRUCTIONS on how to dance to it and people still couldn't figure it out. That's how deeply entrenched the economy on stealing black effort is.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah but if someone who does this is in a marvel movie all this is irrelevant apparently. It's just being mean to a "community leader" or something. What a thread.
 
Last edited:
Royalan

Royalan

I can say DEI; you can't.
Moderator
Oct 24, 2017
11,929
LOL - the wording of this thread title is silly.

I actually like Akwafina. That said, I wasn't born yesterday; the blaccent is very obvious and very fake. And any Black person who wants to criticize her for it is well within their right, because it can be considered quiite offensive. Especially because it's very obvious when she chooses to use the blaccent, and when she "opts out." Which, must be so convenient when you're not actually Black.

I DID roll my eyes at that recent interview where she attempted to justify not using a stereotypical Asian accent under the guise of cultural care. Gurl...bye. (fake edit: apparently that interview is not recent)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.