Well, Jezebel's headline does sort of explain part of the problem here: "Matt Damon Interrupts Successful Black Woman Filmmaker to Explain Diversity to Her."

Anonymous wrote:I think this is so overblown. They were having a disagreement. Doesn't mean he's racist -- he had a different idea about how to proceed.

I thought her reaction was unprofessional. If she reacts differently to that comment, I think the racist card doesn't even get played. Her body language, facial expression, and words she used were somewhat inflammatory.

Good TV though.

I actually saw the show and the moment in question. (It's on HBO and probably playing 10x a day.) I didn't think what he said was racist. I think OP is misrepresenting what he said.

He said they should pick the best director. Period. He said they should not factor diversity into the decision of who would be the director. He didn't think the diverse director duo were the best qualified. And it's a competition to pick the best director, not the most diverse director.

Separately, he made the point that all the candidates had an issue with how the black character was portrayed. You don't need an Asian guy or a woman to realize that a character or storyline might veer toward racist or inappropriate. They had all come to that conclusion. That's what he said.

I actually give him credit for including the exchange in the show. He is an EP of the show and clearly he and Ben have significant input. a) He didn't have to have Effie Brown in the room and b) he didn't have to include the dialogue between himself and Effie in the show. As soon as it aired, I thought...he's catching shit for that.

I think if he's racist, he doesn't do a and b above. He was engaging in reasonable dialogue and I thought her reaction made her seem a bit difficult.

He was saying people should be chosen by how qualified they are for the role as opposed to the color of their skin.

Do you disagree, OP?

Outta! Damn autocorrect!

I love Matt Damon.

Well, I DO think it's a little weird for Damon to tell black film producer Effie Brown that "when you're talking about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not the casting of the show." I'd never try to tell a black person what diversity means, or correct them on how to achieve it. I'd talk about my opinion, sure, but making it sound like I had the right answer and their contradictory answer (after years in the business!) is to me disrespectful, mansplaining, and whitesplianing.

I do think he seemed to be missing Effie Brown's point. She was saying that the directors of the movie would have to be familiar with and sensitive to minority viewpoints in order to pull off a film in which the only major female black character was a black prostitute beaten up by her white pimp. Damon -- part of a white male duo team -- said, hey, these other white males teams mentioned that issue, too, of course they will be equally as sensitive to it. We don't need the directors to be diverse, just the actors. But Brown' point is that you probably won't get the same sensitivity to the issue with two white guy directors, even if they lip service the issue.

Like, Straight Out Of Compton was not directed by white dudes. Neither was Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, or Boyz in the Hood.

What is remotely racist about his comment?

Ehh. Does the person making the film matter as much as the subject? I think Hollywood is putting out more diverse films than ever.

I think this is so overblown. They were having a disagreement. Doesn't mean he's racist -- he had a different idea about how to proceed.

That comment hardly makes him racist.

Hypocrisy comes in all colors and flavors. Of course there are liberal hypocrites. No one would argue that or deny it. The good and bad traits of humanity are found across all spectrum. OP you sound unhinged, like someone who hates the hypocrites of her/her own ilk, so when someone exposes themselves to be that way who you don't happen to like its pouncing time. It doesn't make people of your stripe any more or less hypocritical because someone else is and happens to be different from you.

The OP should have used an article for reference: http://www.people.com/article/matt-damon-comments-diversity-film-project-greenlight-hbo

I think it's easy to find offense if you go looking for it.

I don't think Matt is racist. And I think jumping all over someone - especially someone who is well regarded as pretty darn progressive - is a mistake. I think he might - as all of us might - sometimes speak a little insensitively.

Matt Damon made racist remarks about how there is no need for diversity among directors, producers, etc behind production of movies and television.

Rich coming from someone who loves to stand on his Liberal soapbox.

Thoughts?