Hannah Gadsby Blasts Netflix Executive: ‘F*** You & Your Amoral Algorithm Cult’
Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby delivered a blunt message to Netflix executive Ted Sarandos – “F*** you and your amoral algorithm cult!”.
The comedian sent the message on social media after Netflix’s co-chief executive and chief content officer Ted Sarandos sent out a memo to employees defending the company’s support for self-proclaimed ‘TERF’ Dave Chappelle.
TO DAVE CHAPPELLE & NETFLIX – STOP PUNCHING DOWN ON TRANS PEOPLE!
Being the punchline all the time hurts trans people, writes Bridget Clinch, the first transgender soldier to transition while serving in the Australian Army.
US comedian Chappelle’s new special on Netflix, The Closer has been criticised for its transphobic content. “They canceled JK Rowling – my God. Effectually she said gender was fact, the trans community got mad as shit, they started calling her a Terf … I’m team Terf,” Chappelle claimed in the special.
Don’t Drag My Name Into Your Mess
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Responding to calls from trans activists to take down the show, Sarandos cited specials by Chappelle and Gadsby as Netflix’s commitment to diversity.
“We are working hard to ensure marginalised communities aren’t defined by a single story. So we have Sex Education, Orange Is The New Black, Control Z, Hannah Gadsby and Dave Chappelle all on Netflix. Key to this is increasing diversity on the content team itself,” Sarandos said in the memo.
He went to claim that at Netflix “we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm”.
Gadsby, who has two popular comedy specials on Netflix, Nanette and Douglas, was to put it mildly, not pleased.
“Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn’t drag my name into your mess,” Gadsby posted on Instagram.
“Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chappelle’s fans like to unleash on me every time Dave gets 20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial world view. You didn’t pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted.”
“F*** you and your amoral algorithm cult… I do shits with more back bone than you. That’s just a joke! I definitely didn’t cross a line because you just told the world there isn’t one.”
Netflix Fires Trans Employee
https://twitter.com/RainofTerra/status/1445914238178848768
Meanwhile, Netflix has been acting against its employees who registered their protest against the show.
Last week, Netflix fired the leader of its trans employee resource group who was organising an employee walkout on October 20, 2021.
The company claimed that it had sacked the employee for allegedly leaking confidential data about The Closer to news organisations.
The company had also suspended another trans employee, software engineer Terra Field, after she tweeted about the Chappelle special.
“Promoting TERF ideology (which is what we did by giving it a platform yesterday) directly harms trans people, it is not some neutral act. This is not an argument with two sides. It is an argument with trans people who want to be alive and people who don’t want us to be,” Field said on Twitter.
Netflix said Field had tried to attend a meeting she was not invited to, but subsequently reinstated her.
Chappelle’s Anti-LGBTQI Diatribes
LGBTQI rights organisations have been critical of the way Netflix has dealt with the issue.
Dave Chappelle's brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities. Negative reviews and viewers loudly condemning his latest special is a message to the industry that audiences don't support platforming anti-LGBTQ diatribes. We agree. https://t.co/yOIyT54819
— GLAAD (@glaad) October 6, 2021
“Dave Chappelle’s brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities. Negative reviews and viewers loudly condemning his latest special is a message to the industry that audiences don’t support platforming anti-LGBTQ diatribes. We agree,” said GLAAD.
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