If you’ve recently come out of a coma, or crawled out from under that rock, you know that comedienne Mo’Nique has been in a highly publicized dispute with Netflix. Initially I agreed with her point(s) about income disparities between women and men in entertainment. Additionally, when the woman is African-American, the wage gap increases exponentially. So, I was right there with Mo’Nique screaming at the top of my lungs, “Time’s UP!”
The current climate in America has us all thinking in Black and White (pun intended). This dichotomous thinking requires we choose sides and determine if someone, something, or some issue is either good or bad, positive or negative, or right or wrong. Applying this methodology may be easier for us to digest, but it doesn’t allow for context or, God forbid, multiple realities to exist simultaneously.
I do not fear truth. I welcome it. But I wish all of my facts to be in their proper context. – Gordon B. Hinckley
Yes, women need to be paid the same as men when they are doing the same job.
Yes, this includes African American women.
And yes, Mo’Nique was a highly acclaimed actor and comedienne. Was…
The reality is Mo’Nique (and her manager husband) have done more to sabotage her career than Netflix, or any other producer/promoter could.
The reality is her previous special on Netflix performed poorly.
The reality is Netflix signed Shonda Rhimes to a deal worth up to $100 Million. (In case you didn’t know, Shonda is an African American female.)
Kinda hurts the racist/sexist argument, doesn’t it?
Conclusion
I could go on about Mo’Nique and her fight with Netflix, but what’s the point? The truth of the matter is she was offered a deal and she refused the deal. The story should have ended then. So why didn’t it? It didn’t end because Mo’Nique tried to marry her personal problem with a national and systemic one. The #TimesUp movement is about women finding their voice and their value. It is a movement that is long overdue and will take years to try to undo the damage of sexism in the workplace. At the same time, we cannot assume every situation is sexist just because there is a woman involved. Changing past transgressions doesn’t always mean going in the opposite direction. Sometimes you have to find another path. Hopefully, it’s a path we can all take together.
#my3cents
Sillethoughts
“Peep my ver-na-cular cuz I don’t know how to act…”
Sill-E Thoughts 
Volume 91: #My3Cents on Mo’Nique
Posted on 01/29/2018
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If you’ve recently come out of a coma, or crawled out from under that rock, you know that comedienne Mo’Nique has been in a highly publicized dispute with Netflix. Initially I agreed with her point(s) about income disparities between women and men in entertainment. Additionally, when the woman is African-American, the wage gap increases exponentially. So, I was right there with Mo’Nique screaming at the top of my lungs, “Time’s UP!”
The current climate in America has us all thinking in Black and White (pun intended). This dichotomous thinking requires we choose sides and determine if someone, something, or some issue is either good or bad, positive or negative, or right or wrong. Applying this methodology may be easier for us to digest, but it doesn’t allow for context or, God forbid, multiple realities to exist simultaneously.
Yes, women need to be paid the same as men when they are doing the same job.
Yes, this includes African American women.
And yes, Mo’Nique was a highly acclaimed actor and comedienne. Was…
The reality is Mo’Nique (and her manager husband) have done more to sabotage her career than Netflix, or any other producer/promoter could.
The reality is her previous special on Netflix performed poorly.
The reality is Netflix signed Shonda Rhimes to a deal worth up to $100 Million. (In case you didn’t know, Shonda is an African American female.)
Kinda hurts the racist/sexist argument, doesn’t it?
Conclusion
I could go on about Mo’Nique and her fight with Netflix, but what’s the point? The truth of the matter is she was offered a deal and she refused the deal. The story should have ended then. So why didn’t it? It didn’t end because Mo’Nique tried to marry her personal problem with a national and systemic one. The #TimesUp movement is about women finding their voice and their value. It is a movement that is long overdue and will take years to try to undo the damage of sexism in the workplace. At the same time, we cannot assume every situation is sexist just because there is a woman involved. Changing past transgressions doesn’t always mean going in the opposite direction. Sometimes you have to find another path. Hopefully, it’s a path we can all take together.
#my3cents
Sillethoughts
“Peep my ver-na-cular cuz I don’t know how to act…”
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