Idris Elba Clarified His Comments After Saying He No Longer Calls Himself a “Black Actor”

[hewontgo]

Idris Elba Responds to Debate Over the Star Saying He No Longer Calls Himself a “Black Actor” https://t.co/W8HGYwkPEh
- The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 11, 2023
Idris Elba is addressing social media debate after saying he no longer describes himself as a Black actor because he found he was put “in a box.” On Twitter he clarified his recent

Comments

[uledy]

Damn, I guess the reason for all of the race bases discrimination I've experienced on a personal and systemic level was because I didn't have the mental fortitude to stop it from happening. I shouldn't have let them do it 😔

[thatcovergirl]

Who pressed this man to clarify his blackness? Zoe Saldana he is not.

Edited: please don’t come for me. I just wanted to drag her in this post, ok?!?

[dull_and_wicked]

the whole "mind over matter" approach to systematic discrimination is very on point for black ppl of a certain age/level of success so i'm not surprised that he went that route with his clarification

it gets so frustrating trying to discuss certain issues with older relatives because they're very much like "yeah this all exists but i just dealt with it and got over it, so i expect other ppl to do the same, without shaking the table/calling it out" which does nothing to make any sustainable change happen or improve things

[aleksie]

Yeah, I want better for myself and younger people.

Things aren't good, and I also think about what the world would be like if people weren't speaking up and taking action. It wasn't nearly enough and yet- there has been progress. I'm sure other at the time were not thrilled that some people spoke up and started to create the paths.

[sandstorm]

Not only is it true, it’s a racist rhetoric that is literally killing the Black adults who heard it, and weighing on the Black kids whose parents haven’t fully healed. It’s generational truama at this point.
- mrs.samudio (@MrsSamudioLCSW) February 10, 2023

[brokecouture]

I get what he’s saying but no. Fuck that. We’re still out here fighting against congress trying to ban books teaching black history so no. Fuck that. Yes I’m black. I’m a black woman, who is a black flight attendant and my visibility in my field is damn important and so is his and I’ll be damned if I ever EVER let popular opinion, racism, or the discourse on this subject make me feel some funny type of way about putting ‘black’ before something or emphasizing my blackness.

[snark_ranger]

He’s made comments in a similar vein previously. Something similar to saying he doesn’t consider himself Black and British actor just British. I thought it was kinda weird until I realized it’s because being [Ethnicity]-American is so prevalent in the US while that phrasing doesn’t exist in the UK.