Editor’s be aware: The next article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the creator’s personal. Learn extra opinions on theGrio.
“Promoting the OC” returned to Netflix for a second season over the weekend and whereas we have been wowed by the glamorous properties and fierce style from the high-brow realtors of The Oppenheim Group, our jaws have been on the ground over a heated change between Brandi Marshall and Alex Corridor.
Because the sole-Black individual on the sequence, Marshall, spouse of former basketball professional Sean Marshall, already has to navigate the predominately white enviornment of luxurious actual property in Orange County, California. Now it appears she additionally has to deal with microaggressions from her supposed good friend and coworker that felt greater than a little bit racially charged.
In case you missed it, in episode 6, Alex Corridor, who’s white, defended her curious relationship with Tyler Stanaland, who’s the middle of drama this season as his public divorce from actress Brittany Snow performs out. With numerous fury and utilizing her palms to gesture, Corridor continues defending herself whereas different ladies within the group name out her condescending tone and physique language.
Her response? She is just “utilizing her palms” when she speaks as a part of her Italian heritage. Corridor tells the group, “That’s how I’m and also you don’t have to love it!”
Marshall chimes in, explaining that the flying palms and aggressive tone aren’t touchdown nicely, including that the place she comes from, habits like that implies “it’s about to go down.”
Cue the substitute panic from Corridor, who’s all of the sudden scared she’s going to be pummeled by this fantastically dressed Black lady who was merely telling her homegirl to sit back. To make issues worse, Corridor accuses Marshall of “coming at her,” asking her in entrance of your entire group, “Are you going to swing?”
Holy microaggression! I imply, did that scene really occur? Are we the one ones who paused our TVs to verify what we have been watching was legit? As if pulled straight out of the microaggression handbook, Corridor’s disappointing response one way or the other will get worse as she resorts to tears after Brandi removes herself from the scenario.
We’ve seen this earlier than. Many people have lived it, as your entire scenario solely emphasizes Marshall’s place as the one Black individual in her office. Whereas a few of her feminine co-stars, together with Kayla Cardona and Alexandra Jarvis, instantly got here to Marshall’s protection after her exit, naturally, all the white males within the scene defend and even justify Corridor’s habits. Proper on cue.
So, to be clear: Corridor’s demeanor is simply Italian “ardour,” however Brandi should be an “indignant Black lady” on the warpath? The confrontation was one more instance of a relaxed, collected Black individual being accused of erratic and doubtlessly violent habits from their white counterparts when the identical habits from a white lady is completely acceptable.
These microaggressions, whereas fixed in actual life, have turn into increasingly more prevalent in actuality TV areas as these reveals try to treatment years of slim illustration by including token forged members of colour into their all-white reveals.
We’re not the one ones who have been side-eyeing our screens throughout this jaw-dropping second. Many followers took to X (previously referred to as Twitter) with their ideas, calling Corridor’s habits micro-aggressive and by-product of the “indignant Black lady” trope. One consumer wrote, “So Alex Corridor might be impolite & disrespectful however when Brandi calls it out she’s the indignant black lady and also you felt like she was gonna hit you?”
Different posts appear to agree with this sentiment, with one other consumer writing, “Alex Corridor’s micro aggressions in the direction of Brandi, holy cow, are you being for actual? Full on feeding the “indignant black lady” stereotype.”
As for Marshall’s relationship with Corridor at this time? She not too long ago informed Folks it’s nonexistent, saying, “Our friendship is, we don’t have one. However I do know for a few of these moments, it was tough talking along with her.”
The second season of “Promoting the OC” is obtainable to stream now on Netflix.
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