The Golden Globes & Global Racism

With the Golden Globe Awards looming, the controversy of nominating Emily in Paris rather than I May Destroy You resurfaces. Emily in Paris is a Netflix original that received a decent amount of heat for its boring plot and potentially offensive content towards Parisians when it first premiered. I May Destroy You garnered much attention and love during this year and its creator, Michaela Coel, is a rising star in Hollywood.

I May Destroy You follows Arabella after she experiences sexual assault in a nightclub. The show touches on the impact sexual assault can have on a survivor’s life and how they navigate the recovery process. Additionally, I May Destroy You includes a Black protagonist, Coel herself, which is rare to see in Hollywood even today. To see Emily in Paris, a show featuring a white girl selling luxury goods abroad, was a slap in the face to many of the show's critics, including French entertainment and film writers who coined the show embarrassing and riddled with cliches. Even a writer for Emily in Paris, Deborah Copaken, issued an apology to Coel on Twitter.

“Dear @MichaelaCoel: I was a writer on Emily in Paris, but your show was my favorite show since the dawn of TV, & this is just wrong. I loved I MAY DESTROY YOU, and I thank you, personally, for giving us your heart, your mind, your resilience, & your humor.”

Another show many people felt deserved a nomination was Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, written by Mindy Kaling. Never Have I Ever follows a young girl navigating high school shortly after her father’s death and, similar to I May Destroy You, boasts a diverse cast. Never Have I Ever is silly, notably narrated by tennis star John McEnroe, and accurately depicts the all-too-familiar mindset of a high schooler. There are countless other examples of shows starring, directed, or written by those who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color that were snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press. Examples include but are not limited to: Steven Yeun in Minari, Uzo Aduba in Mrs. America, and Dead to Me.

The Golden Globe Awards demonstrate fundamental issues in Hollywood, primarily the egregious oversight of work from people of color. The spotlight on mediocre shows starring white people instead of remarkable shows done by people of color shows the world that the Hollywood Foreign Press is either not looking hard enough or does not care about both quality and representation in the industry. As the winners are revealed during the ceremony on February 28th 2021, it is important to remember that these accolades are not the end-all-be-all American television; more often than not, these ceremonies gloss over truly extraordinary works.

By Marla Hiller

La Croix obsessed, coffee addicted, podcast fanatic.