Responding to constant negativity from a significant number of crazed Star Wars fans, Amandla Stenberg has released an original song and music video that is guaranteed not to win them over, nor is it designed to.
Stenberg is the star of the new Star Wars series The Acolyte but — before it even premiered — many fans of the franchise decided to not take a liking to the series, and that’s putting it mildly. Some called it horrible while admitting that they hadn’t even watched it, which may account for its horrid 14% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, as there is no way for the site to determine who actually watched it and who didn’t. A better guide might be the critics approval rating, a respectable 84%, which more likely accurately reflects actual viewers’ score, and reveals the bizarre bias of that so-called “audience.”
The predetermined hate was mostly fueled by some reviewers calling it “too woke.” This stems from a scene where two women are clearly in a relationship — shocking! — and another where the pronouns “they” are used, though it was more of a joke, as the character was referring to an animal.
Once the show aired, the noted non-believers looked for anything to hate on and they succeeded, noting timeline issues and events that that they believe change what happens later, though that’s debatable. Even if you accept the timeline discrepancies as problematic, they still shouldn’t cause the entire series to suffer from poor reviews.
Looking for more reasons to dislike Stenberg herself, who has actually done an outstanding job playing two major roles in the series, raging fans began circulating a video from her 2018 appearance on The Daily Show where she says, “Making white people cry is the goal.”
Any reasonable person who saw it was likely wondering what she was talking about in the clip. Missing from the video is the fact that they were discussing The Hate U Give, based on the YA novel by Angie Thomas. It’s a poignant and racially-charged story whose film adaptation humanizes the characters and, as Amandla explained to Trevor, “Hopefully people will have a sense of empathy because of that. So far, it’s been really successful. We’ve had a lot of white people crying.”
After a laugh from the audience, this led to the “that’s the goal” comment later in the interview.
So, what does a woman who receives such unfettered hatred while starring in a force-sensitive Star Wars role do?
Stenberg, who once praised the Star Wars fandom, decided it was time to put all of her frustration and energy into being creative. So, she wrote a song called “Discourse,” recorded it, made a video, and posted it on Instagram just in time for Juneteenth.
Stenberg’s lyrics actually kick off by noting the viral video of her appearance on The Daily Show: “Trevor asked what I want people to know / I said white people crying was the goal / If they could take one thing, what would it be? / I say empathy, that’s why they’re mad at me.”
The song is filled with many powerful statements that will certainly cause people who exercised their free speech on social media against Stenberg to be outraged.
How the first verse ends will likely be a favorite line of many: “If you rely upon misinformation then that tells me you’re afraid of the truth.”
She’s sure to note the “too woke” mob in her song as well: “‘Woke’ was something we created to speak truth to power / and keep an eye out for you silly racists.”
Another line that won’t win any fans over: “My sis said don’t let it go to my spirit / but I’m sick and fu**ing tired of suppressing my rage / 400 years of taking their bull** it.”
It’s worth noting that Amandla’s method of rapping is extremely calm and almost quiet, saving the power of the song not for her vocals but for the lyrics themselves. The method certainly works.
Most of the video is shot in front of a mural of the fictional character Radio Raheem, who is killed by police officers in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. Coincidentally, the film is celebrating its 35th anniversary this month.
Stenberg wraps up her song by answering why she decided to make the song: “If you don’t confront the pain that you live with / It’ll manifest as addictions, diseases, and hate / I’ve seen the infection repression can give you / I’m not gonna be the next one sent to an early grave.”
Reactions are already pouring in from some very angry Star Wars fans. It will certainly be interesting to see how much more attention The Acolyte will receive moving forward especially considering that Stenberg is choosing to listen to the haters and fight fire with fire.
Yet, for every hater there is someone who appreciates the show which, in the case of this reviewer, is extremely good and — unlike other reviewers — I’ve actually watched it.