The Hero Worship of White Feminists

In this episode, Diana and JR unpack why they blame Roseanne (both the show and the person) for perpetuating White Feminism. While Roseanne continues to be regarded as a "feminist icon", the bulk of her work only allowed for a feminism that primarily focused on the experience of cisgender, neurotypical white people. The show Roseanne has received a lot of critical acclaim for a couple of episodes labeled controversial or groundbreaking because they address homophobia and racism, but sitcom barely scratched the surface.

The episode neatly wraps the issue of racism up in a bow, with a brief performative rant and not further discussion. In season 10, DJ marries the Black girl he initially refused to kiss, but the previous prejudice is never explored. When the focus is LGBTQIA+ characters, the jokes are mean-spirited, lazy, and unclever, yet Roseanne (pre-cancelation) was constantly referred to as a "gay rights icon".

No other show has launched as many influential careers as Roseanne. In a new segment loosely titled "demon spawn", Diana and JR also discuss how the show launched the careers of two creators who have been worshipped for their feminist characters. Those creators, Joss Whedon and Amy Sherman-Palladino, have permeated pop culture with the idea that post racist and post-feminist "utopias" exist.

References:

"The Caucasian Persuasion Here in the 'Dale": Othering, White Normality, and Post-Racialism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Rewatching Gilmore Girls Woke Me Up To Its Problematic Truths

Rory from ‘Gilmore Girls’ Is Actually the Worst

LGBTQ+ History: When NOW Purged Lesbians From Its Feminist Movement

White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind

Against White Feminism book by Rafia Zakaria

https://mashable.com/article/white-feminism-explained

https://www.jstor.org/stable/23415265

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