The following passage appeared in today’s New York Times as the lede in the review of Shonda Rhimes’ new series, How to Get Away with Murder:
When Shonda Rhimes writes her autobiography, it should be called “How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman.”
Wow.
The article goes on to say that “Ms. Rhimes has embraced the trite but persistent caricature of the Angry Black Woman, recast it in her own image and made it enviable,” and that she is “all over the place.” Flattering, it is not.
Rhimes took to Twitter this morning to fire back:
Confused why @nytimes critic doesn't know identity of CREATOR of show she's reviewing. @petenowa did u know u were "an angry black woman"?
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) September 19, 2014
The person Rhimes is referring to is Peter Nowalk, who is writing the entire first season of How to Get Away with Murder. If this picture is any indication, he is neither angry nor black nor a woman.
Apparently we can be "angry black women" together, because I didn't know I was one either! @petenowa #LearnSomethingNewEveryday
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) September 19, 2014
Final thing: (then I am gonna do some yoga): how come I am not "an angry black woman" the many times Meredith (or Addison!) rants? @nytimes
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) September 19, 2014
Wait. I'm" angry" AND a ROMANCE WRITER?!! I'm going to need to put down the internet and go dance this one out. Because ish is getting real.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) September 19, 2014
This is just the latest problematic lede in a New York Times article, which had set a new low bar last week when they ran this as the first line of a story on Ray Rice:
“Say this for Ray Rice: His left cross was of professional quality, a short, explosive punch. And his fiancée’s head snapped back as if she’d been shot.”
How will they respond to this latest controversy? Will they apologize like they did for the Michael Brown “no angel” incident, or will they stand behind what they wrote?
UPDATE: Now Scandal star Kerry Washington is going in on the Times, sending them some relevant reading material to set them back on the course towards sanity:
Dear @nytimes http://t.co/20dzCSLKsx AND http://t.co/VJQ7n0Ujdn You're welcome. Love, K-Dub
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) September 19, 2014