Stand-up comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member Leslie Jones has taken to Twitter to respond to tweets and comments accusing her new movie, Ghostbusters, of playing on unfair racial stereotypes.
The Ghostbusters trailer was released on March 3, earning millions of views in just a few hours. The film stars Jones, along with Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon. In this reboot of the 1984 Ghostbusters film, the four women unite to rid New York City of ghosts, especially one that has the ability to take on human forms.
The critiques of racism began after the release of the movie's trailer, which gave more information on each of the Ghostbusters and their backgrounds. The trailer revealed that Wiig's character is a Columbia professor who wrote a paranormal book with McCarthy's character and McKinnon's character is a nuclear engineer. These three begin the new generation of Ghostbusters and along the way team up with Jones' character, a subway worker, for her knowledge of the city.
Viewers critiqued the fact that Jones' character, the sole black character, was the one MTA worker with no professional training compared to the others.
Jones tweeted to the critics:
Why can't a regular person be a ghostbuster. Im confused. And why can't i be the one who plays them i am a performer. Just go see the movie!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
@Vims8 you haven't seen the movie yet you don't know wtf my char is. you by a trailer. omg are y'all that arrogant. so is mta worker trash?
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
Regular People save the world everyday so if I'm the sterotype!! Then so be it!! We walk among Heroes and take them for granted.
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
ITS NOT A MAN, WOMAN, RACE, CLASS THANG!! ITS A GHOSTBUSTER THANG!! AND AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED WE ALL GHOSTBUSTERS!! STAND TALL!!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
@ekjohnston you haven't even seen the movie yet. Are y'all crazy cause that's how you sound.
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
Jones has been the only ghostbuster member to respond to the accusations, as her character is the only one being critiqued. Her main response is that anyone can be a ghostbuster and that everyone should see the movie when it's released on July 15.
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