MSNBC and the Washington Post are co-hosting the fifth round of Democratic debates at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Corporate outlets are pushing the narrative that hosting the debate at Tyler Perry Studios is historic, because the property is owned and operated by an African American man.
“I mean it’s a huge story for Georgia, it’s a huge story for this election, for this to be one of the most diverse line ups of candidates in history and to do it in a place with historic racial significance,” said Rashida Jones, senior vice president of NBC News.
But MSNBC and the Washington Post actually appear to be abandoning their stated convictions by hosting their event at Tyler Perry Studios. According to Democrats’ own standards, Perry should be cancelled and the Democratic debates should not take place in such a venue.
The ‘Madea’ Controversy
Perry is well-known for his alter-ego, “Madea.” As a straight man, Perry dressed in drag from 1999 to 2018. According to liberal standards, dressing in drag as a straight man is offensive to trans and LGBT people.
However, the Democratic National Committee and the ten Democrats taking Perry’s stage are supposed allies of the LGBT people. How could they be complicit with such overt mocking of trans people?
Well, if the DNC held itself to the same standards they hold the rest of the country to, then Madea and Perry would be cancelled. Under their standards, then, the DNC should be ridiculed and boycotted for hosting an event at Tyler Perry Studios.
The Fetal Heartbeat Bill
In May 2019, Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a fetal heartbeat bill into law. This law prohibits a doctor from performing an abortion after an unborn child’s heartbeat is detected. This legislation, set to go into effect in January 2020, is antithetical to the Democrats’ standard of abortions in America with no restrictions.
Hollywood actors and filmmakers refused to shoot movies in Georgia after the passage of new pro-life laws. These actors wanted to uphold their “convictions” by boycotting a state that passed laws against their standards. It’s shocking the DNC and Democrats running for president would not do the same.
But Democrats and the DNC don’t hold themselves to the same standards they hold the rest of the country to, and why should they? After all, they have MSNBC and the Washington Post in their back pocket to push the narrative that hosting the debate at Tyler Perry Studios is about racial empowerment.
