OAN’s James Meyers
9:17 AM – Thursday, September 28, 2023
According to one British actress, being called “woke” is “as bad” as a racial slur.
Cathy Tyson sat down in an interview with the Telegraph’s Chris Harvey to discuss the role of race and identity in the entertainment industry and why she finds the term offensive.
“I imagine some of the readership use the word ‘woke.’ For me, it’s as bad a term as an offensive racial slur,” Tyson, 58, shared in the sit-down with the Telegraph — a conservative publication that she also admitted she would “never” have chatted with when she was younger.
“The terms ‘woke’ and ‘race card’ are deeply offensive to me,” she continued, noting that the latter “is thrown in your face if you make a criticism of anything,” while the former is tossed around to “undermine” progressive ideas.
“Even the term ‘white privilege’ is very, very divisive. I’m not about sides,” Tyson explained, adding that studying for an English degree later in life “taught me how to open my mind to different viewpoints.”
She began the discussion about the term “woke” by telling Harvey she would not have previously sat down with the Telegraph, which is a more conservative British outlet. However, Tyson said she later learned to value different perspectives while studying English at Brunel University in London.
Tyson was born to a White mother and Black father and the actress claimed that she experienced racism while living in a White community.
She gives credit to her mixed-race identity for her wish “for everyone to come together.”
“It’s complex, there’s a lot of people of all colors who are suffering financially, who are hungry, at the moment,” she said. Later in the interview, Tyson also expressed how she supports limitless casting in film, which would involve hiring actors with a “color-blind, size-blind, age-blind” approach.
Debates over the term “woke” have been a discussion topic for a few years, with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy writing a book titled, “Woke, Inc.”
Additionally, radio personality Howard Stern declared last week that he is a “woke motherf***ker.”
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