Thank you!

But why did it occur to MS to do that in a scene with a Black actress? That's my question.

Then MS wants to be all passive/aggressive in an interview because she knows how gullible fans can be. MS arbitrarily decided to spit "at" her scene partner and it "accidentally" got on said scene partner, in the face, because she knew she' d get no resistance from TIIC! VR is good because somebody would have gotten their ass whipped! Spitiing on someone is degradation at it's worst.

This incident is why I loathe MS to this day. Not only because VR is black, but spitting on someone shows how little you think of a person. It's horrible and I can't stand it. When I see it on tv, I have to close my eyes. It's too disrespectful. I [!@#$%^&*] hate it!

I think she thought she was a big enough deal to get away with a "spontaneous choice" and that the rest of the production would just roll with it. That's all. I don't think it had anything to do with race, I think it had to do with ego. And possibly feeling threatened by Rowell's similar stature on the show.

I can agree with this. M

But like you said, I'm sure it was more of a "I think this is a good idea" thing than a "I'm going to spit on Vicki because she's black and I hate her."

Perhaps. I'm not suggesting MS is racist, per se. I am suggesting, though, the instincts that told her this would have been good for the scene also should've stopped her, made her think for another second, and made her say, "You know what? Given who I'm in the scene with, maybe I'll refrain." Because even if she had cleared the idea with VR, look at how viewers have responded to that moment as well as its implications. (As Robin Strasser once said, and which I firmly believe, we have to be careful about what we are sending into people's homes.)

Also...? Perhaps it's a matter of personal taste, but unless you're Danny Thomas, a "spit take" is just crass and lazy and not at all a good idea; and IMO, no decent director would or should allow that to go unchallenged.

Why does it have to be about race, though? That's my question. As an actor, I've done spit takes before, including instances where it wasn't scripted but made sense in the context of the scene, so I asked to do it. Never did it, nor would it occur, to anyone involved that I suggested a spit take because the scene partner was African American. It's sad that we live in a world where we can't do anything without it being perceived the wrong way. Obviously, racism is a huge issue. But I highly doubt MS is racist nor did she think "Oh, let's spit on the black chick". That's a stretch.

Thank you!

I remember seeing an interview with Elizabeth Hubbard from As The World Turns and she wanted to ad lib a spit take, but stated that she cleared it with the actor first and he said okay.

Was Stafford's action racist? I think race motivated some of it, as well as overall ego that actors have. I said this on the board awhile back, but a lot of times when a black person walks into a working environment and behaves as if they are just as good their white counterparts, that's going to be a problem for some white people.

Perhaps. I'm not suggesting MS is racist, per se. I am suggesting, though, the instincts that told her this would have been good for the scene also should've stopped her, made her think for another second, and made her say, "You know what? Given who I'm in the scene with, maybe I'll refrain." Because even if she had cleared the idea with VR, look at how viewers have responded to that moment as well as its implications. (As Robin Strasser once said, and which I firmly believe, we have to be careful about what we are sending into people's homes.)

Also...? Perhaps it's a matter of personal taste, but unless you're Danny Thomas, a "spit take" is just crass and lazy and not at all a good idea; and IMO, no decent director would or should allow that to go unchallenged.

I don't think Michelle ever really had any reason to believe that one insignificant scene (I don't even remember what they were discussing in the scene!) would create such a firestorm.. Actually, I should rephrase that: I don't think Michelle had any reason to believe that Rowell would go out of her way to create such a firestorm out of it. Does Rowell have any other evidence to support her claims that MS did it deliberately because she was black, or to be rude? I've never seen any.

I remember when Melody had her contract disputes in 2009 and left the show for a while, One of her PAST Co-Workers made a comment on her saying:

"For years Melody thought she ran the show, obviously because her hubby Ed had been the producer for some many years, She's crazy if she thinks another soap would pick her up".

I always wondered who actually said that about her, since they didn't say who it was.

Edited August 26, 201213 yr by yr9190

Probably Victoria Rowell.

Probably Victoria Rowell.

If it were VR, we would know. You know, sort of like the news...when the killer and/or rapist is black, we know almost immediately. You only know the subject is white when they say nothing.

It wasn't VR.

Someone had to say it.

There's no signs or evidence that it was racism though.

What constitutes "signs of evidence"?

Oh, Melody is another one that's not very well-liked by many on the show. Part of that is her own doing.

You know for years she probably thought she was the HBIC when Ed Scott was there, but that definitely changed when he was fired the first time.

Shhhhh WorldTurner.

You're not doing MTS public image any favors.

It's the way she presents the issue that has people labeling her "crazy".

It doesn't matter how she (or any actor of color) presents the issue if it's something you aren't trying to hear.

Yeah...I don't think it was VR either, It all rules down too who wasn't on the show at that time, but possibly could have been recurring or has come back recently.

I honestly for some reason think It might have been Lauralee, because i don't think the soap press would risk singling her out of saying things about her father's show. so they just had it as annoymous.

What constitutes "signs of evidence"?

I said signs or evidence. As in, have there ever been any other signs that would reasonably lead us to believe MS is racist? And has VR provided any other evidence, and I mean concrete evidence, that MS was racist to the African American employees at Y&R? Because if VR can only provide instances in which she felt victimized by MS, that's not racism. That's just MS not liking VR. Unless MS collectively treats the AA cast/crew disrespectfully, and that can be proven, any claims of racism are bogus and hold no real ground.

But why did it occur to MS to do that in a scene with a Black actress? That's my question.

Is it that much of a stretch to think Rowell's race didn't enter Stafford's mind AT ALL and that she simply thought it would be good for the scene?

*sigh*

I suppose if she spat on Christian LeBlanc she'd be a homophobe?

Edited August 26, 201213 yr by y&r_fan