A Black actor who recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to call diversity hiring practices an “insult” didn’t seem to mind it when it also benefited him.
Clifton Duncan, a classically trained actor who may be best known for his role Reggie in eight episodes of the 2015 TV mini-series Flesh and Bone, posted of being “certain I benefited due to my skin color. It’s nice that people were looking to boost minorities like me.”
But he quickly pivoted.
“On the other hand, people of all races have been in my corner since I was 16 — long before ‘wokeness’ emerged. Everyone predicted I had a long career ahead of me, and I fulfilled that promise,” he said. “And that’s why I reject ‘diversity’ hiring: I never needed it. It’s an insult to any minority with a shred of self-respect. It casts a shadow over all I’ve done because I’m not sure how much of my success is due to me and how much is due to white guilt.”
Duncan’s post never mentioned being insulted by being passed over or paid less because of that same skin color — commonplace concerns for Black actors and actresses that Taraji P. Henson has been railing about for years. His post seems to say the things Henson pointed out — including as part of a recent viral emotional post, were part of a system that “was never broken.”
Instead, he boasted of being accepted on his first try into New York University’s prestigious Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, which he called “the finest acting conservatory in the US,” that “only 2% of applicants make it in.” That school’s graduates include readily recognizable names like Mahershala Ali, Nina Arianda, Sterling K. Brown, Danai Gurira, Michael C. Hall, André Holland, and Taylor Schilling.
Duncan’s IMDB profile shows he has starred in the 2020 film Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol with a Twist and several shows such as The Good Fight, NCIS: New Orleans, Elementary, and Proven Innocent.
It isn’t Duncan’s first time espousing unpopular views in the Black community. As his post continued, he acknowledged that it might even sound arrogant to some. He was undaunted and unapologetic for his stand against DEI — diversity, equity, and inclusion. Here’s how he concluded:
“I’m a bad motherf—-r. I’ve always been a bad motherf—-r. My elite training made me even MORE of a bad motherf—-r.
I EARNED this arrogance.
The moral of the story:
SOME of us don’t need a bunch of “Progressive” a–holes to condescend to us, trying to fix what was never broken.
SOME of us know exactly what we bring to the table, and know our value.
SOME of us actually strive for excellence, and prefer to shine on our own merits.
If people want to call me a coon, or tell me I’m not “politically black,” or chastise me for not being “Woke” for that, then so be it. In this era if you think you need DEI to succeed, the problem isn’t “the system”, the problem isn’t “yt pipo.”
The problem is you.
Bye.
