Twitter war: Why did Lindsay Ellis post a two-hour-long apology video?
YouTuber Lindsay Ellis has long been a name in the world of video essays. Her career started in the now thoroughly fallen from grace Channel Awesome where she was the Nostalgia Chick, talking about nostalgia-based content but more focused on My Little Pony and the like. Over time, however, she switched to more serious film and television criticism.
Currently, she’s published her first book, Axiom’s End, and uploads long video essays on YouTube where she covers topics from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to the Omegaverse lawsuit. Ellis has had her detractors over the years. Now, it got ratcheted up to one hundred due to Linsday Ellis’ now-deleted tweet on Raya and the Last Dragon, which calls it an Avatar: The Last Airbender ripoff.
To quote, she wrote: “Also watched Raya and the Last Dragon and I think we need to come up with a name for this genre that is basically Avatar: The Last Airbender reduxes. It’s like half of all YA fantasy published in the last few years.” After the tweet received backlash, Lindsay Ellis attempted to clarify her statements by writing.
“I can see where if you squint I was implying all Asian-inspired properties are the same, especially if you were already privy to those conversations where I had not seen them. But the basic framework of TLA is becoming popular in fantasy fiction outside of Asian inspired stuff.”
It was not met well. So, Lindsay Ellis did what she does best: made a video essay out of it. In a one-hour and forty-minute video, which you can see above, she discusses cancel culture, the origin of the word cancelled, and how it feels to be “the villain of the day” on Twitter. It’s an interesting, if long video, that has, predictably, divided people about the creator. So here are some of those reactions below.
Gonna hold the L and say the Lindsay Ellis video is actually real good and is neither an Apology Video nor a This Is Why I’m Right Video but instead a “yeah here’s dumb shit I’ve done, now does this deserve a decade and a half of harassment that lead to this” which
Good vid
— Weyoun Appreciator (@DumbCerb) April 15, 2021
It really is an interesting video
Lindsay Ellis had those self-receipts.
lindsay ellis saying she got canceled when she was the one who deleted her twitter because she didn’t want to accept that she did a racist… white women victimhood unparalleled
— roslyn talusan (@roslyntalusan) April 15, 2021
It also wasn’t an apology video
The tweets in question do come off as racially insensitive. And that should be addressed, an apology at least.
Already seeing takes mocking Lindsay Ellis for “posting a 2 hour video on cancellation instead of just apologizing” but if you remotely pay attention to Twitter it will be abundantly clear that everyone saying “just apologize” is already eager to clown on that apology in any form
— Houston (@blockbustedpod) April 15, 2021
That’s fair
But even if she did apologize, then would the apology be accepted? No. Not really.
This is the last Lindsay Ellis tweet I make but a giant FUCK YOU to everyone who blew this issue WAY out of proportion.
If your sense of justice leads one to have to publicly recount their (& their friend’s) traumatic sexual assault, you are NOT as noble as you think you are 🖕 pic.twitter.com/yZ3Zz8X9Ik
— Core Ideas (@Xanshil) April 15, 2021
The video definitely got real
If Lindsay Ellis felt the need to share a traumatic experience in her video, pressured even, then that is gross of the internet for having put her in that position.
It’s disappointing that criticism by Asians in regards to Lindsay Ellis’s tweet comparing Raya to ATLA has been subsumed by the overwhelming idea of cancel culture, and what it means, to a white person.
She’s centered herself in what was criticism about asian microaggression.
— Elaine 🌹 is on Patreon! (@artofelaineho) April 15, 2021
Listen to those that know what they’re talking about
The Asian community is dealing with enough right now as well. So if those in that community are saying something is wrong, then, as a white person, maybe take a step back and listen to those that know what they’re talking about.
All the people bitching about the length and section names of the new Lindsay Ellis video are literally proving her right.
— Matthew Sweetcakes (@MrSweetcakes) April 15, 2021
They are proving her right
Basically.
Lindsay Ellis made an apology video about her tweets. I’ll be watching it and talking about, because I am POC, and more specifically, a South East Asian which this pertains to. Give me an hour or two…
— Seth Gunter (@sethhg313) April 15, 2021
Read the thread
Honestly? Read this thread about the video because it’s super interesting. While it acknowledges that, yes, people took the Lindsay Ellis thing too far along with valid concerns on cancel culture. It also points out that good faith criticism was ignored by Ellis in her video as well.
