Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"

[tarotx]

I thought you all were unfollowing him? That is my advice. It's what I had to do with Adam Baldwin so I could still rewatch Firefly and Serenity. And Stephan hasn't got close to Adam yet. 

[dcinmb]

He's giving Donald Trump a run for his money.

Stephen? Please STFU.

[Guest]

Is it weird to feel sad about this? I've never been one of those fans who support everything SA says and does and I always acknowledge when he says some pretty questionable things but I've never felt the way I feel right now. His response to this situation has kind of tainted things for me personally. I really don't know how this is going to affect me watching the show from now on. I feel really weird about it right now. 

[Chasity]

Is something else going on with Stephen right now? He is just acting so OTT ridiculous about this whole thing. I don't get what he is doing right now.

[apinknightmare]

ETA: NEVERMIND

Edited September 18, 2015 by apinknightmare

[dtissagirl]

Oh, wow, the asking people to stop commenting thing is just. JFC.

 

I've never considered myself a fan of his, but I had that kind of aww-affection one has for celebs who seem to be doing good stuff. Now I'm actively looking at everything he's done, good and bad, and just seeing how not diverse in any way any of his endeavours have ever been.

[Soulfire]

SA replied to this video post at his Facebook page --

 

https://www.facebook.com/stephenamell/posts/10100248329487954

 

[catrox14]

Is it weird to feel sad about this? I've never been one of those fans who support everything SA says and does and I always acknowledge when he says some pretty questionable things but I've never felt the way I feel right now. His response to this situation has kind of tainted things for me personally. I really don't know how this is going to affect me watching the show from now on. I feel really weird about it right now. 

 

I feel incredibly sad about this. I have sang the praises of Amell and Arrow to just about everyone I know. I even got people into the show based on my recommendations.  I know I mention SPN and the Boys here probably more than I should but the ONLY reason I started watching SPN was because it came on after Arrow.  Seriously.

 

I have defended Stephen's acting in various forums. I was happy to learn of his philanthropic  I haven't supported everything he's said either. But there is something so....OFF with all of this.  Like I don't understand what he's trying to accomplish. 

 

There is a part of me that hopes this is all some kind of weird performance art thing that I'm not getting, but I'm pretty sure that's just not the case. 

 

But yes I am very sad and disappointed.

[tarotx]

He's not talking about making his first comment. He's talking about what people have said about him since he made that comment and his refusal to let it go. He's annoyed at the white privilege and Racist talk thrown at him. He can't stop himself from reading his @'s and Facebook comments. 

I think this is the worst comment out of all the comments he's made: 

 

 

He was getting annoyed at the shape of the story? Seriously? 

And born from that annoyance was the need to speak up for...Texas? Seriously? 

I love Texas. I went to college in Texas. But no. No. Please stop typing. 

[kismet]

He's playing Russian Roulette with his image and his brand for curiosity & stubbornness regarding the ebbs of flows of social media & opinions. I frankly just don't understand anymore. I don't generally keep tabs on everything SA does, but the length of this debacle and his unwillingness to concede does seem rather strange and more obstinate than usual even for him.

 

I understood how he got into this mess. I understood the logical path out of it. Heck, I even understood his little stubborn streak pre-returning to social media. But I can't fathom why he has done 99% of the things he has done since that first FB video when he smartly announced his "break" from social media. That was the first & the last time he seemed to be handling the situation with any thought.

 

Frankly, I want him to listen to that inner voice he claims to have & follow his own social media rules that he has set-up but has been unable to follow since this whole thing started despite mentioning them. Please, just walk away from the keyboard.

 

Or better yet, he should just internalize his advice to Belle and just stop commenting. Seriously how rude & disrespectful for no reason. I ashamed for him at this point.

[apinknightmare]

He's not talking about making his first comment. He's talking about what people have said about him since he made that comment and his refusal to let it go. He's annoyed at the white privilege and Racist talk thrown at him. He can't stop himself from reading his @'s and Facebook comments. 

 

Ah, okay. Good point, I thought he was talking about speaking up about it in the first place. 

[Carrie Ann]

SA replied to this video post at his Facebook page --

 

https://www.facebook.com/stephenamell/posts/10100248329487954

 

 

I hope that he makes a more polished version of this reply and makes an actual post out of it. Because THIS is the thing people have been trying to get him to admit and acknowledge. Brushing people's real concerns off was the real problem, not the initial fuck-up. If this is really how he feels now, then great, stop making the other DICKHEAD statements and be humble.

[Guest]

I had a feeling (or maybe it was just a hope) that video would inspire an apology because it was such a great video. I got emotional just watching it earlier. But why couldn't he have just apologized like that when it first happened? 

[dtissagirl]

That video made me cry.

 

And his response was good, finally. I'm still iffy on the "please stop talking about this" vibe, because for that to happen he needs to make this into an actual post anyone can see. THEN he can ask people to try and move on. Not on a personal comment.

[BumpSetSpike]

Stephen...SHUT UP! This has gone beyond crazy, and like many of you, I'm just so saddened and turned off by him. At this point, the only follows mentioning him are in this forum, and I just keep hoping that one of you posts a true apology from him so that all the time and energy I've wasted on being a fan of his wasn't misguided.

This latest round feels like I'm watching him dig himself into an early retirement.

[apinknightmare]

I had a feeling (or maybe it was just a hope) that video would inspire an apology because it was such a great video. I got emotional just watching it earlier. But why couldn't he have just apologized like that when it first happened? 

 

He's so hung up on Twitter hatred and anonymous commenters hiding behind their computer screens, that he really needed to see an actual person explain it to him. Actual people that you can see you've upset who are explaining to you why what you've said is harmful and upsetting are difficult to ignore and brush off. When I saw that she posted that video to him, honestly, I was concerned about what his reply would be. I'm glad I was proven wrong about him in a good way this time. Jennifer is incredibly brave for posting that video, and I'm glad he listened to it. Too bad he couldn't have done that a couple of days ago.

Edited September 18, 2015 by apinknightmare

[Morrigan2575]

You guys crack me up

[calliope1975]

That reply to Jennifer Wattley above should have been his first and last response. 

[Guest]

You guys crack me up

 

Why…?

[catrox14]

Well, damn.
She said it all.  That was great.  Hopefully, he gets it or at least TRIES to get it. 

[kismet]

Kudos to Jennifer, that was a brave & heartfelt video. Glad she posted it. Glad SA saw it and was respectful to her. Seeing her visual response seemed to really help break through to SA.

 

I wish I could trust that he got the real message behind why people were upset. But I'm not sure he did. I can only hope that he takes this opportunity to educate himself and make a truly educated & heartfelt apology. I don't think he ever meant to be malicious with his first comment. However his incessant poking the Bear for reasons was just adding insult to injury. I'm deeply saddened that his first response was not to understand the issue. And then rather than using his self-imposed break to understand what people were saying, what the issues were and educate himself beyond his own thoughts - he chose to respond with aggression because his feelings/thoughts were hurt. It was beyond disappointing that he chose that route over so many other routes that could have promoted healing & education.

Edited September 18, 2015 by kismet

[Morrigan2575]

Why…?

Just the abrupt change in tone on the board after that last facebook post.

It went from nooooo, no more please make it stop! To, oh ok...

It was just funny...everyone was just waiting for the next kick in the gut and then reacted like what, that's it? Oh, that wasn't too bad.

Edited September 19, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[Guest]

Just the abrupt change in tone on the board after that last facebook post.

 

Oh okay. I don't see a change in tone. I see people glad he finally apologized but I don't think people will forget this. Personally, I'm not over how he behaved at all. I appreciate the apology though.

[apinknightmare]

It was just funny...everyone was just waiting for the next kick in the gut and them reacted like what that's it? Oh that wasn't too bad.

 

I was preparing myself for him to dismiss that video like he had been dismissing everyone else's comments. I was clenched up tight for that one. 

[AnalyzeAndCritique]

I find it amusing how a social media misstep has blacklisted Amell. I don't agree with him, but I imagine he felt as though his own needed to be defended. He made a mistake. Exasperated it. He didnt beat his wife or kid.

Besides being a relatively good-looking white guy who hasn't faced much diversity and was embraced because of his abs, he is generally tongue-bathed for simple actions like removing his shirt. Maybe we should not expect deep and meaningful if we are content with superficial.

Edited September 19, 2015 by AnalyzeAndCritique

[catrox14]

Just the abrupt change in tone on the board after that last facebook post.

It went from nooooo, no more please make it stop! To, oh ok...

It was just funny...everyone was just waiting for the next kick in the gut and then reacted like what, that's it? Oh, that wasn't too bad.

 

I think the timing of our comments would look that way because we are commenting when the next thing happens.

[AyChihuahua]

I find it amusing how a social media misstep has blacklisted Amell. I don't agree with him, but I imagine he felt as though his own needed to be defended. He made a mistake. Exasperated it. He didnt beat his wife or kid.

Besides being a relatively good-looking white guy who hasn't faced much diversity and was embraced because of his abs, he is generally tongue-bathed for simple actions like removing his shirt. Maybe we should not expect deep and meaningful if we are content with superficial.

People liked him for more than his abs. And not liking something he did, repeatedly did, does not = acting as judge, jury, and executioner. At all. Most people were looking for a simple apology and then for him to drop it. I haven't seen one single person suggest he make any donation, much less his annual salary.

ETA: apparently quotes change when the original comment changes. The poster originally suggested we wouldn't be satisfied until SA donated his annual salary. Thus my comment on that subject.

Edited September 19, 2015 by AyChihuahua

[apinknightmare]

I find it amusing how a social media misstep has blacklisted Amell. I don't agree with him, but I imagine he felt as though his own needed to be defended. He made a mistake. Exasperated it. He didnt beat his wife or kid.

 

If he's going to be exalted for the good he does, he's going to be taken down a few pegs when he shows his ass on social media, like he has been for the past few days. His initial comments were bad, but not insurmountable. It was him behaving like a complete douchebag in response to people's criticism of what he wrote that escalated the situation, so he has no one to blame but himself for that.

[catrox14]

find it amusing how a social media misstep has blacklisted Amell. I don't agree with him, but I imagine he felt as though his own needed to be defended. He made a mistake but the overzealous judge, jury, and executioners of this board appear to be only willing to forgive if he donates his annual salary to charity.

 

Wait, what? I don't understand this.  No one has said anything about that. There has been discussion about his past works and charitable efforts.

[AnalyzeAndCritique]

Omg. Headdesk.

I gave an exaggerated example. No one demanded he donate his salary. My point was is everyone felt they needed to add their two cents as to how to make it better. Which is what he did when he made his original post. He perceived a slight against a generalized group and tried to make it better. Then everyone jumped off a cliff without a parachute (ie went extreme) and suddenly he is defending himself and puppies are involved (see Amell's previous posts). He hasn't helped himself with his subsequent posts, but the beauty of social media or message boards is you until now or mute. Instead his social media is burning and gasoline keeps getting poured on it which has ignited Arrow forums.

The beauty of this country and the resulting social media symptoms include freedom of speech. Is Amell an ass? Maybe. If we dig deep enough on this forum, we could probably find something to support the same opinion towards each other.

[pigs-in-space]

If he's going to be exalted for the good he does, he's going to be taken down a few pegs when he shows his ass on social media, like he has been for the past few days. His initial comments were bad, but not insurmountable. It was him behaving like a complete douchebag in response to people's criticism of what he wrote that escalated the situation, so he has no one to blame but himself for that.

 

Yep, this x100.  The latter was what really bugged me.  Because the first part...we've all been there.  We've all been insensitive, or clueless, maybe even unintentionally racist or misogynistic at times.  I feel like anyone who claims they've never been in a situation like that would be either lying or completely lacking in self-awareness.  It's how you handle that misstep that I'm interested in, and he definitely messed up bad on that.

 

I'm not exactly optimistic at this point, as his apology to that really great video still didn't seem all that great to me, but it's better than nothing.  I hope he keeps an open mind about this kind of stuff in the future.  For his own benefit, if nothing else.  

 

I do like the radio silence on it from his cast mates, though.  They all seem smart enough to keep out of this mess.

[AyChihuahua]

Okay, as an attorney, people bringing up freedom of speech in this context make me want to scream. The GOVERNMENT cannot prevent a person from speaking or regulate the content of that speech, aside from reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. OTHER PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT RE THAT SPEECH. Honestly, is this not well-known? Do people not learn this in middle school social studies?

SA can say whatever he wants. His employer can fire him for it. We can all hate on him for it. The only party that can't do anything about it is THE GOVERNMENT.

Edited September 19, 2015 by AyChihuahua

[Carrie Ann]

My point was is everyone felt they needed to add their two cents as to how to make it better. Which is what he did when he made his original post. He perceived a slight against a generalized group and tried to make it better. Then everyone jumped off a cliff without a parachute (ie went extreme) and suddenly he is defending himself and puppies are involved (see Amell's previous posts). He hasn't helped himself with his subsequent posts, but the beauty of social media or message boards is you until now or mute. Instead his social media is burning and gasoline keeps getting poured on it which has ignited Arrow forums.

The beauty of this country and the resulting social media symptoms include freedom of speech. Is Amell an ass? Maybe. If we dig deep enough on this forum, we could probably find something to support the same opinion towards each other.

 

Ah, Freedom of Speech. We'd almost made it through this whole debacle without invoking the First Amendment.

 

I have absolutely read things on this board and elsewhere that are also offensive to me, yes. What is your point? When I found those things offensive, I made note of it. It made me view the poster differently. As I now view Stephen differently.

 

And Stephen's original post was in poor judgment, and many people in better position than he to judge told him so. That's not "going extreme." He ignored or outright dismissed those people and the very idea that he might be in the wrong. Today, he seems to have taken a step toward greater understanding (after several steps seemingly in the other direction). Some people are open to accepting that and moving on, maybe some aren't, maybe some people feel like he has been in the right at every step so far and should never have apologized. Maybe you're one of the latter. But I'm not sure what your point is, other than to belittle those of us who disagree?

Edited September 19, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[Primal Slayer]

The making of Black Canary

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/18/arrow-season-3-dvd-blu-ray-black-canary

 

Nothing really new that we already didn't know.

[AyChihuahua]

As a rule, I like Vinnie Jones. He was in Eurotrip, and I love Eurotrip. But he's not much of an actor, and he's very cheesy, so he really doesn't fit on a supposedly realistic show like Arrow. He was totally cheesy and not at all scary as Juggernaut, too.

[dtissagirl]

*feels excluded because really has to abide to a different country's constitution*

 

I swear to Zod I was just coming here to say that at least I was comforted by the fact that the commentary here about all of this was A+ overall.

 

Ruined it.

[Velocity23]

I am so confused right now :S

[apinknightmare]

Instead his social media is burning and gasoline keeps getting poured on it which has ignited Arrow forums.

 

He was the one pouring the gasoline on that fire, so what is your point?

[Morrigan2575]

Honestly, is this not well-known? Do people not learn this in middle school social studies?SA can say whatever he wants. His employer can fire him for it. We can all hate on him for it. The only party that can't do anything about it is THE GOVERNMENT.

Freedom of Speech is probably the best known and most misunderstood Amendment.

[apinknightmare]

I am so confused right now :S

 

Rude if they're having Sara wandering around in the outfit she was killed in before she gets shipped off to LoT. Considering her LoT outfit is a bleached version, I guess they are. Laurel's gonna be so pissed when she asks for that jacket back!

[catrox14]

Omg. Headdesk.

I gave an exaggerated example. No one demanded he donate his salary. My point was is everyone felt they needed to add their two cents as to how to make it better. Which is what he did when he made his original post. He perceived a slight against a generalized group and tried to make it better. Then everyone jumped off a cliff without a parachute (ie went extreme) and suddenly he is defending himself and puppies are involved (see Amell's previous posts). He hasn't helped himself with his subsequent posts, but the beauty of social media or message boards is you until now or mute. Instead his social media is burning and gasoline keeps getting poured on it which has ignited Arrow forums.

The beauty of this country and the resulting social media symptoms include freedom of speech. Is Amell an ass? Maybe. If we dig deep enough on this forum, we could probably find something to support the same opinion towards each other.

 

 

Who said anything about  freedom of speech? He was free to say whatever dumbass things he said. He's free to escalate and double down on those dumbass things.  He's free to belittle his fans that disagree with him. And those fans are free to dispute, refute, educate, tell him to stop talking because it's making HIM look worse and worse. But no one can actually MAKE HIM do those things.

[Sakura12]

Well I can understand why she wouldn't want to wear that thing anymore. She was dead in it for a year. That also shows how much Sara's been through to be where she's at. 

[AyChihuahua]

Freedom of Speech is probably the best known and most misunderstood Amendment.

That really is so disheartening. It's not that difficult...it only applies to THE GOVERNMENT.

As an interesting aside, prior to the 14th Amendment post-Civil War, the Bill of Rights didn't apply to state governments, only the federal government. Many, if not most, states had official state religions, etc. Dark times.

[statsgirl]

*feels excluded because really has to abide to a different country's constitution*

Technically, so does SA since Arrow is filmed in Vancouver and Canada has no First Amendment about freedom of speech.  (And no Second Amendment about the right to carry guns, thank God.)

[dtissagirl]

Technically, so does SA since Arrow is filmed in Vancouver and Canada has no First Amendment about freedom of speech.  (And no Second Amendment about the right to carry guns, thank God.)

 

True, true.

 

My constitution was written in 1988, hahaha. It was televised. [it's an awesome constitution, tho. The UN uses it as example text for new countries looking to write their own. <3]

[Morrigan2575]

As a rule, I like Vinnie Jones. He was in Eurotrip, and I love Eurotrip. But he's not much of an actor, and he's very cheesy, so he really doesn't fit on a supposedly realistic show like Arrow. He was totally cheesy and not at all scary as Juggernaut, too.

Everything about X3 sucked, IMO.

I like Vinnie Jones, he was hysterical in Eurotrip. He's also great in Galavant. I think he was a good casting choice for Brick. I didn't actually watch those episodes but it's kibd of hard to go wrong with Vinnie Jones as a street thug.

Edited September 19, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[Delphi]

True, true.

My constitution was written in 1988, hahaha. It was televised. [it's an awesome constitution, tho. The UN uses it as example text for new countries looking to write their own. <3]

Brazil?

[AyChihuahua]

X3 was horrifically bad. I think the only thing I liked about it was Kitty Pryde, because I like Kitty Pryde and I like the actress who played her. Oh, and Iceman's moment.

I like Vinnie too, and he's practically born to play a street thug, but a cheesy street thug. I am not sure he fits.

Is Eurotrip seriously not one of the funniest movies ever? Love it so much.

[pigs-in-space]

I also forgot to mention, the daily newspaper that is given out in DC (the Express paper, a Washington Post publication) mentioned Stephen's gaffe in their last page which profiles celebrity updates/gossip.  I was surprised to see it, since I've never seen him in it before, and I didn't think he was that well-known among the average non-CW viewer.

[dtissagirl]

Brazil?

 

Yep.