Welcome to the April 6, 2015 edition of Outrage Watch, HitFix's (almost) daily rundown of all the things folks are peeved about in entertainment. Today's top story: Mindy Kaling…'s brother has come under fire for some dumb stunt.
After revealing on his blog AlmostBlack.com that he got into medical school 15 years ago only after pretending to be African-American — and that he plans to write a memoir about his experiences — the “Mindy Project” star's older brother Vijay Chokal-Ingam has become the target of criticism from folks who aren't too happy with his affirmative action-bashing. His most prominent critic may be his famous sister, who allegedly told Chokal-Ingam that his revelation would “bring shame on the family.”
“Frankly, I think it”s kind of funny that Chokal-Ingam”s point seems to be that affirmative action is bad, but apparently riding on your sister”s coattails is just dandy,” writes Salon's Mary Elizabeth Williams, who later adds: “Chokal-Ingam”s story is one of a successful woman”s brother liberally using her name to drum up attention and controversy. And if he really believes that merit alone should determine achievement, I wonder why Mr. Mindy Kaling”s Brother doesn”t practice that.”
Daily Beast writer Stereo Williams framed his own outrage around Chokal-Ingam's admission that he was “harassed” by cops and “accused…of shoplifting” by store clerks during the experiment, which culminated in a two-year stint at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
“Chokalingam”s admitted experience as 'a black man' revealed the inherent cultural bigotries that feed systematic racism, but he chooses to sidestep, downplay, or flat-out ignore how the same racism that led to him being harassed by cops and store clerks keeps black applicants on the fringes of elite educational institutions for generations,” writes Williams. “It”s easier for him to tap dance for the right wing as the brown man who 'gets it,' while conveniently missing how ongoing racism makes affirmative action absolutely necessary.”
And on Twitter:
So Mindy Kalling 's brother Vijay Chokal – Ingam is actually a fraud who told lie to get into Med school .. what a douche
– pamela chakraborty (@pamela_pam123) April 6, 2015
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eww Mindy Kaling”s little brother is HELLA wack. https://t.co/ZzjNmvYN4V
– Amanda Seales (@amandaseales) April 4, 2015
“How can I make racism work for me?”- Mindy Kaling's brother
– Lalo Alcaraz (@laloalcaraz) April 4, 2015
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Dude has finally reached the point where being Mindy Kaling's brother isn't enough & now he wants some attention. Hope he chokes on it.
– Nichole (@tnwhiskeywoman) April 4, 2015
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Mindy Kaling's brother is so wack that I rescind all prior support of Mindy Kaling, a direct sibling to garbage. pic.twitter.com/xP0CrM1iq0
– darrylayo (@darrylayo) April 4, 2015
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When asked for comment, Mindy Kaling released the following statement:
Want more? There's plenty of indignation to go around. See below for a full roundup of today's kerfuffles.
Outraged: Perez Hilton, Twitter, various gay marriage advocates
Target: David Archuleta
Why: The “American Idol” runner-up and practicing Mormon live-tweeted something called the LDS (Latter-Day Saints) Conference over Easter weekend, which must have been fun for him! Unfortunately, many interpreted the following tweets as being anti-gay marriage:
“Romantic love is incomplete. It is a prelude. Love is nourished by the coming of children, who spring from the fountain of love…
– David Archuleta (@DavidArchie) April 4, 2015
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…expressed between a man and woman in marriage.” #PresPacker
– David Archuleta (@DavidArchie) April 4, 2015
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Among those outraged was celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who referenced the church's polygamist past in his reply:
@DavidArchie And what about all the Mormons with multiple wives? They have extra love, right? #PresPacker
– Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) April 6, 2015
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And furthermore:
@_slowdownsugar I am biting my tongue so hard, my teeth are gonna leave a permanent mark.
– Annie (@AnnieDAFG) April 5, 2015
@DavidArchie ew you're garbage. I'm deleting your music from my library.
– Sunny Fernandez-Vers (@jacobjunior7) April 5, 2015
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@DavidArchie this is the first time you've been relevant in the last 5 years and now you look stupid for being on the wrong side of history
– ?h®is†iΔn (@cjblakley) April 6, 2015
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@DavidArchie you lost a fan. ????
– matthew (@matthewpatrick7) April 6, 2015
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@DavidArchie WoW, is ok tho, the fight is not over, Equality and love will prevail against hate from religious ppl like u.
– Endy Ramirez (@HausOfEndy) April 6, 2015
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Archuleta has since apologized for the tweets, releasing a statement on Monday that reads in part:
“I apologize if I have offended anyone with the quote I sent out Saturday. I guess I didn”t think about the line “expressed between a man and a woman in marriage” being stressed when the whole quote didn”t fit in just 1 tweet. I am sorry my intentions were misunderstood, as my main focus was that too often romance is looked at as the end-all when there is so much more.”
Thanks for the clarification?
Outraged: The University of Virginia fraternity implicated in the gang rape of a female student in a now-debunked Rolling Stone story
Target: Rolling Stone
Why: After a review by the Columbia University School of Journalism characterized the November article written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely as a “journalist failure that was avoidable” (ouch), Phi Kappa Psi has signaled their intent to take legal action against the magazine with a statement from Virginia Alpha Chapter president Stephen Scipione that reads in part:
“The report by Columbia University's School of Journalism demonstrates the reckless nature in which Rolling Stone researched and failed to verify facts in its article that erroneously accused Phi Kappa Psi of crimes its members did not commit. Clearly our fraternity and its members have been defamed, but more importantly we fear this entire episode may prompt some victims to remain in the shadows, fearful to confront their attackers. If Rolling Stone wants to play a real role in addressing this problem, it's time to get serious.”
[NBC News]