To promote her middling new album, pop star Katy Perry spent the weekend broadcasting her life, including the hours she was asleep, via live stream. Being an enourmously famous person, Perry also assembled a cadre of other famous and influential people to discuss issues like race, gender, and cultural appropriation, which Perry herself has been criticized for. Much of the stream was cringe-worthy, like when the singer spoke to activist DeRay McKesson about white privilege and still managed to center the discussion on how she felt, awkwardly stroking DeRay’s knee in the process.
But last night, during a panel discussion with devout Republican Caitlyn Jenner, actress and musician Amanda Seales was a bright spot in Perry's otherwise bizarre promotional blitz. Speaking to Jenner about the differences in oppression they face, Seales said what anyone expecting some reflection out of this experiment would have hoped to hear. “If someone doesn't agree with you, it may come from the fact that they've had a completely different experience.”
Watch Amanda Seales GATHER Caitlyn Jenner about growing up black in America pic.twitter.com/JMmrGSRbHX
— Russell WestSHOOK (@AuraOFPNKSLM) June 12, 2017