Prolific novelist James Patterson has recently stated that he is the victim of some sort of racism. Patterson told The Times (UK) because he is a white man, it’s harder to get writing gigs. Because old White men are being passed over for the sake of diversity.
So here he is, a successful White man who’s claim to fame was a couple of Alex Cross novels that were adapted into movies starring Samuel L. Jackson. Because with those novels, he just “wanted to create a character who happened to be black.” That’s fine, it’s what he says afterward about it being hard to find a gig.
″[It’s] just another form of racism,” Patterson said. “What’s that all about? Can you get a job? Yes. Is it harder? Yes. It’s even harder for older writers. You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.”
Obviously, his perspective is a little skewed. James Patterson is arguably one of the most highly-paid writers in the world, yet says he’s having a hard time getting jobs because of the color of his skin. Tell that same story to any kind of working class minority, and they’d laugh in your face.
Here are some of our favorite responses to his quote from the article:
Yeah, so, maybe don’t buy his books or watch adaptations of his work. Most of which he hasn’t written himself in years.
