Leslie David Baker says racism has diminished after exposing hate speech he received after his decision to launch a crowdfunding campaign for a spinoff to “The Office.”
The star, best known for playing Stanley Hudson on the popular NBC sitcom, launched a Kickstarter campaign to try to get a spinoff titled ‘Uncle Stan’ off the ground. The proposed spinoff would see his character retire in Florida and move to Los Angeles to help his cousin run a motorcycle and flower business, much to the surprise of the soon-to-be-famous Stanley.
However, after the announcement of the project, Baker took to Instagram to discover some of the disgusting responses he received from racists who were not happy with him asking “The Office” fanbase for money. After the post went viral, Baker opened up to USA Today about his experience.
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“We live in an era in which there is this movement,” Baker told USA Today. “We would think that these problems would be corrected years, decades ago. They have not. In fact, they have become less.”
Actor Leslie David Baker said racism has diminished in recent years.
(Jason LaVeris / FilmMagic)
He also explained his reasoning for posting the horrific messages, in which racial slurs, accusations of theft and images of black people were killed.
“You can not fight racism and fight against these kinds of stereotypical attitudes if you suggest that they do not exist,” he explained. “All too often, people in America have become so worried that they feel uncomfortable because they are not confronted by racist behavior.”
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The star hopes to shed some light on the idea that racist behavior is not gone, it has just moved to an online medium.
“It does not drive down the street in the hood with the burning cross, but instead it has been replaced by the new technology,” he said. “We think the old photos we see of people being persecuted on their way to school in the south and trying to vote in the ’60s, we think all those people are dead. They are not “They got married. They had children. They had grandchildren, great-grandchildren. But they took that faith with them, and in many cases they did not change the faith.”
Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson on ‘The Office.’
(Colleen Hayes / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
The outlet notes that Baker’s post got some attention from other co-stars of The Office such as Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey and Kate Flannery, who stood out to express their concerns about the messages he received.
“Racism does not matter if you are an actor on TV or not if you won an award,” he concluded, “this is something that minorities face on every job, not just because they are in show business.”
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The “Uncle Stan” Kickstarter campaign has exceeded its initial $ 300,000 target.
