Discussing Tara Strong

It was inevitable that the other shoe would drop, right?

This past month has been incredibly trying. On October 7th, Hamas operatives infiltrated mainland Israel, murdered over 1400 Israelis and captured 200 more to bring back to Gaza. It ruined my Simchat Torah, and going online afterward spiked my anxiety. It seemed like the world was apathetic, and any statements from celebrities asking for levelheadedness were met with criticism. It’s no surprise that I’ve been avoiding social media as much as possible, with the few relapses heightening my stress.

But this isn’t about that per se. I’d like to zone in on the reactions of a VA named Tara Strong. Even if you don’t know her name, you most-likely know of her work. She’s been around for decades, lending her vocal range to hundreds of characters. She’s also Jewish, which I promise is relevant. Moving on.

When the Hamas invasion occurred, Tara took to social media and expressed her concerns. Her frustrations were understandable, as I’ve been experiencing many of them too. But despite the responses not helping, she kept digging herself into a hole, until she finally Liked an Islamophobic Tweet and destroyed her reputation. It was disappointing, with many long-time fans expressing their concerns. I should know, I was one of them!

I wish it’d ended with Tara Strong Liking something tone-deaf in frustration, apologizing and moving on. But it didn’t. Not only has Strong only half-apologized, she’s retreated into a bubble and not taken accountability. She also recently stepped into another mess by using Matthew Perry’s tragic death to make a tone-deaf statement. Again, not a good look.

It hurts because I like Strong’s work. She was my introduction to Batgirl, and she voiced a ton of characters from my childhood. She’s also from my country, being another success story in a long line of them. In a way, I looked up to her. So her letting me down stings. It stings more than any other reaction to Hamas’s invasion, even those that were worse objectively.

Of course, the issue now is the fallout. Like Wendee Lee, Strong has clout in the animation world, with many projects having her under contract. In particular, she’s the voice of Miss Minutes in Loki, a show currently airing its second season on Disney+. How will Disney do damage control, especially when they already have to deal with Jonathan Majors? I don’t know.

I guess this isn’t shocking? Strong’s no stranger to controversy. She’s a card-carrying member of PETA, and she’s preached her brand of vegan extremism online. She also once made a racist Twitter remark about Chinese consumption of bats and COVID-19 that’s no longer traceable, and she’s expressed vaccine skepticism. And then there was that NFT incident, which she didn’t handle well. Her dabbling in Islamophobia and taking away from a tragic death compliment all of that.

But I’m also not satisfied. Ignoring how plenty of jerks were gaslighting her concerns about Hamas, something I’ve noticed with my concerns, Strong isn’t handling stress and anxiety well. People routinely make bad decisions under pressure, ones they regret, and the internet’s quick to judge them without the full context. With all the drowning out of Jewish and Palestinian voices by Western progressives, it’s inevitable that people would latch onto that and exploit it. It's a form of bullying, whether or not anyone wants to admit that.

So yes, the fault also lies with the internet. Yet since the internet isn’t a singular voice, it’s hard to discuss accountability when it goes after people. This isn’t to excuse Strong, she should’ve known better, but the internet’s not helping. Especially when it has an unhealthy obsession with “taking down Zionists”, something that’s an issue with Gal Gadot too. We should know better.

But how do we diffuse this? Like I said, the internet isn’t one person, and social media allows for anonymity that encourages and rewards hostility. The most I can suggest is Blocking and calling out bad actors, though that isn’t always possible. I also think comparing her to worse VAs doesn’t do people favours, as Strong’s biggest offence is acting petty. She’s not a sex offender.

Tara: I get it. You’re stressed. So am I. I’m also incredibly-disheartened by the number of “allies” who claim they’d “punch Nazis”, yet have no issues endorsing some of their behaviour with “Zionists”. You have every right to be mad that your struggles are being shunned, demonized or laughed at by those who should know better. These are trying times.

In the same breath, this isn’t an excuse to vilify Muslims or warp a tragedy. Muslims are feeling anxious too, and while they might see the situation differently, their fears are still valid. And Perry’s death? That’s in poor taste. You need to do better.

Ultimately, there needs to be a certain level of tact here. This includes not gaslighting what Jews and Muslims are feeling, or even talking over them. It also includes recognizing the harm social media outlets create by spreading misinformation. Most-importantly, we need to step back and breathe. The way we’re acting, so angry and tightly-wound over a conflict that updates hourly? To quote the creed of the Mandalorian: “This isn’t the way.”