Why I’m still #TeamLawrence After Season 2 of Insecure

Hear me out before you roast me.

For the last two years now Issa Rae’s Insecure has swept the nation, especially in the Black American community. While as of late there has been a major wave of Black television on the rise (Power, Atlanta, Dear White People, and Black-ish to name a few) no one has created dialogue among people and social media like Ms. Rae has done. I have been a fan since its beginning, and consider myself a part of her cult following that the show exhibits, but also even consider myself (somewhat) a part of the “Lawrence Hive.”

Now, before I dig into why I am still #TeamLawrence understand that when dissecting the debate of Issa v. Lawrence you cannot just take the actions of season 2 (because I’ll admit Lawrence is a jerk) but you must reflect on the entire situation, in other words, both seasons.

Yes. Lawrence did sit on the couch like a bum for four whole years. I want to be clear that I am aware of that. BUT, everyone in the camp seems to forget that she enabled that behavior. While Lawrence should have manned up and grabbed that Best Buy job long ago, she also could have spoke on his sluggishness a little sooner than four years down the line.

I’ve even spoken to some friends of mine that are women and asked what they would have done in the situation, and additionally how long would they allow the “entrepreneurial sloth-like” behavior to go on. Most of them said that you want to believe in the person you love and care for, but realistically they would ask him to get a job after a year of laziness or they would cut ties with the relationship.

To make matters worse, Issa slept with Daniel. Lawrence had Tasha literally throwing herself at him, he didn’t even have to “shoot his shot.” She threw him the alley-oop herself, showed him the whole damn playbook in fact. But Lawrence didn’t text her on the side, he didn’t slide in her DM’s, he appreciated the compliments and moved along about his bank transaction. Issa cheated first.

Daniel may have been sloppy with his behavior by showing up at her work function in season 1, but she slept with him which also enabled his entitlement. To make matters worse, Issa explicitly told her friends that Daniel was her “what if guy.” I may have been born at night, but I was not born last night… We all know someone male or female who has a “what if” person, and that person can be majorly problematic. They can damage and destroy relationships because that person usually would be with the person naming them “what if” if not for obstacle-generating circumstances.

Now, this does not excuse the behavior of how Lawrence went on to treat Tasha. For how he treated her, he was truly a jackass. He over-committed himself when he wasn’t looking for what she was. That doesn’t mean Tasha wasn’t doing a lot by bringing him to the family function this early in the relationship, but he shouldn’t have handled it the way he did. I’ve also seen criticisms of Lawrence for the threesome with the white girls, as well as his new work bae. People are calling Lawrence sleazy.

For me last season I was #TeamLawrence because I saw him as what all men have been in some point. In a rut, struggling to get their dreams accomplished. This magazine is essentially my “Woot Woot.” I too can be sluggish about it and as a writer, I am working to improve that. I do work other jobs, which separates me from Lawrence, but I can literally see where he was coming from.

Had Issa not slept with Daniel, I would have never been #TeamLawrence . He was too stagnant, and literally was bumming it at some points. But this season I again am #TeamLawrence because of how Issa handled the post-relationship. She causes the firestorm of their break up with cheating. Then instead of using the time to heal, she wanted to have a “hoe phase.” Her words, I’m not here to slut shame anyone.

I’m not here to call Issa’s character a “hoe,” nor am I here to call Lawrence a “fuccboi.” I’m here to say, while Lawrence may be lazy, inconsiderate of others feelings, and naive; Issa is manipulative (Daniel situation) and her wrongs are pre-meditated rather than circumstantial. Truthfully, I am a fan of neither of them at this point and they both should be held equally accountable. But if I have to choose a team, I’ve gotta choose Lawrence for the reasons above.

Originally published at The Millennial Gazette on September 19, 2017.