Race, America, Television

[butterfly]

This week is, apparently, Blog Against Racism Week.

Racism is an area that I do try to question myself in, when watching television or movies. Because, for example, while it's hard for me to picture anyone else as Xander, if someone else had been Xander, then it might be Nicholas Brendon who I would think it silly to imagine being Xander (of course, if Xander had been black or hispanic or asian or native american, then his diminished role in the later seasons might have looked worse than it did, from an outside point of view).

One of the things that I didn't notice about RENT but tickled me pink when someone pointed it out to me is that every single couple in the movie/play is interracial. It's just there and no one in the movie makes any kind of deal about it.

When there are strong/interesting non-caucasian characters, I still fangirl them and fall in love. But there simply aren't the plethora of characters (and character types) out there that you get for the 'white' characters. As Mr. Trick said, Sunnydale really isn't a 'haven for the brothers' (and, much as I love Joss Whedon, commenting on something in the text doesn't excuse the metatexual reasons for those choices). And considering the population percentages you normally find in California... well, let's just say that we should have been hearing a lot more spanish on those shows than we got (and none of that even goes near the subject of the low number of asians in Firefly).

American television is... a lot paler than the towns and states that the shows tend to be set in. And that is a problem -- it's a writing problem, it's a casting problem, it's a network problem. The issues exist and they matter deeply.

Or, as Rev. Al Sharpton said in the first episode of Boston Legal -- 'Give us a black Spider-Man. Give us a black Superman who can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Give us a black Orphan Annie.' (paraphrased) Because these are icons that were created years ago and they are meant to be universal American icons -- universal American icons shouldn't be limited by color, even if their creators were.

And here, I was about to note that Boston Legal's main cast was all-white, but I went to the website and apparently that changes later on. That was a nice surprise. Of course, it's still seven to one, but that's better than eight-zero.

Comments

[starsprinkles.livejournal.com]

In Buffy and Angel, I always thought relationships like Buffy/Angel and Willow/Oz were somewhat metaphors for interracial relationships (when Riley learns that Oz is a werewolf he reacts negatively about Willow having dated him knowing that, and Buffy calls him a bigot). Also, I'm pretty sure there was never any mention of Fred/Gunn being an interracial relationship, even though Gunn repeatedly identified himself as a black man, brother, etc. It was never an issue for them to be together, for anyone. It would have been really nice for there to have been more main characters of different human ethnicities, not just species, but they did a fairly good job — Principal Wood (and Nikki), Jasmine, Gavin Park, Forrest, Trick, Chao-Ahn, Rona, etc. It wasn't perfect, but I always thought they did a better job than most shows at including lots of different types of people without it being super contrived (e.g. the token black friend).

However, I completely agree that in general, TV is not even remotely representative of America's actual population. As a Caucasian, I admit I don't think about it as often as I probably should. But there definitely need to be more strong roles for people of all races, without resorting to cliché stereotypes or being stuck as the sidekick. I think this is something not only white writers/producers/creators need to work on, but those of other races as well. To me it seems like too often minorities let themselves continue to be pigeonholed into stereotypical roles, I suppose because it's easier and has more guarantee of succeeding. But it bothers me, even though I'm not black, or Asian, or Hispanic, to constantly see movies and TV shows created by people of these ethnicities centering around/feeding into the stereotypical culture of the ethnicity, rather than trying to break out and show the diversity there is within the cultures as well as between them.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Hi, I work in the TV industry. There are very, very, very, very few non-white people who have the power to greenlight (pick up for production) a TV show or movie. When minorities come in with non-stereotyped suggestions, those frequently don't match what the white executives believe is interesting, saleable, or plausible. So a story about, say, black rapping gangsters has a much, much higher chance of selling than, say, a story about a Chinese-American private eye.

In other words, I wouldn't lay all the blame on the minorities.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

It would seem to me, that, a lot of the time we end up with shows that either play into the stereotypes or have to be directly at them and contrasting with a (See how we challenge the type!)... which is still rarer, but there usually are much fewer that don't play into or against them at all.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I think I know what you're getting at, but some stereotypes are so broad (ie, "All black people are poor, lazy, and/or criminal") that all you really need to do is write, say, a black character who isn't poor, lazy, or a criminal, and it looks like you're playing against a stereotype.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

True. But then, there's 'the black friend' character that you get on TV - that's been included for so long it can be sort of stereotype of it's own and nobody is going to find that character as playing against stereotype for not being poor/lazy/criminal.

[starsprinkles.livejournal.com]

Oh no, I'm not laying all the blame on them. I just meant I wish the minority writers/directors/producers (I'm thinking like the Wayans Brothers, George Lopez, etc.) would make more of an effort not to have their shows/movies/whatever be all about "being black" or "being Hispanic." But I do realize the highest tier of execs is pretty much all white (and mostly male), so I'm sure it is extremely hard for them to break out of it. It's not that I'm blaming them, I just wish they were able to do more different things. Because honestly, I *would* much rather see a movie about a Chinese-American private eye than one about gangsta rap.

Thanks for your inside input though. I know these things are always much more complicated than they seem to the general public. =)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I did like what they ended up doing with Gunn and the Gunn/Fred thing (and on a fandom note, I like what seemed to piss fandom off what not at the the 'white girl/black man' thing but that it was breaking up the popular slash pairing of Wes/Gunn).

[skipmcgee.livejournal.com]

This is one of those issues I have to handwave, because if I don't I get really aggravated and then the show (whatever it may be) just isn't as much fun as it was before. Totally is a problem on all levels, and 'cause it's not just one problem spot but the symptom of a larger issue it's not easily or quickly fixed, which just, grr. It should be.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, you're always more eloquent than me.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I know that there isn't much I can do on a national scale, but I can do things on a personal level, in my own heart.

[sweet-torments.livejournal.com]

Grey's Anatomy has done a really good job of casting a mixture of races. ER is decent too. But I do know what you mean.

Anyway, hi. I wandered onto your journal and thought I'd comment. :)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Ah, I haven't seen either of those shows, though I've heard good things. House was really my first 'doctor' show.

And, hi! It's nice to meet you.

[sweet-torments.livejournal.com]

No. Grey's Anatomy I can see, it's newish, but ER? The last couple seasons have been really good. A lot of people like the earlier ones better, but I love the newest ones.

Oh, but Grey's Anatomy is really good. It's as much drama filled as it is a medical show. But it has those nice... really serious moments. And it always goes where you don't think it will.

NOt that I'm trying to pimp out Grey's Anatomy or anything. :)

I'm going to add you. If it's cool?

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I've just never really watched medical shows. House drew me in with the promise of a very snarky, sarcastic lead (which is has delivered on). A few people on my flist have mentioned Grey's Anatomy, though (apparently, there is a character named McDreamy who is a complete asshole -- this is about the sum of what I know).

I'm big into drama, though I usually watch sci-fi or fantasy-based shows.

I'm going to add you. If it's cool?

Totally and completely, yeah. Though I should warn you, I talk about a huge variety of things.