A Mismash..of stuff
Jun. 14th, 2008 01:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatCurrently being bombarded with a rash of freakish pop-up thumderstorms reminiscent of the tropics. Wales and I left the Adam Sandler flick You Don't Mess With the Zohan to be greeted by a downpour, we dashed into Barnes & Noble, went to the bathroom, dashed to Rite Aid, bought umbrellas then walked in soggy sandals to a Mexican Restaurant for nachos and magritas. I won't bore you with a long review of Zohan. Except for the following - it's too long, in desperate need of an editor, and filled with lame sex jokes that appeal to the puerile and/or adolescent male. Is it just me or are men in film comedies overly obsessed with their dicks? That said it does have flashes of political satire that are quite hilarious and almost worth the price of admission. It also does a great job of satirizing NYC developers and Donald Trump. But it is trying to be all things for all people - and succeeds in none of the above. The offensive sex/ethnic jokes are there and a bit over the top, the parody of action/superhero flicks is there, and so is the subtle political wit/satire. As a result it is a bit of a mess.
I've been entertaining myself by watching The Daily Show - at 8pm on Comedy Central. It used to be on at 11pm, but they changed it - at least in New York.
The show does a great job of satirizing politics and the media. It takes a bit of the sting off. Have realized that my favorite type of comedy is subtle satire and sardonic wit.
Read a really good article in Entertainment Weekly, of all places, about the lack of racial diversity in television, specifically the 2008 TV season. The article is entitled: "TV's Great Black Hope* - Meet Cleveland Brown the only minority character to anchor a new broadcast series in the 2008-2009 TV seasons - unfortunately he's a cartoon. Plus he's voiced by a white guy."
This article goes a step further than most internet blogs on the topic - it gives us statistics!!! Specifically a breakdown of race on network TV and how the numbers match up to the US population.
66.2% of the US population is White.
12.9% is black
15.2% is Hispanic/Latino
4.5% is Asian (odd I thought it was higher than that - maybe because I live in NY and 75% live here??)
1.0% American Indian/Alaska Native
0.2% Hawain/Pacific Islander
Not sure where they are putting Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern and Jewish. Actually Jewish is considered "white". Indian is considered Asian (sorry not black, Asian in census studies, although a lot of people put them in both). Middle Eastern? Probably Asian or Black?? Or maybe they don't count these guys at all? Maybe they just live in NYC??
Here's the network breakdown:
ABC
78.2 white
9.4 black
8.3 latino
3.1 asian
1.0 American Indian
CBS
79.3% white
9.0 Black
8.1 Latino
3.6 Asian
0% American Indian
NBC
71% White
11.8 Black
7.5 Latino/Hispanic
9.7% Asian
0% American Indian
Fox
77.7% White
12.5 Black
4.2 Latino/Hispanic
4.2 Asian
1.4 American Indian
The CW
67.4% White
26.9% Black
3.8% Latino
1.9% Asian
0 - American Indian
(By the way "American Indian" is the phrase the magazine uses NOT me!)
Here's a few outtakes from the article that I underlined or thought noteworthy:
1. "According to the NAACP report: "1 out of every 3 persons in the US is a minority."
"One could argue that a third of those working in Hollywood should be a minority. However...their presence is not accurately represented on-air and for the most part, their stories are secondary or non-existent. Behind the camera, the challenges facing minorities have been even greater and traditionally more difficult to overcome...It is unconsiconable and unacceptable that there is no new African-American sitcom or family drama for that matter, currently in the fall lineup on any of the major broadcast networks." Vicangelo Bullock, executive director of the NAACP's Hollywood bureau says plainly. "The trend is definitely going in the wrong direction."
2. The few minority showrunners agree that more work needs to be done, not just in hiring actors of color, but in hiring them for the right roles.
Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy states:" Do I want to see any more shows where someone has a sassy black friend? No, because I'm nobody's sassy black friend. I just want to see shows in which people get to be people and that look like the world we live in. The world is changing, and television will have to follow." True enough: It feels downright regressive to have to point out that minorities can be stars too, at a time when Will Smith continues to dominate box offices, Oprah is the most powerful woman on television and Barack Obama is running for the ultimate leading role...
3. There was a time when diversity seemed to come naturally to prime time. The social consicousness of the 70's spawned sitcoms like The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Sanford and Son; the 80's brought living-in-harmony comedy Different Strokes and the ultimate breakthrough TV family on The Cosby Show. But a long fallow period (dominated by Cheers, Seinfield, and Friends) followed until 1999, when the networks announced another particularly white fall line-up (The West Wing, Freaks and Geeks, Once and Again)- and minority groups revolted. Prompted by the then NAACP president Kweisi Mfume's remark that TV was a "virtual whitewash in programming", groups representing African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans banded together to push for a diversity-calling for sweeping boycotts if immediate progress wasn't made. In the end, it was: Minority actors were hastily added to shows (congratulations, Dule Hill, you now work for President Bartlett!), and the networks agreed to measures mean to foster diverse talent behind the scenes as well - most notably by hiring senior executives to monitor the situation.
It's a job that wins them varying receptions..."For me," states Til Death's executive producer, "the goal would be to tell interesting stories, I don't think it's good if you're like, 'Oh, let's just put on a black character so people will be quiet.'"
4. After nearly 10 years of working with diversity reps and outreach programs, the networks still primarily solve the problem by sprinking non-white actors into white-led shows - often as a comedic sidekick or in the guy-who-helps-the-main-guy-solve-a-crime roles.
Instead of pumping up their percentages with supporting characters, shouldn't the networks be presenting more minority "face of the show" leads?
5. Ugly Betty Producer, Silivio Hortas, states: " Would less people watch because we weren't telling the story of a white heroine? It doesn't really make a difference. It just has to be a really great story and a really great actress."
(By the way, Ugly Betty is near the top of the Neilsen ratings.)
Why not? Well for one thing, there have been no smash-hit series starring a predominatly minority cast since The Cosby Show - which pulled 63 million viewers at its peak...left the air in 1992.
6. Minority writers aren't exactly finding their phones ringing off the hook, resulting in a thinning talent pool of showrunners of color. "It was always easy for whites to run black shows or get jobs on black shows, but it was always tough for the reverse," Larry Wilmore (Daily Show correspondent) states. "Very few blacks get jobs on non-black shows. So with a lot of black shows going away, fewer and fewer black writers get opportunities, let alone the chance to be mentored and learn how to run and create shows. So there's fewer opportunities to get to that level where you get the trust of a network to be able to run a show."
Of course, perhaps it would be easier for minority writers and producers to gain the trust of a network if more network executives were minorities themselves.
"The first thing the diversity rep should do is fire the guy who hired him! You see that white guy sitting next to you? Fire him and hire a black guy! You see that white lady down at the end of the hall? Fire her and hire a Latino lady! That's how you do it. And since evering is failing anyway, you mean to tell me that a Latina lady, a Chinese guy or a Black guy can't fail too? If the networks are going down the tubes, why don't they go down the tubes with everybody? Spread the wealth!" states LeRoi, one of the diversity reps.
7. Of course it's about more than simply sprinkling additional minorities throughout shows - its about giving those characters meaningful story lines that blend in seamlessly with their surroundings. "I don't just want to see a black face or a Latino face or whatever," says Wilmore. "People need to have roles on these shows that are dynamic and not just place marks." Adds Brock Akil, "I think that's why Grey's Anatomy has been so successful. It's a very organic atmosphere and the interaction between the characters of different races is very relatable.
[For an example of the sprinkling solution see Joss Whedon's television series notably Buffy and Angel, Bones, the CSI dramas, and the West Wing. Although to give Whedon credit over both Bones and CSI - his black characters actually got backstories and full-fledged characterization and were not entirely there for token casting. Robin Wood actually got an arc, not a great one but it was there. And Zoe a complete role. Not to mention Gunn. Bones? The only black character on the series is the boss, and her role is barely there. Same deal with Dule Hill's aid on The West Wing one of the whitest tv shows on tv. Of the three mentioned Bones is the only one on air right now and it is a prime example of the problem stated above. I often wonder what the shows would be like if the lead had been black, Latino, Asian, or Native American. ]
8. That kind of color-blind casting (Grey's Anatomy NOT Bones) is something teen-focused networks seem to have down pat: Nary a show has passed through ABC Family or The N without an interracial coupling or a naturally integrated cast. Those networks exec's say it's a simple matter of economics, that their Gen-Y viewers accept- nay, expect and deman - such a reflection of their multicultural lives. "They're completely color-blind," ABC Family president Paul Lee says of the younter viewers. "We've done a lot of things wrong as a nation, but we've clearly done something right here. They embrace other cultures." [That statement gives me hope. Apparently my generation is better at parenting than I thought.]
That said, 8 of 10 regulars on 90210 (the new one) are white."
The full article is in June 20th edition of EW. And is worth checking out. A lot of people scoff at affirmative action, but I wonder how you would feel if you couldn't get a job or position because you didn't fit what the guy in power wanted.
I've been entertaining myself by watching The Daily Show - at 8pm on Comedy Central. It used to be on at 11pm, but they changed it - at least in New York.
The show does a great job of satirizing politics and the media. It takes a bit of the sting off. Have realized that my favorite type of comedy is subtle satire and sardonic wit.
Read a really good article in Entertainment Weekly, of all places, about the lack of racial diversity in television, specifically the 2008 TV season. The article is entitled: "TV's Great Black Hope* - Meet Cleveland Brown the only minority character to anchor a new broadcast series in the 2008-2009 TV seasons - unfortunately he's a cartoon. Plus he's voiced by a white guy."
This article goes a step further than most internet blogs on the topic - it gives us statistics!!! Specifically a breakdown of race on network TV and how the numbers match up to the US population.
66.2% of the US population is White.
12.9% is black
15.2% is Hispanic/Latino
4.5% is Asian (odd I thought it was higher than that - maybe because I live in NY and 75% live here??)
1.0% American Indian/Alaska Native
0.2% Hawain/Pacific Islander
Not sure where they are putting Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern and Jewish. Actually Jewish is considered "white". Indian is considered Asian (sorry not black, Asian in census studies, although a lot of people put them in both). Middle Eastern? Probably Asian or Black?? Or maybe they don't count these guys at all? Maybe they just live in NYC??
Here's the network breakdown:
ABC
78.2 white
9.4 black
8.3 latino
3.1 asian
1.0 American Indian
CBS
79.3% white
9.0 Black
8.1 Latino
3.6 Asian
0% American Indian
NBC
71% White
11.8 Black
7.5 Latino/Hispanic
9.7% Asian
0% American Indian
Fox
77.7% White
12.5 Black
4.2 Latino/Hispanic
4.2 Asian
1.4 American Indian
The CW
67.4% White
26.9% Black
3.8% Latino
1.9% Asian
0 - American Indian
(By the way "American Indian" is the phrase the magazine uses NOT me!)
Here's a few outtakes from the article that I underlined or thought noteworthy:
1. "According to the NAACP report: "1 out of every 3 persons in the US is a minority."
"One could argue that a third of those working in Hollywood should be a minority. However...their presence is not accurately represented on-air and for the most part, their stories are secondary or non-existent. Behind the camera, the challenges facing minorities have been even greater and traditionally more difficult to overcome...It is unconsiconable and unacceptable that there is no new African-American sitcom or family drama for that matter, currently in the fall lineup on any of the major broadcast networks." Vicangelo Bullock, executive director of the NAACP's Hollywood bureau says plainly. "The trend is definitely going in the wrong direction."
2. The few minority showrunners agree that more work needs to be done, not just in hiring actors of color, but in hiring them for the right roles.
Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy states:" Do I want to see any more shows where someone has a sassy black friend? No, because I'm nobody's sassy black friend. I just want to see shows in which people get to be people and that look like the world we live in. The world is changing, and television will have to follow." True enough: It feels downright regressive to have to point out that minorities can be stars too, at a time when Will Smith continues to dominate box offices, Oprah is the most powerful woman on television and Barack Obama is running for the ultimate leading role...
3. There was a time when diversity seemed to come naturally to prime time. The social consicousness of the 70's spawned sitcoms like The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Sanford and Son; the 80's brought living-in-harmony comedy Different Strokes and the ultimate breakthrough TV family on The Cosby Show. But a long fallow period (dominated by Cheers, Seinfield, and Friends) followed until 1999, when the networks announced another particularly white fall line-up (The West Wing, Freaks and Geeks, Once and Again)- and minority groups revolted. Prompted by the then NAACP president Kweisi Mfume's remark that TV was a "virtual whitewash in programming", groups representing African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans banded together to push for a diversity-calling for sweeping boycotts if immediate progress wasn't made. In the end, it was: Minority actors were hastily added to shows (congratulations, Dule Hill, you now work for President Bartlett!), and the networks agreed to measures mean to foster diverse talent behind the scenes as well - most notably by hiring senior executives to monitor the situation.
It's a job that wins them varying receptions..."For me," states Til Death's executive producer, "the goal would be to tell interesting stories, I don't think it's good if you're like, 'Oh, let's just put on a black character so people will be quiet.'"
4. After nearly 10 years of working with diversity reps and outreach programs, the networks still primarily solve the problem by sprinking non-white actors into white-led shows - often as a comedic sidekick or in the guy-who-helps-the-main-guy-solve-a-crime roles.
Instead of pumping up their percentages with supporting characters, shouldn't the networks be presenting more minority "face of the show" leads?
5. Ugly Betty Producer, Silivio Hortas, states: " Would less people watch because we weren't telling the story of a white heroine? It doesn't really make a difference. It just has to be a really great story and a really great actress."
(By the way, Ugly Betty is near the top of the Neilsen ratings.)
Why not? Well for one thing, there have been no smash-hit series starring a predominatly minority cast since The Cosby Show - which pulled 63 million viewers at its peak...left the air in 1992.
6. Minority writers aren't exactly finding their phones ringing off the hook, resulting in a thinning talent pool of showrunners of color. "It was always easy for whites to run black shows or get jobs on black shows, but it was always tough for the reverse," Larry Wilmore (Daily Show correspondent) states. "Very few blacks get jobs on non-black shows. So with a lot of black shows going away, fewer and fewer black writers get opportunities, let alone the chance to be mentored and learn how to run and create shows. So there's fewer opportunities to get to that level where you get the trust of a network to be able to run a show."
Of course, perhaps it would be easier for minority writers and producers to gain the trust of a network if more network executives were minorities themselves.
"The first thing the diversity rep should do is fire the guy who hired him! You see that white guy sitting next to you? Fire him and hire a black guy! You see that white lady down at the end of the hall? Fire her and hire a Latino lady! That's how you do it. And since evering is failing anyway, you mean to tell me that a Latina lady, a Chinese guy or a Black guy can't fail too? If the networks are going down the tubes, why don't they go down the tubes with everybody? Spread the wealth!" states LeRoi, one of the diversity reps.
7. Of course it's about more than simply sprinkling additional minorities throughout shows - its about giving those characters meaningful story lines that blend in seamlessly with their surroundings. "I don't just want to see a black face or a Latino face or whatever," says Wilmore. "People need to have roles on these shows that are dynamic and not just place marks." Adds Brock Akil, "I think that's why Grey's Anatomy has been so successful. It's a very organic atmosphere and the interaction between the characters of different races is very relatable.
[For an example of the sprinkling solution see Joss Whedon's television series notably Buffy and Angel, Bones, the CSI dramas, and the West Wing. Although to give Whedon credit over both Bones and CSI - his black characters actually got backstories and full-fledged characterization and were not entirely there for token casting. Robin Wood actually got an arc, not a great one but it was there. And Zoe a complete role. Not to mention Gunn. Bones? The only black character on the series is the boss, and her role is barely there. Same deal with Dule Hill's aid on The West Wing one of the whitest tv shows on tv. Of the three mentioned Bones is the only one on air right now and it is a prime example of the problem stated above. I often wonder what the shows would be like if the lead had been black, Latino, Asian, or Native American. ]
8. That kind of color-blind casting (Grey's Anatomy NOT Bones) is something teen-focused networks seem to have down pat: Nary a show has passed through ABC Family or The N without an interracial coupling or a naturally integrated cast. Those networks exec's say it's a simple matter of economics, that their Gen-Y viewers accept- nay, expect and deman - such a reflection of their multicultural lives. "They're completely color-blind," ABC Family president Paul Lee says of the younter viewers. "We've done a lot of things wrong as a nation, but we've clearly done something right here. They embrace other cultures." [That statement gives me hope. Apparently my generation is better at parenting than I thought.]
That said, 8 of 10 regulars on 90210 (the new one) are white."
The full article is in June 20th edition of EW. And is worth checking out. A lot of people scoff at affirmative action, but I wonder how you would feel if you couldn't get a job or position because you didn't fit what the guy in power wanted.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 04:41 am (UTC)I agree w/that: I think that the networks have this idea of the American public being more prejudiced than they really are. Just as people watched Bill Cosby, I think they would watch any really well written show with appealing/interesting characters. I don't think that the general public really makes race their first consideration. Of course I could be wrong, it could differ a lot from place to place.
And like you, I'm living in an area where there are a lot of people from a variety of different 'races', with voting and other government forms available in multiple languages. Our local news casters seem to reflect the diversity of the Bay area a lot better than the national networks do!
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 05:04 am (UTC)But, I do remember Kansas being pretty tolerant and enjoying the Cosby show. There were people who also watched Jamie Fox. And quite a few who loved Oprah, who hails from Chicago, and Will Smith. Heck most of the states that voted for Obama were in the middle of the country = New York and California went for Hillary and by narrow margins.
I think the reason we don't have much diversity in tv is who is writing the shows, producing, and owns the networks. They need to hire more minority writers. They are out there and they are brilliant. White guys are going to tend to write tv shows that focus on their experiences of the world. And unfortunately white guys make up the vast majority of head writers on tv right now.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 04:56 am (UTC)As far as I can tell, in most surveys:
1. Jews do not have a category. Jews are counted as white, unless they are black or hispanic jews. (i.e. Geraldo Rivera)
2. If the survey does not include a category for them, Arabs/Persians are counted as white. (i.e. Lebanese American Tony Shalhoub)
3. South Asians are counted as Asians
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 05:14 am (UTC)And Jew unlike the other categories is also a religion or considered more a *religious* category. As you stated above, you can be black, asian, hispanic, Native American, etc and be Jewish. It's not limited to one ethnicity.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 05:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 01:52 pm (UTC)And many of the film and television studios are owned by people of Jewish decent. Very powerful voting block.
Paul Newman is Jewish by the way. So are many of the actors who made it to the top echelon.
And if you look at tv series, most of the families or individuals are also Jewish.
We are a Judeo/Christian society - and at times on tv at least those are the only two religions represented. Muslim, Hindu, Voodu,
Buddhism, and Wiccian are treated, often, with extreme prejudice or stereotype.
So, I don't see Jewish as a true minority in the US. It certainly isn't in NY. Here, we have had more than one Jewish Mayor. And when the Jewish holidays pop up, the schools are let out. (Doesn't happen anywhere else that I've lived, heck we don't get Christian holidays off elsewhere either - in school we got Christmas - but that was Winter break, and spring break was not next to Easter.)
You have a lot of power right now, economic and political. None of the other minorities have that.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 02:14 pm (UTC)But then again, as noted you live in New York. Many of the Jewish characters and actors aren't exactly all that Jewish on TV.
Many of those Jewish characters are only Jewish in the Christmas episodes. (Ask a Jewish Buffy fan what they thought of Willow's Jewishness)
And star that he is, how many people think of Paul Newman as a Jew? How many 'Jewish' characters does he play?
We've done well for ourselves, relatively speaking, we have some power, but we still feel like a minority. Particularly once we live the NY/SoCal enclaves.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 02:40 pm (UTC)You had to go to Kansas City itself to find the other minorities. It wasn't until after high school and I worked in legal aid that I met people who were "not" white.
In college, lots of Jewish friends, all doing *very* well. But only five African-Americans, maybe ten in the school. It was a liberal arts college in Colorado Springs. Fairly prestigious. Sidney Pollock's neice went there. And one of my friends from that school just came back from Israel. I remember two of my friends at the time doing a study on diversity, one was new york Jewish, one white Texan - and neither new anyone who was black at the school. There were blacks at the school. I was friends with several of them. But very few. And they didn't have any power.
Of the teaching staff - we had maybe two teachers of African descent, but at least ten that were Jewish, if not more. It wasn't a large school. Less than 3,000 students.
In Law School - same situation. One African-American teacher, several Jewish, the Jewish were more prominent on the faculty, and the student body? The same. This was the University of Kansas.
Then when I did legal aid - the lawyers were Jewish, the clients black and Native American, and downtrodden.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 03:04 pm (UTC)And that some school districts get the High Holidays off is nice. (I like The Fed. Gov's Floating Holidays are much better, of course - for all of the other non-christians)
But that doesn't mean we still don't sometimes feel like a minority. We're 1% of the population, and we know it. You're not going to see a TV Show have a 'Very Special Rosh Hashana' episode. I was happy enough to have the OC.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-15 09:33 pm (UTC)With women its odder - because statistically speaking we are not a minority.
I think, and someone else has already said this online - it is one thing to feel like a minority, it is another to be a disenfranchized minority - which Jews aren't right now, Israel in some respects has changed that status.
You don't have to worry about being passed over for a job because of what you look like or how you appear. I'm not sure you can appreciate what that is like. Perhaps to a degree. But it's not the same.
And Television actually has talked about the Jewish culture. Pretty extensively. As have film. Seinfield, Mad About You, Friends,
and countless others. I have seen bat mitzah's on TV. I've seen Jewish holidays.
Sure Christmas gets a lot of press, but so what? Big deal. Most of the press it gets is for commericial aspects. But in recent years I've seen Hannuka get equal press along with Passover - the Ten Commandments is shown every Easter. And the central family of the OC was Jewish.
And to be honest it's not a negative holiday. It's about hope, about helping others, and kindness. Hardly something to whine about. It's not like Columbus Day, which is quite offensive if you think about it.
If the worst thing you can think of is not getting a Very Special Rosh Hashana episode, then you're doing pretty well. I mean I'd like to own my flat too, but hey we can't have everything.