Race & Ethnicity On TV

[joelene]

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt also has the revelation

that Jane Krakowski's character is a Native American woman who bleaches her hair to pass as white and erase her heritage

. I'm not sure how I feel about that revelation though if they got into it it could be an exploration of being othered.

I thought the subplot was hilarious and had the same thoughts and feelings about it as Kel Varnsen. I've read some criticism about it but felt that so far those articles were reaching for something that wasn't really there.

[DearEvette]

I find Dre extremely annoying. Tracee Ellis Ross is the most consistent pleasure. The kids are cute, but haven't done much to stand out either. I think Fresh Off the Boat is the better show.

 

 

 

I think both shows are fun.  But i have to disagree about the kids on Black-ish.  At least in the case of Junior and Diane.  Junior vaulted straight to to top of totally awesome during the masturbation episode  when he overshared about his love of Helen Mirren.  I also think his spot on nerdiness really makes his character pop for me.  He isn't a 'tv-show nerd' but he reads as rather authentic.  And Diane's brand of dark Wednesday Addams-like characterization is sold very well by that little actress. 

 

I agree about Dre though.  I think TER acts comedy rings around him.  Shes brilliant, imo.  I never totally warmed to Anthony Anderson. 

[ribboninthesky1]

I find Dre extremely annoying. Tracee Ellis Ross is the most consistent pleasure. The kids are cute, but haven't done much to stand out either. I think Fresh Off the Boat is the better show. 

 

Dre got old for me very quickly (I was over him by the 2nd or 3rd episode), and Tracee is the primary reason I still watch the show.  The one thing about the kids I dislike is Junior consistently being the butt of the joke and/or often treated with mild disdain/derision.  There's nothing extraordinary about a nerd who's either not taken seriously or the subject of jokes.  He's the sweetest of the siblings, so I wish the show would have gone the more atypical route and either be neutral about or celebrate Junior's nerd-dom.  I would have been more impressed if the show had written Zoey and Junior as siblings who got along quite well, if not close.   

 

I'm still not sure how to feel about Zoey, and it seems like the show doesn't really know what to do with her.  Unlike the other kids, I can't tell if Yara Shahidi hasn't had the chance to flex her comic chops, or she just doesn't have them.  The latter isn't an indictment, just an observation. Comic timing is hard to master.        

Edited March 13, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Dre got old for me very quickly (I was over him by the 2nd or 3rd episode), and Tracee is the primary reason I still watch the show.  The one thing about the kids I dislike is Junior consistently being the butt of the joke and/or often treated with mild disdain/derision.  There's nothing extraordinary about a nerd who's either not taken seriously or the subject of jokes.

 

To be fair, sort of, the nerdy character being the butt of jokes is a general thing. On Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid is often treated as if he's some kind of alien by the rest of the main cast, with some exceptions, but not as many as I'd like. And he's a grown man, not a kid.

[Wax Lion]

Think of all the poor white actors feeling left out when they see all those casting notices specifying that they're casting a person of color.

 

God, Deadline went crazy the first time they got a flood of traffic from being linked by Drudge and they've gone stupid in their constant pursuit of Drudge links.

(ETA: Not linking to the Deadline article, linking to an article about the article in case you don't want to give them traffic for being "daring")

Edited March 25, 2015 by Wax Lion

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Think of all the poor white actors feeling left out when they see all those casting notices specifying that they're casting a person of color.

 

I know you're being facetious, Wax Lion, but while I don't think white actors are being left out of anything, I have come to anticipate complaints whenever a new project is being cast. For all the talk of how many POC play "common" drug dealers and thugs, I can only imagine the reaction if when Game of Thrones was going into production, Taraji Henson had been chosen to play Cersei Lannister instead of Lena Headey.

[galax-arena]

Think of all the poor white actors feeling left out when they see all those casting notices specifying that they're casting a person of color.

OMG but why can't they cast based on talent?!? Reverse racism!!!

 

Instead of opening the field for actors of any race to compete for any role in a color-blind manner, there has been a significant number of parts designated as ethnic this year, making them off-limits for Caucasian actors

Give me a break, like there aren't a lot of roles still designated as white only. God forbid white people for once not be allowed to be in everything they want. 

 

ETA: Oh, it gets worse -

While they are among the most voracious and loyal TV viewers, African-Americans still represent only 13% of the U.S. population. They were grossly underserved, but now, with shows as Empire, Black-ish, Scandal and HTGAWM on broadcast, Tyler Perry’s fare on OWN and Mara Brock Akil’s series on BET, they have scripted choices, so the growth in that fraction of the TV audience might have reached its peak.

Because of course only black people watch those shows. And only black people watched all those 90s black sitcoms back in the day.

 

In other news, I am now apparently black. Huh. 

Edited March 25, 2015 by galax-arena

[Wax Lion]

I suspect a major presumption there (and I wouldn't say that it's a genuine presumption just one that works for their argument) is that when casting calls say "All ethnicities" they're looking for the best actor of any race. Truth is, in many cases, agents will get an "All ethnicities" casting call and only let their white clients know about the audition.

 

Someone brought up an intersting point elsewhere: how often do you see a barely-known PoC actor get to lead a series compared to series with an unknown (or unknown-at-the-time) white lead?

[funkopop]

Articles like that are just click bait, designed to create a hashtag trend and generate ad revenue.  It reminds me of that Latina.com article regarding the lack of Latinos on Empire.  People flooded the website with comments probably giving that site more clicks its every gotten and what happens a week later they write another article about it.  Click bait, plain and simple.

[Neurochick]

For all the talk of how many POC play "common" drug dealers and thugs, I can only imagine the reaction if when Game of Thrones was going into production, Taraji Henson had been chosen to play Cersei Lannister instead of Lena Headey.

 

 

That's interesting because Nonso Anozie played Xaro Xhoan Daxos, who I think wasn't black in the book.

[Trini]

Adding to the topic of bi-racial actors/characters that came up a little while ago:

So Wentworth Miller is (apparently) playing a white character again on The Flash. The actress playing his character's sister is white; I was hoping they'd also cast someone bi-racial.

 

I'm just disappointed because I like Miller, and think it's a shame his characters rarely get to identify as persons of color.

[DearEvette]

Think of all the poor white actors feeling left out when they see all those casting notices specifying that they're casting a person of color.

 

Sooooo..... basically we can expect Idris Elba to show up on The Vikings any day now, right?  Right?

[ribboninthesky1]

Articles like that are just click bait, designed to create a hashtag trend and generate ad revenue.  It reminds me of that Latina.com article regarding the lack of Latinos on Empire.  People flooded the website with comments probably giving that site more clicks its every gotten and what happens a week later they write another article about it.  Click bait, plain and simple.

 

Agreed.  I think it's reasonable that assume that much of online media is actively trolling these days because of this.

 

Someone brought up an intersting point elsewhere: how often do you see a barely-known PoC actor get to lead a series compared to series with an unknown (or unknown-at-the-time) white lead?

 

I saw Yvette Nicole Brown's tweets referring to a similar, if not the very, topic.  I do not envy non-white people in entertainment.  You have to be made of stern stuff. At least other large industries are held accountable via EEOC/AA/OFCCP/anti-discrimination regulation.   

[Wax Lion]

YNB's tweets about the discrimination PoC face were indeed about that Deadline article.

 

Sadly, Deadline is a fairly influential site though commenters on Jezebel had an interesting take, saying that Deadline is an important site because they talk to the most influential agents -- the agents who have few PoC clients and who generally maintain the status quo where white and straight (or closeted) actors are at the top of the chain. Now those agents are frustrated because their clients are getting rejected and Deadline is frustrated because those agents can't deliver the big scoops to Deadline as much.

[ribboninthesky1]

Ha! Is that what the whinefest is about? I didn't read the Deadline article, and don't read Jezebel, either.  Didn't realize Deadline was so influential. 

Edited March 26, 2015 by ribboninthesky1

[jhlipton]

YNB's tweets about the discrimination PoC face were indeed about that Deadline article.

 

Sadly, Deadline is a fairly influential site though commenters on Jezebel had an interesting take, saying that Deadline is an important site because they talk to the most influential agents -- the agents who have few PoC clients and who generally maintain the status quo where white and straight (or closeted) actors are at the top of the chain. Now those agents are frustrated because their clients are getting rejected and Deadline is frustrated because those agents can't deliver the big scoops to Deadline as much.

 

What I call "structural racism".  These agents would be horrified if you called them racists, but they perpetuate a racist status quo. (Same for sexist and homophobic)

[Trini]

Also posted by Ms Blue Jay in the Movies section:

 

"A national multi-ethnic coalition has issued its official condemnation of Deadline’s offensive article....The coalition includes National Latino, African American, Asian American, and Native American groups"

[Neurochick]

Sooooo..... basically we can expect Idris Elba to show up on The Vikings any day now, right?  Right?

 

One can only hope.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

That's interesting because Nonso Anozie played Xaro Xhoan Daxos, who I think wasn't black in the book.

 

I was more referring to the consensual incest, and the fact that Cersei gave birth to her brother's kids, including that little psycho Joffrey. I adore Cersei as a character, but as a wider issue I can only imagine how many people would have flipped their shit if they'd gone for color-blind casting there.

[cynic]

Cersei is strong, complex character with a lot of screen time and has driven major plotlines. She's not likeable, but she is interesting. I would love to see a PoC actress in a role like that.

[Ankai]

Cersei is strong, complex character with a lot of screen time and has driven major plotlines. She's not likeable, but she is interesting. I would love to see a PoC actress in a role like that.

Allegedly, there is an Indian adaptation in the works, so you may get your chance.

 

And, this ties into that "too much of a good thing" non-issue. After a threshold, the notion of positive portrayals of PoC may become less important, as there are so many different and diverse characters, that it is perfectly safe for even a lot of bad apples to get in there. What that threshold is not set in stone, of course, and varies from person to person. But that is why quantity is important here, and why pulling back now on this supposed influx of racial diversity would be bad. 

[Rick Kitchen]

I can't imagine an Indian version with incest in it.

[ChromaKelly]

That's interesting because Nonso Anozie played Xaro Xhoan Daxos, who I think wasn't black in the book.

GoT has occasionally cast a few minor characters as POC (Salladhor Saan, Missandei) when they weren't described as such in the books. I think the point about Cersei Lannister was that she's a main character and it would be a huge diversion to have her be black.

I was more referring to the consensual incest, and the fact that Cersei gave birth to her brother's kids, including that little psycho Joffrey. I adore Cersei as a character, but as a wider issue I can only imagine how many people would have flipped their shit if they'd gone for color-blind casting there.

There's also a big thing in the Song of Ice and Fire series about how the major families of Westeros look. Lannisters have golden hair and green eyes, Starks dark hair and grey eyes, Tullys red hair and blue eyes, etc. It would have been a huge diversion from the books to cast one of the major families as POC, and then the whole family would have to look similar. It could have worked, but people flip their shit about every little book diversion so probably was too risky when they started.

[jhlipton]

It could have worked, but people flip their shit about every little book diversion so probably was too risky when they started.

 

Funny how no one "flipped their shit" when "Earthsea" was televised [all the major characters went from different shades of brown in the book to white in the show].  Although quite a few people "flipped the shit" over The Last Airbender.  (I wonder if that's because there was already a 'model" for how everyone looked.)

[galax-arena]

Although quite a few people "flipped the shit" over The Last Airbender.  (I wonder if that's because there was already a 'model" for how everyone looked.)

I think it's because A:TLA had such a strong Internet fandom presence that managed to quickly mobilize by starting up communities like aang-aint-white and racebending, which allowed things to snowball. I got involved in the campaign early on even though I wasn't familiar at all with the canon. It was all incredibly organized. We'd do things like reserve booths at comic cons where we handed out fliers and urged people to boycott.

 

I don't think the boycott worked, fwiw. The movie flopped, but that's because it was a bad movie aside from the racefail. But the fandom's organized efforts to protest the movie were still pretty impressive and managed to bring a slew of bad publicity to the film. At the very least, we gave Shyamalan a major headache (and furthered his persecution complex, oops).

Edited March 30, 2015 by galax-arena

[kathyk24]

Melissa Harris Perry did a segment on the Deadline article yesterday. She and her panelists thought the idea that television was too diverse was a joke. I learned that she loves Shonda Rimes she can't stand Tyler Perry's work

[callie lee 29]

 

I don't think the boycott worked, fwiw. The movie flopped, but that's because it was a bad movie aside from the racefail. But the fandom's organized efforts to protest the movie were still pretty impressive and managed to bring a slew of bad publicity to the film. At the very least, we gave Shyamalan a major headache (and furthered his persecution complex, oops).

The only thing I know about that movie is that they changed the main character from Asian to white. Truly, that is the. only. thing. i. know! so you're campaign worked.

[jhlipton]

I learned that she loves Shonda Rimes she can't stand Tyler Perry's work

 

I like HTGAWM -- I haven't watched much Scandal and bounced hard on Grey's Anatomy (my wife and I joke that "Dr Dreamy" is ugh, and the women are pretty meh too).  But I loathe Tyler Perry.

[topanga]

I like HTGAWM -- I haven't watched much Scandal and bounced hard on Grey's Anatomy (my wife and I joke that "Dr Dreamy" is ugh, and the women are pretty meh too).  But I loathe Tyler Perry.

 

Why to you loathe him, jhlipton? I'm not attacking you at all. Just curious--I know many other people who feel this way.

 

I'm not a fan of Tyler Perry's work either, especially his unfunny, borderline bafoonish TV shows about black families. So I don't watch them. But I wouldn't say I have an emotional reaction when I hear his name.

 

Is it because he's black and thinks he's creating positive images of black people? Is it because of his questionable portrayals of black women? (One could argue the same thing about Spike Lee). Or is it something else? But I don't hear the same level of vitriol from people who, for example, don't like the work Aaron Sorkin or Judd Apatow or Joss Whedon.

[galax-arena]

But I don't hear the same level of vitriol from people who, for example, don't like the work Aaron Sorkin or Judd Apatow or Joss Whedon.

Oh, I hear a LOT of vitriol where Whedon is concerned, specifically with respect to gender/race. Some of it comes from me! :D

[jhlipton]

Why to you loathe him, jhlipton? I'm not attacking you at all. Just curious--I know many other people who feel this way.

 

I'm not a fan of Tyler Perry's work either, especially his unfunny, borderline bafoonish TV shows about black families. So I don't watch them. But I wouldn't say I have an emotional reaction when I hear his name.

 

Is it because he's black and thinks he's creating positive images of black people? Is it because of his questionable portrayals of black women? (One could argue the same thing about Spike Lee). Or is it something else? But I don't hear the same level of vitriol from people who, for example, don't like the work Aaron Sorkin or Judd Apatow or Joss Whedon.

 

I should clarify that I don't loathe Tyler Perry personally, just his movies.  

 

The idea that working, professional, intelligent women is Eeeeeeeeeeevil; that church solves everything; that corporal punishment is a good thing.  And Medea -- ugh -- I'd rather hang out with the original.

 

Lee's characters at least have nuance, which is more than I can say for Perry's.  

 

And, for all her faults, Rhimes outshines both of them.

 

As always, just my opinion -- my wife loves Perry's work.  

[rue721]

From what I've seen (not a lot of them!), Tyler Perry's movies are total throwbacks. Sometimes, that's actually really fun! I loved Temptation, even though (because?) it felt like a melodrama from 1947. Bette Davis probably would have been perfect in the lead role.

 

But sometimes, the movies are *irritating* in the same way that old movies are irritating imo. They can feel out-of-step, like they're playing into stereotypes, are unsophisticated/too broad, etc. That's the category I tend to put the Medea movies in.

 

I don't like Shonda Rhimes's shows as a general rule, but I don't think they're "objectively" bad (and I don't think they have anything much in common with TP's movies). SR's shows are just not to my personal taste.

[jhlipton]

But sometimes, the movies are *irritating* in the same way that old movies are irritating imo. They can feel out-of-step, like they're playing into stereotypes, are unsophisticated/too broad, etc. That's the category I tend to put the Medea movies in.

 

That's my opinion, too.

[Bruinsfan]

Sooooo..... basically we can expect Idris Elba to show up on The Vikings any day now, right?  Right?

Him guesting as Heimdall would actually be the thing that could get me to tune in to the series.

 

Funny how no one "flipped their shit" when "Earthsea" was televised [all the major characters went from different shades of brown in the book to white in the show].

You obviously weren't within earshot of my home when that train wreck aired. Casting Danny Glover as Ogion was the only thing they got right in the whole damn miniseries!

[Rlb8031]

Just wondering if anyone happened to catch an extremely cringe-worthy racial/sexist tone-deaf moment this week. On the Dance Moms reunion show, the mothers were at the part of the show where they were all being individually and collectively castigated for their behavior over the past season. Most of this season's drama has been between the one black mother and Abby Lee Miller (the dance instructor). As a result, at the reunion, most of the moms were asked to opine on this particular mother's behavior. In the midst of all of this, Abby Lee stated "Her problem is that she doesn't know her place!". She followed up immediately by saying "Her place as a woman.".

 

Who says stuff like that in 2015? How do you not understand the historic implications of telling a woman that she is not in "her place" and the greater minefield of making that statement to a black woman? Who does that?

Edited May 14, 2015 by Rlb8031

[DeLurker]

She probably was trying to be PC and not say she was being uppity.

[Trini]

Thoughts on the new 2015-2016 shows with minority leads?

 

NBC has Hot and Bothered* with Eva Longoria; The Player with Wesley Snipes; Superstore* with America Ferrera; People are Talking with Tone Bell and Bresha Webb; and Shades of Blue* with Jennifer Lopez. Also Mr. Robinson and The Carmichael Show premiering this August.

 

ABC has Dr. Ken with Ken Jeong, Uncle Buck* with Mike Epps and Nia Long, and Quantico with Priyanka Chopra.

 

Fox has Minority Report with Meagan Good, and Rosewood with Morris Chestnut and Jaina Lee Ortiz.

 

CBS has Rush Hour* with Justin Hires and Jon Foo.

 

CW has Containment* with David Gyasi, Christina Moses, and George Young.

 

*Mid-season.

 

Did I miss any? Quantico is very interesting to me because has there ever been a network show with an Indian as the lead? The closest I could think of was Aliens in America.

 

How Hollywood stays white and male

[xaxat]

Thoughts on the new 2015-2016 shows with minority leads?

 

NBC has Hot and Bothered* with Eva Longoria; The Player with Wesley Snipes. . . 

 

I can't believe that man actually got a network TV show. . .and I'm one of his fans!

[pivot]

Yeah, that Snipes project is going to crash and burn. He is apparently a gigantic asshole behind-the-scenes and I don't see how this doesn't end poorly.

I am thrilled to see all the minorities in lead roles and more diverse ensembles on network TV. Cable TV is still a sea of whiteness, but network is improving. There was an article about ABC's upfronts and how ABC is doubling-down on minority shows even though their minority led shows were a mixed bag. They then listed 3 minority shows - Blackish which was a hit, Fresh Off the Boat which was renewed with decent ratings and Cristela that got cancelled. The journalist was shocked that ABC would continue to make minority shows after those results. It was so incredibly frustrating to read.

What is interesting is that Rhimes's new show seems like it will be the least diverse show she's done since Grey's. Kind of surprised by the casting.

[Sparger Springs]

I'm pleased there are so many minority led shows coming in the fall. Some of them are bound to be really awful and fail, like so many shows led by white actors. I hope that doesn't stop the networks from continuing to use more minority actors in larger and more substantial roles. 

[Wax Lion]

There's also THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE, a midseason Fox comedy where (if I'm reading the synopsis right) Justin Bartha hangs out with the twentysomethings in his building and steers them from repeating his mistakes. One of those twentysomethings is Meghan Rath, who was also in the original PEOPLE ARE TALKING pilot. (We'll see if she's replaced with another multiracial actor.)

[ApathyMonger]

What is interesting is that Rhimes's new show seems like it will be the least diverse show she's done since Grey's. Kind of surprised by the casting.

 

Well, it's Rhimes's production comany, but not her show; Jennifer Schuur created it. Rhimes is listed as an EP, but I doubt she's that involved on a day-to-day level.

[DearEvette]

There's also THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE, a midseason Fox comedy where (if I'm reading the synopsis right) Justin Bartha hangs out with the twentysomethings in his building and steers them from repeating his mistakes. One of those twentysomethings is Meghan Rath, who was also in the original PEOPLE ARE TALKING pilot. (We'll see if she's replaced with another multiracial actor.)

 

They have recast  Rath's role on PEOPLE ARE TALKING. According to Deadline the actress is Brooke Ishibashi.  She is an actress of color.    She also looks to be a total newbie.  According to IMDB, PEOPLE ARE TALKING is her only professional industry credit.  She looks to be primarily a theatre actress.

Edited May 26, 2015 by DearEvette

[Wax Lion]

Interesting. Thanks DearEvette. So far, both of the women cast as Mark Paul Goasselaar's wife were of Asian ancestry, though different regions, like MPG. I'm still hoping that MPG might end up playing a multiracial character for once. It would be interesting to see a character who is multiracial and can "pass".

[Trini]

I'm pleased there are so many minority led shows coming in the fall. Some of them are bound to be really awful and fail, ...

 

Rush Hour. Calling it now; it's CBS' spring filler show, AKA, next year's Battle Creek.

[DearEvette]

The trailers for Uncle Buck  and Dr. Ken are is so spectacularly unfunny.  Uncle Buck feels like it has zero personality.  And Ken Jeong has no comedic timing.

 

Containment looks interesting but it is a Julie Plec show and given her track record with POC on her other shows, not holding my breath on this...

 

Rosewood looks like it could be fun.  And I like the fact that we get the rare co-lead combination of two persons of color.  Usually one of the pair must be white.

 

I am cautiously looking forward to Minority Report because I love scfi and I even more love sci fi with a WOC lead.  The production values look good and Megan Goode looks like she feels more comfortable in this role than she did in Deception.

[Sparger Springs]

Interesting. Thanks DearEvette. So far, both of the women cast as Mark Paul Goasselaar's wife were of Asian ancestry, though different regions, like MPG. I'm still hoping that MPG might end up playing a multiracial character for once. It would be interesting to see a character who is multiracial and can "pass".

I don't think it matters what race the wife is. That preview looked so bad. I can't see it lasting past 6 episodes. I think this will be the first cancellation of the season.

[Wax Lion]

It's on Friday nights between two shows that have done much better than expectations, including Undatable* which is also pretty terrible. It's got a chance.

 

However, I noticed it'll be airing against Dr. Ken.

 

* Undatable did a plot recently where a gay man deals with his nervousness about dating by practicing kissing a woman.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Wax Lion

[jhlipton]

I hadn't planned on watching Aquarius, but this sealed the deal (from the "Should you watch? page):

I do not "like" the casual contemporary racist terms and behavior, obviously, but Aquarius doesn't stand back from those moments all "get a load of THIS asshole, right guys?" This is how people talked fifty years ago. It's shitty and wrong, but the script doesn't stop itself dead to make sure we get that, or that the show itself obviously disapproves.

 

 

That's because the show doesn't disapprove. There's a reason that this and Mad Men are set in the world of white privilege -- so no-one, on the show or off -- has to acknowledge the white privilege. What's next, Tales of the Rampart Division as told by a (white) cop who lived it?

I'd already decided to give this a pass but this bit seals it.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I hadn't planned on watching Aquarius, but this sealed the deal (from the "Should you watch? page):

 

That's because the show doesn't disapprove. There's a reason that this and Mad Men are set in the world of white privilege -- so no-one, on the show or off -- has to acknowledge the white privilege. What's next, Tales of the Rampart Division as told by a (white) cop who lived it?

I'd already decided to give this a pass but this bit seals it.

 

I don't know anything about Aquarius except that David Duchovny is apparently in it, but according to IMDB, the premise is that Duchovny plays a cop who goes undercover to track Charles Manson and his followers before the Tate-LaBianca murders. Even though its set in the same era as Mad Men, Los Angeles in its pre-Helter Skelter days seems like a far cry from the rarefied environs of Madison Avenue, especially if the tales of Manson's antics before the killings are true. 'Privilege' means something in particular, and although Manson is white, so were Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. I'm certainly not in any rush to claim kinship with any of them based on skin color.

 

As for the contemporary words regarding race, way back in the '70s when All in the Family was on the air, there was a character who disapproved of Archie Bunker's deep ignorance in the form of Mike Stivik. Of course, Mike could be just as much of a backward-thinking putz as Archie, particularly towards his own wife, but in comparison he at least tried - sometimes way too hard - to be sensitive. I'm not entirely sure a Mike Stivik type is the solution you're looking for.