Race & Ethnicity On TV

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Dakota Fanning to play a white Ethiopian Muslim in Sweetness in the Belly.

https://shadowandact.com/dakota-fanning-is-a-white-ethiopian-muslim-refugee-in-the-upcoming-romance-drama-film-sweetness-in-the-belly?

It doesn’t make it better but the initial story was slightly wrong.  She’s playing a British woman who was raised Muslim after being abandoned by her parents in Ethiopia. 

[topanga]

21 hours ago, Dani said:

It doesn’t make it better but the initial story was slightly wrong.  She’s playing a British woman who was raised Muslim after being abandoned by her parents in Ethiopia. 

Is this based on a true story?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

Is this based on a true story?

No, it’s a adaptation of a novel. I haven’t read the book so I don’t if Dakota was a good choice but the character being white does seem to be a key point.

ETA: Dakota Fanning Speaks Out Amid Backlash to Her Role As a Muslim Woman in New Movie

Edited September 6, 2019 by Guest

[Minneapple]

On 9/5/2019 at 1:57 AM, Dani said:

It doesn’t make it better but the initial story was slightly wrong.  She’s playing a British woman who was raised Muslim after being abandoned by her parents in Ethiopia. 

Actually it does make it better in a certain way. Muslim does not equal brown (and I do say this as a brown Muslim). However, in another way it's like, "really, another story about a white person when there sre thousands of untold stories about non-white people?" Will this be yet a another story about a brave white savior lady? I have questions and I'm actually interested in reading the novel and finding out more about the author.

[Trini]

9 hours ago, Minneapple said:

Actually it does make it better in a certain way. Muslim does not equal brown (and I do say this as a brown Muslim). However, in another way it's like, "really, another story about a white person when there sre thousands of untold stories about non-white people?" Will this be yet a another story about a brave white savior lady? I have questions and I'm actually interested in reading the novel and finding out more about the author.

For me, the annoyance is having Hollywood make a movie set in [insert non-white country/community here], but yet again it apparently needs to center a white person.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Trini

[biakbiak]

The fact that the movie is based on a novel written by a white woman who isn’t Muslim and doesn’t have ties to Ethiopia is also a huge red flag for me.

[In2You]

On 8/14/2019 at 6:39 PM, jhlipton said:

Zoe Robinson is of Nigerian descent, according to one site, but she looks fairly light to me.  No surprise that she's considerably lighter than Marcus Rutherford.  

Her name is Zoe Robbins and she's actress from New Zealand best known for  Power Rangers Ninja Steel

Edited September 7, 2019 by In2You

[xaxat]

So I'm watching the UK Speaker of the Commons (he's kind of like the traffic cop for their parliament.) John Bercow give his resignation speech. At one point, he thanks his wife and three children, "Oliver, Freddie, Aunt Jemima."

Me: Wait. . .what? Oh, he said and Jemima.

Edited September 11, 2019 by xaxat

[ursula]

On 9/6/2019 at 7:03 AM, Minneapple said:

Muslim does not equal brown (and I do say this as a brown Muslim).

Ethiopian equals Black. 

😐

Edited September 12, 2019 by ursula

[biakbiak]

14 minutes ago, ursula said:

Ethiopian equals Black. 

😐

I am not defending this movie because I think that it’s deeply problematic but the filmmakers never said she was Ethiopian that was a mischaracterization by the people who wrote about the movie. She is British by birth but abandoned, raised and than fled Ethiopia. Again, it’s bullshit that one of the first English language movies to take place even partly in Ethiopia has to be centered on a white woman but the filmmakers and the writer of the novel aren’t calling the main character Ethiopian.

Edited September 12, 2019 by biakbiak

[possibilities]

They set the movie in Ethiopia. They made the main character a white person. It's bullshit.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

They set the movie in Ethiopia. They made the main character a white person. It's bullshit.

Based on the book and movie description it is probably going to be mostly set in London. The character ends up living in London as a refugee. 

It was probably a mistake to make this book into a movie but the lead being white does seem to be integral to the story. The director is Ethiopian so I’m curious about how it will turn out. The book description alone makes me think it will be almost impossible to avoid the white savior trope. 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Guest

[Lugal]

10 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Again, it’s bullshit that one of the first English language movies to take place even partly in Ethiopia has to be centered on a white woman

Unfortunately it's a long tradition in Hollywood.  Glory about the first Black Civil War Regiment (starring Denzel Washington no less!) centering on Matthew Broderick's character.  Windtalkers about the Navajo Code Talkers in WWII (whose story totally needs to be told) centering on Nicholas Cage's character.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Lugal said:

Unfortunately it's a long tradition in Hollywood.  Glory about the first Black Civil War Regiment (starring Denzel Washington no less!) centering on Matthew Broderick's character.  Windtalkers about the Navajo Code Talkers in WWII (whose story totally needs to be told) centering on Nicholas Cage's character.

Yes it would be easier to list the projects that don’t center the white person in the story and you don’t even have to go back to see that it isn’t changing very fast see last years Oscar winner for Best Picture.

[biakbiak]

In tv news SNL adds it’s first Asian cast member (though only a featured player). 

[Trini]

49 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

In tv news SNL adds it’s first Asian cast member (though only a featured player). 

Nasim Pedrad doesn't count?  :(

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, Trini said:

Nasim Pedrad doesn't count?  😞

Considering Iranians Middle Eastern not Asian is standard. I have never heard someone from Iran refer to themselves as Asian but perhaps some do but I don’t believe she identifies that way. 

It of course also doesn’t include the two cast members of mixed ethnicity Fred Armisen and Rob Schneider. 

Edited September 12, 2019 by biakbiak

[biakbiak]

 So also a racist unfunny white guy. This was from September 2018.

[selkie]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Considering Iranians Middle Eastern not Asian is standard. I have never heard someone from Iran refer to themselves as Asian but perhaps some do but I don’t believe she identifies that way. 

 The USA legally defines Middle Eastern persons as white. It goes back to the lobbying of early Syrian and Lebanese immigrants in the 19th century who wanted to being family members over and who were legitimately concerned that if they got labeled as Asian, they would get caught up in laws designed to ban any additional Chinese immigration to the US West. 

It's only really been in recent years that there's been a push for a new designation for Middle Eastern/North African in US law and census documentation that would cover Arabs and Persians/Iranians. 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

 So also a racist unfunny white guy. This was from September 2018.

He’s issued a non-apology that just makes it worse. 

[Annber03]

Quote

I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries.

*Rolls eyes* Yeah, you and virtually every other comedian in existence. You're so daring and edgy. 

Seriously, do people like him really not get that there's plenty of ways to push boundaries in comedy that don't have to involve this kind of dumb humor? 

[xaxat]

My favorite kind of non-apology. "I'm sorry if the (sexist, racist, homophobic) things I said offended you.

[biakbiak]

Oh that edgy pushing boundaries comedy of mocking Chinatowns and calling any men displaying emotions a homophobic slur, so cutting edge! 

[Joimiaroxeu]

I find myself wondering about the timeline of when Bowen Yang was moved to featured player status versus when Shane Gillis was hired. It would not surprise me at all if Yang was bumped up later, largely to mitigate possible PR damage when that racist stuff from Gillis became more public. We'll likely never know though.

[biakbiak]

12 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I find myself wondering about the timeline of when Bowen Yang was moved to featured player status versus when Shane Gillis was hired. It would not surprise me at all if Yang was bumped up later, largely to mitigate possible PR damage when that racist stuff from Gillis became more public. We'll likely never know though.

How would that mitigate it? In fact many people’s argument that he should be fired is that Bowen shouldn’t have to work with someone who has said such things because in addition to being Asian he is also gay and in addition to the Asian material Shane.has homophobic and anti-trans bullshit.

Casting decisions at SNL tend to happen all together but I bet Bowen was already on fast tracked because he was a writer and he had already been featured in a sketch last season and had shit all to do with the hiring of this asshole and they just didn’t get him that well.

Edited September 13, 2019 by biakbiak

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

How would that mitigate it?

I'm not saying that it would. But in some people's minds, now having Yang as a featured player "evens the score" for what Gillis said. And a lot of those people probably didn't think what Gillis said was a big deal because they agree with it. I wouldn't be surprised if someone at SNL didn't leak or promote that stuff specifically to draw the attention of those kinds of people. IMO, SNL has been low-key sexist, racist, homophobic, etc., for years.

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I'm not saying that it would. But in some people's minds, now having Yang as a featured player "evens the score" for what Gillis said. And a lot of those people probably didn't think what Gillis said was a big deal because they agree with it. I wouldn't be surprised if someone at SNL didn't leak or promote that stuff specifically to draw the attention of those kinds of people. IMO, SNL has been low-key sexist, racist, homophobic, etc., for years.

If someone actually thinks that and I have not seen that argument at all, only the tired cries of pc culture and that comedy should offend, it’s because they are asshats who are diminishing Bowen’s talents by assuming he could only be hired to offset a racist homophobic white guy and not because of abilities and that’s bullshit.

Edited September 13, 2019 by biakbiak

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

If someone actually thinks that and I have not seen that argument at all, only the tired cries of pc culture and that comedy should offend, it’s because they are asshats who are diminishing Bowen’s talents by assuming he could only be hired to offset a racist homophobic white guy and not because of abilities and that’s bullshit.

Let me assure you, such people exist and they're becoming more and more emboldened by the day. And SNL would not be the only TV show I've seen making moves to try to pull in that bunch now.

To clarify, I'm certainly not of the opinion that Yang is unqualified and was only promoted to featured player because of Gillis. I simply question the possibility there was relationship in the timing. I can only imagine there were plenty of other options to hire who didn't have Gillis' problematic issues on display. Why would it have been so important to hire him anyway and why did they feel like they could do so without a backlash?

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

How would that mitigate it?

Ahhh, the old "Some of my best friends are black." defense.

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

To clarify, I'm certainly not of the opinion that Yang is unqualified and was only promoted to featured player because of Gillis. I simply question the possibility there was relationship in the timing. I can only imagine there were plenty of other options to hire who didn't have Gillis' problematic issues on display. Why would it have been so important to hire him anyway and why did they feel like they could do so without a backlash?

I would wager that they didn’t listen to his podcasts and so didn't realize there would be an issue since they clearly weren’t ready for it. I guarantee they did not want this shitstorm rather than just getting to highlight the diversity of hiring the first fully Asian cast member and the first openly gay male cast member in 30 plus years.

Edited September 13, 2019 by biakbiak

[biakbiak]

And in the WTF department the initial Hollywood Reporter profile of Bowen used a pick of Joel Kim Booster instead! They have since updated it without acknowledging the mistake. 

[angora]

God, that podcast clip was so gross and so LAZY. In virtually every routine about Asian people from white dudebro comedians, the sum total of the joke is "Asian people existing." That's it. There's nothing in the way of actual humor. "Asians, HILARIOUS!!!" is the extent of the effort they put into it. What's even grosser is seeing how often that tired, lazy garbage successfully gets laughs.

[xaxat]

This clip of Desus and Mero is making the rounds.

[Annber03]

"Don't just say it for shock value." Bingo. I think that's another issue with some comedians today, too-they want to emulate some of the classic ones, but they forget about why those people were so legendary and why their humor made the kind of waves it did. I've seen people saying that comedians like Pryor and Carlin and them wouldn't be able to be successful today, but they don't seem to understand the difference between what they did and what guys like this Shane guy's doing. 

I'm also really sick and tired of people acting like it's only the younger generations who are apparently being "triggered' and "offended" by everything, and acting like comedians getting called out for offensive content and having their careers negatively impacted is some kind of recent phenomenon. Why do they think those legendary comedians they talk about became so controversial in the first place? Hell, the freaking government even stepped in to actively try and silence some of them. So people can spare me the "Back in my day, you could get away with saying what you wanted..." rant. 

[xaxat]

Richard Pryor went through the process Desus and Mero described back in '83 when he explained why he would no longer use the n word.

[Lugal]

On 9/13/2019 at 7:33 AM, xaxat said:

My favorite kind of non-apology. "I'm sorry if the (sexist, racist, homophobic) things I said offended you.

Don't forget to put it in the passive voice to further shift the blame: "I'm sorry if you were offended by the (sexist, racist, homophobic) things I said."

9 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I'm also really sick and tired of people acting like it's only the younger generations who are apparently being "triggered' and "offended"

The ones screaming loudest against "PC culture" are the first to be "offended" and run to their "safe spaces" when it's their ox getting gored.

[Guest]

On 9/14/2019 at 1:20 PM, Lugal said:

Don't forget to put it in the passive voice to further shift the blame: "I'm sorry if you were offended by the (sexist, racist, homophobic) things I said."

His was even worse. “I’m happy to apologize to anyone who was actually offended.” He managed to not apologize and to imply that no one was actually offended.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Guest

[possibilities]

These punks want to be edgy but they don't want that to come with backlash? How edgy are you, exactly, if you can't handle criticism? It's a joke in itself that these tough guys can't take the heat.

[DearEvette]

On 9/12/2019 at 10:55 AM, Lugal said:

Unfortunately it's a long tradition in Hollywood.  Glory about the first Black Civil War Regiment (starring Denzel Washington no less!) centering on Matthew Broderick's character.  Windtalkers about the Navajo Code Talkers in WWII (whose story totally needs to be told) centering on Nicholas Cage's character.

I recently came across an article in Vanity Fair about Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club where he is re-cutting the movie.  He says the movie was supposed to be equally about Richard Gere's and Gregory Hines' characters.  But he was pressured to remove a lot of the scenes featuring the black cast.  So the movie became unbalanced and more focused on Gere's character.  It was one of his big regrets especially since he really wanted people to get the injustice of a club the featured premiere black talent of the day but black people couldn't patronize it.  And for that, he needed to tell the stories of the black performers.  Apparently he's been spending the past two years re-editing it to be his original vision and that includes adding back all the stuff featuring the story of the black characters that got removed.

On 9/13/2019 at 10:17 PM, angora said:

God, that podcast clip was so gross and so LAZY. In virtually every routine about Asian people from white dudebro comedians, the sum total of the joke is "Asian people existing."

I didn't watch the podcast.  I refuse.  But I heard he singles out Asians in his comedy because they are "easier" to make fun of?  Meaning, I guess, he feels he wouldn't get as much backlash if he had chosen, say,  black folks?  Which is so completely gross that I can't even....  I mean, this is the type of guy that gets rewarded with a a job at a venerable comedy show like SNL?   I also think it just kinda sucks that Bowen Yang can't just enjoy his moment because of this asshat. 

Oh well, I haven't watched SNL since.... hmm.... I think the last time I was when Kerry Washington hosted. 

Meanwhile, I'll just keep watching The Black Lady Sketch Show.  I think I watched the 'Bad Bitch Support Group' sketch like 10 times.

[biakbiak]

Gillis fired at SNL.

NBC is going with the fact that they weren’t aware of his podcast remarks. 

Someone on twitter said they should give everyone trying out for SNL a week to find out all the dirt on their competitors for a complete vetting process!

Edited September 16, 2019 by biakbiak

[Silver Raven]

There's a very interesting discussion going on in r/movies about whether Yesterday is the first film starring an actor of Indian descent whose ethnicity is not mentioned in the film.

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

There's a very interesting discussion going on in r/movies about whether Yesterday is the first film starring an actor of Indian descent whose ethnicity is not mentioned in the film.

That’s interesting and I didn’t notice it in the movie. Now that I’m thinking about it is very unique that there were specific comments about his appearance without a single reference to his ethnicity. Most movies would have gone there. 

[In2You]

Dropping this here for you Alyssa Coles fans. A new book and movie

[phoenics]

That Alyssa Cole book sounds AMAZING.

Also - I don't know if this already got discussed, but Netflix released the trailer for the comic show "Raising Dion".

https://www.geek.com/television/raising-dion-trailer-celebrates-superhero-single-motherhood-1804895/

*sighs*

But my issue is that they've made the mom a biracial black woman.  In the comic trailer that came out a couple of years ago and raised the profile of the show by going viral, the mom was a darker skinned black woman and so was the son.  And yes I know this trailer wasn't the trailer for the show, but it DID generate the interest for the show - so much so that Netflix picked it up....

... and then promptly cast the mom as a very light-skinned biracial woman.

I'm so mad because I was so excited for this show and now I'm just ... pissed.

It feels like we can't get a black-black couple on a mainstream tv show without the black woman character being cast with a biracial actress.  It's either white-black couples or biracial-woman, black man couples and I can't even remember the last time I saw one of those on a mainstream show that wasn't a Shonda Rhymes show.

I'm tired.

And to think: folks dragged darker skinned women for celebrating over Beyonce's Brown Skinned Girl song.  THIS KINDA COLORISM BS IS WHY.

[Sparger Springs]

I've been watching the County Music documentary on PBS. A lot of black people heavily influenced country music and many were ripped off.  Its a lot of this song was influenced by this negro spiritual. Its quite interesting even if you don't care for country music. I am not exactly a fan myself. Also on a side note Johnny Cash's first wife was most definitely black. I am quite convinced her family was passing and pretending to be Italian. 

[praeceptrix]

Not sure if this belongs here, as it's behind the scenes and not on screen (Mods please delete if inappropriate):

A costume designer was caught on video in a very public racist rant, now the LAPD is opening a hate crimes investigation and her fellow union members want her expelled from the union. I hope they succeed.

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/racist-rant-costume-designer-heather-patton-union-expulsion-1202176886/?fbclid=IwAR3jun9ABJXiyQtb1wFp-SrkNe-uG-jX7tOAxtFGQ2A23dYwbG-Mcod04hg

[phoenics]

6 hours ago, praeceptrix said:

Not sure if this belongs here, as it's behind the scenes and not on screen (Mods please delete if inappropriate):

A costume designer was caught on video in a very public racist rant, now the LAPD is opening a hate crimes investigation and her fellow union members want her expelled from the union. I hope they succeed.

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/racist-rant-costume-designer-heather-patton-union-expulsion-1202176886/?fbclid=IwAR3jun9ABJXiyQtb1wFp-SrkNe-uG-jX7tOAxtFGQ2A23dYwbG-Mcod04hg

This is good that they are going this route.  She already had several restraining orders in place from her neighbors because of her racist abuse and threats.  I hope she's prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  And of course I hope she's expelled from the union.  There have to be consequences for this kind of behavior.

[Neurochick]

On 9/24/2019 at 12:04 AM, phoenics said:

... and then promptly cast the mom as a very light-skinned biracial woman.

Is the woman actually biracial?  I get tired of every damn time there's a light skinned black woman, someone complains that she's biracial.  I'm the same color as Nathalie Emmanuel, and both of my parents are black, so there is that.

Though I do agree that they tend to cast a lighter skinned black woman with a black man, on TV shows.

But then again, I remember in the 1970's when actresses like Vonetta McGee and Anazette Chase were told they were "too pretty" to play black women, so there is that.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Neurochick

[UYI]

RIP Diahann Carroll, the first black woman to star in her own television series.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/arts/television/diahann-carroll-dead.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/10/04/without-diahann-carroll-we-wouldnt-have-olivia-pope/

[DearEvette]

Tyler Perry just opened 'Tyler Perry Studios.'  He is the first black person to own a major motion picture studio.  It sits on 330 acres and, according to a tweet from Ava Duvernay, The studio lots of Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, Fox, and Sony could fit inside of it.

(...personal side note:  this an interesting factoid because my family owns 300 acres of farm and woodland and I've never had a sense of how big that really is)

One of the coolest things is that he named 12 massive sound stages after people who inspired him:  Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, Sydney Poitier, Della Reese, Spike Lee, Harry Belafonte, Cicely Tyson, Whoopi Goldberg, Diahann Carroll and Will Smith.  The inclusion of Diahann Caroll is even more poignant considering she died just before the opening.

Now, I knew he made bank but damn... LOL.

Here's an article about it.

Edited October 7, 2019 by DearEvette