Are race-y issues heating to a boiling point? Yesterday, Chinese-South Africans were given a surprising notification: according to a high court they're not any sort of Asian — they're actually black. The classification is supposed to make them eligible for government affirmative action policies aimed at making amends for apartheid. The term "black" also refers to Indians, making it a confusing system of taxonomy when instead of race, it seems they really mean to describe oppression.
Like the South African court, July's issue of Italian Vogue is making a black statement of its own. Aiming to call attention to and reverse the pattern of a dearth of darker faces in fashion, the magazine's upcoming issue only depicts black models. The photographer of the issue says of the decision to make the statement, “I thought, it’s ridiculous, this discrimination. It’s so crazy to live in such a narrow, narrow place."
Perhaps Vogue's point is a good one: certainly the inclusion of minorities in television is a pale example. According to an Entertainment Weekly study of scripted programming, casts for the upcoming fall 2008 season, each of the five major broadcast networks is whiter than the Caucasian percentage (66.2 percent) of the United States population. The only minority character anchoring a new series on a major network is a cartoon: Cleveland Brown from The Family Guy will get his own spinoff. No word if he gets the biggest dressing room.
The creators of the Obama-shaped monkey toy (or monkey-shaped Obama toy?) ran a letter in the Salt Lake Tribune criticizing the public uproar over the doll. To see what they said, read more.
The creators said:
TheSockObama politically plush toy has been discriminated against in the marketplace of the United States of America. . . . The questions we still find perplexing are; is America really ready for change? . . . Are we now censoring one another's liberty as Americans to freely purchase goods and services on our own terms? Is this the kind of America we want?
What's the happy racial utopia? Do we allow any and all comments and depictions like the SockObama because it's a question of liberty and equality? Do we push for complete homogeny to make an argument about the lack of diversity like Italian Vogue, and should we press television and media to make sure we see an accurate depiction of the full spectrum of humanity? Do we need to ignore specific racial labels to make sure all of those oppressed minorities benefit like the "black" Chinese in South Africa?
Has racism been erased — or just become a chameleon?
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Why should TV execs sit down and say "okay we need X amount of black shows, X amount of white, X amount of asian, X amount of latinos" and so on and so forth? SO what if the networks are whiter than the national average of caucasians to minorities? All that should matter is does the show work, is it funny-dramatic-action packed not "is there enough black people on it" ridiculous.
Blacks Have BET, you dont see me freaking out that the percentage of whites on there is minimal? why? cause its a waste of time.
I think the SockObama is very tongue in cheek but funny and nothing to get riled up about.
Is racism still an issue? i am sure in some places it is, but in the nation as a whole? No.
1uhhh...HAPPY JUNETEENTH!!!!!
2I don't think anyone could say that racism has been erased.
I think the Obama monkey doll is absolutely disgusting. But I don't think it should be censored. If they found a manufaturer willing to make it and stores willing to sell it and buyers willing to buy it, well, then, so be it.
3caterpillar girl, you're ignorant. sorry.
4It's hard for me to believe that the maker of the Obama monkey doll didn't know that equating black folks with the image of a monkey appears to be racist, especially if they were around during the civil rights movement. Even if they weren't trying to be racist they should acknowledge the historical significance of how blacks were depicted in the media (minstrel shows were a form of American entertainment where they made all blacks look like monkeys). I'm not saying they were trying to be racist, I just think they need to think about what it represents to black people.
5One more thing - ignorance is definitely alive here.
6The only reason white people think racism is a thing of the past is because we're not the ones being excluded. Today, you've got to be trying in order to make television shows whiter than the general population - there aren't many places where you can go from day to day without interacting with a person of color. If racism had been erased, there'd be no fodder for a story like this.
7Caterpillar, as long as you're here, we don't have to look far around the nation to find racism.
8How tolerant would you be of a stuffed McCain POW doll - if someone was willing to manufacture, carry and buy it?
9Of course racism is still an issue. It will be until everyone stops bringing up the race when discussing someone. The Obama doll is disgusting. I'm tired of quota systems. Let's stop looking at the outside, and start hating people for what they are inside...
10yeah, the obama doll is just in very poor taste.
11Wow. "Blacks have BET!" I haven't heart that argument in a while.
What's next? The idea
that we should have Caucasian History Month?
Racism will never go away. End of story. As long as ignorance is perpetuated (not too hard to find it!), it will live on until our great-grat-great-great-grandchildren are born.
12The people that created the Obama doll live in my town and are absolutely disgusting people. They said that because there are dolls of GWB as animals they see nothing wrong with the monkey doll. They completely missed the point and I am appalled at their flippant attitude.
13Hmm... while I agree with most the posts on here, I admit, I don't think it's right that I don't get an "Irish History" month, em... I'm just sayin'. I learned about all these other cultures in school, what about my hertiage? Just because I'm part white means that peice of my background isn't important?
14*heard* not *heart*
15i think the whole issue with black history month is that we STOLE their history, familial and cultural, when we brought them here to be SLAVES, mondaymoos. if anyone should have an irish history month its england.
16i don't know how to respond, caterpillar girl. i'm baffled.
17yesteryear, the Irish weren't exactly treated like normal citizens when they arrived here either. It's a story usually reserved for artsy hollywood films and not so much in history books.
18Mondaymoos, I apologize if that's how my comment came across. What I mean is that people write comments like "Blacks have BET! I don't complain about that!" and others gripe about Black History Month when I don't really think it should be complained about. Also, I think it's great for all backgrounds to be celebrated, but I also think a lot of other backgrounds have a lot more visibility than others. I don't know how that should be remedied--I never learned about my own heritage in school at all either, like you--so I don't know the best solution for that.
19we have our channel and we have our month, so i guess we should just quit complaining.
20I'd also like to wish all a HAPPY JUNETEENTH!
21question:
why call me ignorant
why call me a racist
just asking.
because I dont think that america is racist?(I did say it exists) or because i found the sock monkey funny.
BTW, i try not to attack people on here or make judgements on them, so i would appreciate adult reactions rather than what i got.
22It is in fact Juneteenth. Here's a quick history of it if you're curious.
"Two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers sailed into Galveston, Texas, announced the end of the Civil War, and read aloud a general order freeing the quarter-million slaves residing in the state. It's likely that none of them had any idea that they had actually been freed more than two years before. It was truly a day of mass emancipation. It has become known as Juneteenth."
23YY, you should learn about the Irish history in America. The Obama doll is tacky and uncalled for. The makers knew exactly what they were doing. Racism is a two way street in America. There is plenty black on white racism as well as white on Asian, Asian on black and so forth.
I think Caterpillar was trying to say the same thing (I could be wrong) . Why is it not racist to have the United Negro fund? or stations like BET?
24Monday, the Italians weren't treated all that well when they got here either - but it wasn't widespread government policy to continue and profit from their mistreatment. And the Italians and the Irish came here voluntarily, a big difference from most of the ancestors of Americans blacks today.
25On the topic of Black history month, i do not agree with it, but mainly because i feel that History should be taught in it's entirety. Are we just leaving black leaders out the rest of the year? Because if so then we need to revamp our history classes, and not just have one month.
26Just another perspective on minorities in television - when i was in Spain, people couldn't fathom that a Hispanic could also be American. Why? Because the only images they had seen were American tv shows where all the characters were white with a few black people sprinkled in (i.e. 90210, Seinfeld, etc). Yes, tv matters A LOT because it affects global perspectives of who we are as a people. That's just one teeny tiny slice of why more minorities should be on tv. Oh, but there are sooooo many more that i just don't feel like going into but this popped into my head because i've been talking to a lot of Peace Corps volunteers and that's one of the first things they referred to...
27Em, my statement on BET was to show that some people do have a problem with it, but I do not. get it. i just worded it strange i guess.
Yes the monkey is in poor taste, very poor taste, but i found the statement that the makers gave in regards to it kind of funny, than again i have a wicked sense of humor....
28stephly, it's not that I feel we aren't racist or that anyone is undeserving of their own... cultural month I guess. I just feel that a lot of cultures are overlooked simply because they are European. Italian being an example you mentioned. And no worries, em. Sometimes I just go off on my tangeants...
29I laugh when kids drop thier ice cream.
30"I think the Obama monkey doll is absolutely disgusting. But I don't think it should be censored. If they found a manufaturer willing to make it and stores willing to sell it and buyers willing to buy it, well, then, so be it."
I agree. I also think the idea that they just happened to randomly chose a monkey to portray Obama is absurd. It clearly was meant to be racist.
Wow, Citizen, that is very interesting about Juneteenth.
31Racism will still exist in entertainment as long as there are boardrooms filled with execs scared to show black (or any other race besides white) love or drama on television. Execs are scared to produce shows with predominantly minority casts, because they are scared that both advertising and the viewership numbers will be low. It's the same reason why movie studios rarely back quality black dramatic movies because they are scared that the American audience won't show, but more specifically that on an international level movies like that don't sell well.
There was actually a number crunching analysis (boring I know) that showed that when Will Smith has a black love interest in general, his movies don't do well on the international front...but paired with a non-black and it's almost a guaranteed success. Sad...I know.
32cine~ A history lesson plan revamp is LONG past due.
33Good point about Black History month, Cine.
34nica, there are quite a few shows that have an African American cast. I find there are much fewer Latin casts shows and I don't think there are any Asian based shows.
35Without the United Negro College Fund, many African Americans would not have had the chance to go to college. It started in 1944 and I don't think there were that many black people before 1944 who had the opportunity to go to college due to prejudice. Let's just say it was necessary. So no UNCF is not racist.
36Caterpillar, i'm sure you're a nice person but i honestly can't expect you to understand the severity and "kick in the gut" feeling most minorities get when they read/hear things like what you said.
All my life, i've been told that i'm overreacting when i see a dearth of people of color on tv and that i should "get over it" when i see subtly racist things. But i think what you just got was just a bit of a small taste of what so many minorities go through on a daily basis - an insult to your intelligence and being made to feel inferior when you know you're not. You may not totally get what i'm saying but i'm sure a lot of other people do...
37oh dear, Caterpillar girl, I want to move where you live. What's YOUR zip code, LOL. Racism doesn't exist in the nation "as a whole"? Seriously, ummm yea NO. That's not the view from my window, but sometimes I am forced to look at the world through "negro colored glasses" not the rose ones.
38"Blacks Have BET, you dont see me freaking out that the percentage of whites on there is minimal? why? cause its a waste of time."
This is what rubbed me the wrong way, personally. Blacks have BET, yes, and I'm not black and I happen to love it. But does it accurately represent the black community as a whole? Not exactly, IMO.
Also, should it be incumbent upon TV execs to sit down and say "We need X amount of shows that have X amount of white/black/Asian/purple/green people on it"? Well, not really, but would it hurt to try to introduce some diversity? I know I live in a major metropolitan city, the same city where ER is filmed, and how long did it take them to get an Indian doctor on that show? Season 12? That's just...crazy, for lack of a better word.
Also, for a lot of people, art imitates life, or should be expected to. I guess when you grow up being able to look to more examples of yourself in the media other than Long Duck Dong from "Sixteen Candles", or when you can go to a wedding with your (in my case, Caucasian) boyfriend and not be asked if you are an American citizen by his group of friends who haven't traveled beyond their own city limits, or if you've never had the experiece of being turned away from a small hotel when you're seven years old when you have to use the bathroom because they "don't let yellow people in here"...then you have the luxury of believing that as a whole, racism isn't really that big of a deal.
39Cine, i know there are other shows that feature minority ensembles...they just don't get broadcast overseas very much.
40Come to think of it, does anyone know of an Asian based show? Or even a prominent Asian character in a show?
41what did i say exactly that caused that reaction?
Nica, i get what youre saying. Sorry if i offended, not my intention, but i dont deserve a label for that.
42This country is extremely racist, and sexist, and ageist, and fattist (is that the new term)? I would say that the individuals that I choose to spend my life aren't like this, but America as a whole? Absolutely. We have a long way to go.
43Amen Em1282!!!
44Holy sh*t, em. Those stories make my stomach turn.
45Also, the Obama monkey doll thing? In bad taste, and not really even tongue-in-cheek. The monkey/president comparison works better with Bush, IMO.
46Sandra Oh, cine?
47Hey em, just let me know the hotel, I have some built up hostility I can take out on the owner!
48Thanks for the history lesson Citizen. I was wondering WTF Juneteenth was...
49Wow, well it seems like they don't want to ad another race on their official forms so they're just grouping all non-whites under one category. If they want to do that I suppose that's fine but they could then change Black to Non-White which would be more appropriate.
As for the Doll to me its just a doll and yes I understand the monkey parallel when it comes to racism. I also understand that for a lot of people those wounds still hurt. Can they do anything about it sure don't buy it and encourage others to do the same but that's about all you can do.
I see Vogues action as a call to it's professional peers to do better by presenting a global tapestry of what it is to be human. Nothing wrong with that.
I do believe that discrimination in response to the color of another's skin is certainly still a problem, however it is moving in the right direction although be it ever so slowly. There is also another type of discrimination which often hides in shades of grey with race discrimination and that is cultural discrimination. I know some people who could care less what color you are but if you express a certain culture all of a sudden they have a problem and again it has nothing to do with race it has to do with culture.
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