TV Thread - beware, [expletive] can get spoilery

[thrill]

Nit picking UKS for not being diverse enough is absurd. There are no significant straight, white male characters. The one there is, lost out as romantic lead to an asian american male. Asian american males as romantic leads are non-existent outside of maybe Glenn on the walking dead. I suppose you could include the reverend as a significant character. As Zeus points out, all the characters are absurd. It's an absurd comedy. Maybe diversify your idea of diversity beyond black males.

[MrSaigon]

Nit picking UKS for not being diverse enough is absurd. There are no significant straight, white male characters. The one there is, lost out as romantic lead to an asian american male. Asian american males as romantic leads are non-existent outside of maybe Glenn on the walking dead. I suppose you could include the reverend as a significant character. As Zeus points out, all the characters are absurd. It's an absurd comedy. Maybe diversify your idea of diversity beyond black males.

I really thought that was great, the male Asian love interest. But someone could choose to be upset that the Vietnamese guy is played by a Korean. I suggest the documentary Slanted Screen regarding Asian casting/roles. As the father of a half-asian boy (who will either be the shortstop of the St. Louis Cardinals or a failure) this stuff is interesting and concerning to me (Go Tommy Pham!).

It is also interesting that all the SNL Internet anger subsided once they cast a black woman.

[33anda3rd]

Nit picking UKS for not being diverse enough is absurd. There are no significant straight, white male characters. The one there is, lost out as romantic lead to an asian american male. Asian american males as romantic leads are non-existent outside of maybe Glenn on the walking dead. I suppose you could include the reverend as a significant character. As Zeus points out, all the characters are absurd. It's an absurd comedy. Maybe diversify your idea of diversity beyond black males.

Dude. Absurd? So then the Fey universe is a perfect cross-representation of race in NYC, down to Dominican, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Italian-American, White American Mutt, etc.? It's not. That's the discussion and my point was that even shows that are pretty liberal and progressive are not a cross-representation of the actual diversity of this country, so picking out any one of them like someone did with Walking Dead is absurd because they are ALL the same, even the good ones.

The two most significant white men in UKS are the wealthy husband who drives his wife crazy worrying that he's having an affair and who is then unapologetic about the affair, and a crazy preacher who locks up women in a bunker--ie people in positions of power who impact other people adversely, and that's actually as powerful a social statement as you get from UKS on race/status. (Edit to add: also a spoiled rich white guy who has Dong deported to get what he wants. So, another example of same.) I'm not saying it's a bad show, I like it. Or anything else other than picking out any one TV show for not having enough blacks, as was mentioned above, is what's absurd. No one's dying on the cross here and you guys are making a mountain out of a molehill of a comment.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Is this peak outrage for outrage's sake? I think we're close.

[33anda3rd]

If you're asking if I'm outraged, I'm not. I just think it's goofy that
1. someone said Walking Dead doesn't have enough black guys.
2. I said, hey, even the best TV doesn't have enough black guys, don't pick just one show to beat that drum, and used good tv as an example.
3. Someone said why are you beating this one drum about diversity on TV.
4. I said, I wasn't I was just using it as an example of how they're all kinda like that and the beating-one-drum model doesn't really hold water.

It's like the iPod is on "Repeat Just This One Song."

[MrSaigon]

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a terrible example for your argument. That's why the reaction is strong.

[thrill]

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a terrible example for your argument. That's why the reaction is strong.

Yeah, this. Of all the shows to object to, the one with no white male leads?

[Vidor]

But someone could choose to be upset that the Vietnamese guy is played by a Korean.

And you can be sure there are people who do choose to get upset about that. I remember a kerfluffle when the crappy "Memoirs of a Geisha" movie came out and most of the cast were Chinese.

[MrSaigon]

But someone could choose to be upset that the Vietnamese guy is played by a Korean.

And you can be sure there are people who do choose to get upset about that. I remember a kerfluffle when the crappy "Memoirs of a Geisha" movie came out and most of the cast were Chinese.

I wouldn't hold it against anyone for feeling that way. If I was an actor a wheelchair, I'd be a little pissed the Glee people found a guy that could walk to play that part.

[Vidor]

But someone could choose to be upset that the Vietnamese guy is played by a Korean.

And you can be sure there are people who do choose to get upset about that. I remember a kerfluffle when the crappy "Memoirs of a Geisha" movie came out and most of the cast were Chinese.

I wouldn't hold it against anyone for feeling that way. If I was an actor a wheelchair, I'd be a little pissed the Glee people found a guy that could walk to play that part.

Well, that's a little bit different. I guess that personally I don't find cross-nationality casting anywhere in the league of yellowface. There are about eight billion British actors pretending to be Americans as we speak. It would be bad if you cast a white guy to be a Japanese dude, but going to war over a Chinese dude playing a Japanese dude? I can't see it.

That one guy from "Heroes", Hiro's buddy, was Korean.