things i have learned from television

[rmd]

during the fifties and early sixties, there were so many earnest white folks who weren't racist but merely surrounded by racists that it's amazing racism lasted as long as it did. [1]

also, "house, md" has taught me that every medical diagnosis requires breaking into someone's apartment and looking through their underwear drawer.

[1] racism's over now that obama has been elected, isn't it? sorry? what's that? ... oh. nevermind.

Comments

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

The typical television story can be described as a "short form". While we all acknowledge that not everyone from the fifties and sixties was Stetson Kennedy, we would all like to believe that we were early adopters. Or that our parents were.

A more honest television story would show a racist protagonist coming face-to-face with a critical test of their racism, failing it, and then having that failure gnaw at them for a while. After all, the shift away from racism did happen, and that's how it happened for most people.

(And, of course, the process ain't done yet.)

Now, in the case of the House writers, they're just being lazy.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

true! the other common annoyance, of course, is using that trope (or one like it) to make us sympathize with a character and know that they're all enlightened and shit. (in "titanic", not only is kate winslet's character all not-very-classist and feminist, but also she likes monet! she must be sympathetic!)

WE WERE ALL EARLY ADOPTERS OF EQUALITY. ALSO, WE NEVER WOULD HAVE SUPPORTED $TERRIBLE_REGIME. ALSO, WE TOTALLY WOULD'VE WALKED OUT ON THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT!

[dpolicar]

yeah. walked out and called the cops on the creepy old Jew guy person -- um, I mean, creepy person of unspecified age, which of course doesn't affect my judgment at all! Yeah!

[clauclauclaudia]

Well, I think many of us would have... but that's us socialized in *these* decades instead of *those* decades.

[istemi.livejournal.com]

... where they will find photos of a naked Elvis doll holding a torch aloft a jello mold. What do you make of THAT, Dr. Houseman?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

it was an awesome new year's eve party? (i think that one dated from when i lived with you)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*weeps for laughter and hugs your knees*

[lioritgioret.livejournal.com]

I am always stunned by the intense, earnest liberalism of Bonanza. Of course, the Cartwrights were not above stealing land from the First Peoples or having a Chinese servant, but the were, you know, ready to die to protect any particular poignant individual who turned up in Virginia City.

Having just watched all of Season 4 of House in about two weeks thanks to Netflix, I have become attached to the underwear-drawer theme; it makes it ever-more like a cop show about those nasty little criminals that attack our health.

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; ... who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action";

MLK, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

[smcmullan.livejournal.com]

this profile pic made me laugh.

i love that pic.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

i originally saw it captioned thus:
(http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/04/21/oh-hai-i-uprgaded-ur-banazaz/)

i really love the one on the lower right of the picture. such an old grey-muzzled dog to be dressed up like that!

[sethg]

Racism is over. Sexism, however, is alive and well...among Democrats. Republicans are not the least bit sexist and you would be sexist yourself if you dared to suggest that they were.

The preceding message was a paid political announcement by the Republican Committee To Regain Its Majority By Making Democrats' Heads Explode.

[cz_unit]

House. Feh. Watch Quincy for some serious stuff...q

[evwhore.livejournal.com]

Or Dr. Yolanda, Fly-Ass Medicine Bitch (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/27413)

The importance of being ...

[jymdyer.livejournal.com]

=v= I grew up amongst virulent racists, so seeing earnest white people on teevee actually gave me the type of role model I was desperate for. Even as a child I could tell that they were hokey, and that I would be hokey for emulating them, but it was better than nothing.

You know me, I'm no fan of half-measures and centrist pablum and I'm highly critical of mediocre media. But sometimes it's better than nothing.

P.S.: I'm also a fan of searching through underwear and drawers.

[miss-bowtruckle.livejournal.com]

House, MD also requires at least 2 wrong diagnoses, a near-death experience, and at least 3 colours of wipe-off marker.

Also, at least one gratuitous shot of Cuddy's cleavage.

[laurenpburka.livejournal.com]

You know, I could so totally visualize you speaking that footnote aloud. I LOL'd.