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

[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.