A question about tokenism
Even after all these years I still don't really get tokenism. I don't get its rules of necessary and sufficient signs. I don't think I could do it properly.
For instance, I've just got up to the episode of Glee which contains a dream sequence dance number where Artie, the cast member in a wheelchair, gets up and struts his stuff in a shopping mall.
Now this brought me up short. I'd been thinking that there was one black character and one gay character and one wheelchair-bound character because (a) this is how a rainbow coalition feelgood show like Glee is supposed to look and (b) it was a knowing nod and wink to the Disney conventions that make up the water in which the show swims (in particular to High School Musical, which contains exactly the same lineup sans wheelchair). And you can draw the obvious comparison with Sue Sylvester's cheerleading squad, who all have to be the same size, weight, colour etc to suit Sue's aesthetic vision. But I guess I'd also been thinking that if the show was supposed to have this rainbow coalition aspect then that would extend to the actors, too.
My wife goggled at me when I said something about this, as if I couldn't tell fantasy from reality: as far as she was concerned obviously there was no connection between the actor and the part they played. And that makes some sense too.
Except for some reason we don't do blackface any more. So I remain confused. On the one hand I know about the specific political processes that got us exactly here. I think I understand why blackface is offensive and, moreover, a money-losing move for a TV network to make. On the other, I have no idea how this particular set of rules is supposed to make sense to anyone.
JOESKY's BLAHBLAH tax: I also don't understand the organizing schema behind this, but I like it.
For instance, I've just got up to the episode of Glee which contains a dream sequence dance number where Artie, the cast member in a wheelchair, gets up and struts his stuff in a shopping mall.
Now this brought me up short. I'd been thinking that there was one black character and one gay character and one wheelchair-bound character because (a) this is how a rainbow coalition feelgood show like Glee is supposed to look and (b) it was a knowing nod and wink to the Disney conventions that make up the water in which the show swims (in particular to High School Musical, which contains exactly the same lineup sans wheelchair). And you can draw the obvious comparison with Sue Sylvester's cheerleading squad, who all have to be the same size, weight, colour etc to suit Sue's aesthetic vision. But I guess I'd also been thinking that if the show was supposed to have this rainbow coalition aspect then that would extend to the actors, too.
My wife goggled at me when I said something about this, as if I couldn't tell fantasy from reality: as far as she was concerned obviously there was no connection between the actor and the part they played. And that makes some sense too.
Except for some reason we don't do blackface any more. So I remain confused. On the one hand I know about the specific political processes that got us exactly here. I think I understand why blackface is offensive and, moreover, a money-losing move for a TV network to make. On the other, I have no idea how this particular set of rules is supposed to make sense to anyone.
JOESKY's BLAHBLAH tax: I also don't understand the organizing schema behind this, but I like it.