Under Covers

[lillibet]

So there's this new show starting next week called Under Covers. It's another J.J. Abrams creation, about a couple of former spies who are thrust back into the espionage world after a few years of married life out of the game. The main characters are African-American, which is somewhat groundbreaking--I saw a quote from one of the actors

Comments

[trowa_barton]

Actually, that raises the question about political correctness and race.
Would you still call someone of color African-American if he/she is from Europe? Would you call a white woman from Johannesburg who lives in Chicago African-American?

[lillibet]

Would you still call someone of color African-American if he/she is from Europe? Nope. Different places have different relevant terms. In this case I specifically used that terminology because it is relevant to the point I was making.

Would you call a white woman from Johannesburg who lives in Chicago African-American?

Probably not. I have seen interviews with Charlize Theron in which she tackles that question.

[trowa_barton]

In this case I specifically used that terminology because it is relevant to the point I was making.
Ah, I see.

Probably not. I have seen interviews with Charlize Theron in which she tackles that question.
On the flip side, there was a Top Chef, Season 3 contestant from South Africa (Micah) who was embracing her status as African-American...with a quick reaction shot of Cliff thereafter.

[orbitalmechanic]

The names made me wonder if that was the case, but I hadn't looked it up. (I've also noticed how often The Black Character is UK-born Chiwetel Ejiofor, lately.)

[lillibet]

Sure. I personally think that Chiwetel Ejiofor should be in all movies, but that's a personal bias :)

[orbitalmechanic]

I do not object to that basic principle, either. Perhaps we could have two!!

[trowa_barton]

Except "2012"

[iamlisabee]

I remember watching a girl who did volunteer work in some African country referring to the people with brown to black skin living in that country as "African Americans".

I didn't realize that this show is a JJ Abrams show. Maybe we'll catch the first episode to see if it's interesting.

[firstfrost]

Nelson Mandela also seems to get referred to as "African American" embarrassingly often.

[desireearmfeldt]

I went and looked at the trailer, and it made me both cringe and smile... The thing I liked best about it was it occasionally set me up for a cringe and then said "ha ha! gotcha!" and made it a smile instead.

But I suspect the cringe:smile ratio is too high for me to actually be able to sit through it. (Not that I watch TV to speak of...but you know, hypothetically.)

[deguspice]

I wonder if they're aware that Bill Cosby played a spy in the TV show "I Spy" in the 60s?