My thoughts on That Article that Everyone Seems to Think Makes Perfect Sense and why I DON'T GET IT.

[tahirire]

This is an 'article' in the form of a letter posed to Eric Kripke regarding issues of race in Supernatural. You can read the article without my commentary HERE if you don't want to read how much I disagree. No spoilers for s5. My comments underlined.

Comments

[blacklid]

Let Gleek be esplain the whyfores. There's no ways to be showin' dis wif theys bar graphs and PIE chartses. Dis as close as I can begets.

[blacklid]

"But something is wrong when you follow the same pattern with every single black character of any importance..."

See. as soon as anyone illustrates an example that falls into her criteria but negates her theory, that example will be deemed no longer "important".

*sigh* You just can't argue with people like that.

[nariana_staris]

I agree with you. I can't believe this "fan" waited til now to voice these feelings. If she felt so strongly able it why didn't she already say something. So rediculous I can't even figure out what I want to say.

[smallcaps]

I don't know about this fan in particular but others have said things in the past.

Tell me, when is the cut-off date for complaining about things that bother you? At what point are we all obligated to sit down and shut up because we should have said something earlier?

tahirire, tell me to just go away. *facepalm*

[tahirire]

Again - open. casting. calls. .

[smallcaps]

I didn't get around to posting this in blacklid's journal but--

This may not to relevant to anyone making your argument but it is to me: as with most casting calls for Supernatural, the character applications are listed as ALL ETHNICITIES WELCOME. If no black woman goes to the audition for that role, whose fault is that?

Society's.

The game is rigged from the start. General societal discrimination leads to fewer minorities applying for roles in a white-dominated industry. Jobs almost anywhere are technically "all ethnicities welcome" and yet minorities are disproportionately at the bottom of the heap.

Kripke etc. have a choice: they can deliberately and intentionally cast more minorites, an action which would address social injustice but which some may see as 'reverse racism' (oh how I hate that phrase), or they can paste a feel-good "all ethnicities welcome" on their casting calls and be not-actively-discriminatory while still remaining disproportionately white.

Blah blah blah I am in favour of affirmative action.

[smallcaps]

You know more-or-less how I feel about the actual issue, but I gotta say that this:

Everyone has the right to their opinion. I am just tired of hearing about this. I love my show and I want to enjoy the new season, but apparently, at less than 24 hours left to go, the important thing on Fandom's mind is to HURRY AND WANK MORE!

is kind of worrisome to me. One woman deciding to express some troubles she sees in the show is not anything about "the important thing on fandom's mind". She didn't come to your journal and post it. She posted in her own space or somewhere she was presumably invited (don't know enough about the site to say). The old "I'm tired of hearing about this you're harshing my squee just be quiet and enjoy it" is...something that bothers me a lot.

Even if she's wrong she's still free to talk about these things in her own space.

Now I really have to go out! I swear this time.

[tahirire]

She posted it in a public forum and invited comments, only she is deleting the ones that don't agree. Take that as you will. *shrug*

LOL, GO ALREADY!

[smallcaps]

Also, you posted your opinion in your forum, which you are fully entitled to do! I'm sorry, I had a kneejerk reaction to a specific phrase. About five minutes after I left the house I went ".....HANG ON. SMALLCAPS YOU ARE WRONG."

To be fair, that last part happens to me a lot, so. ;)

[tahirire]

LOL I like you. :)

[moondropz]

*Scratches head* But she's a fan? And after all this I fail to see how she could *Enjoy* the show. She just tore down everything she professed to like. Huh. But the important thing here is...she's a FAN!
*Wanders back into my corner of sane fandom*

[tahirire]

HEY, NEW SHOW TOMORROW!!!! \o/

[moondropz]

Whooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[roguebitch]

Well, I'm a fan, but my feminist side sometimes has a hard time dealing with the way women are portrayed on the show. Just because I'm a fan doesn't mean I'm an uncritical viewer.

[twasadark]

Yeah, I hear you. I'm sick of hearing about this particular issue as well. My race issue has to do with a lack of Hispanic and Asian characters on SPN and TV in general; Hispanics in particular. They make up, what? 30% of our population now? Anyhow, if I wasn't so lazy I would probably start wankity wanking on that. But I'd rather just be excited that our blessed show is coming back soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!!!!!!

[tahirire]

SHOW!!! \o/