<p>One of my favorite bloggers, Ta-Nehisi Coates (whom Nussbaum quotes in her piece), has this to say (and I encourage you to read his whole piece, which talks about systemic racism):</p>
<p>razor, she is correct in saying that she, as a white wealthy young woman from a family background and college experience that were predominantly white, does not know how to write characters who don’t fit into those groups well. What that means, however, is that she should hire a writer or two who CAN, and let them shine. This is her show. She decides who to hire as a writer, producer, or actor. She is the face of the show, and she actively and explicitly wants to be seen as such. She isn’t just the creative mind or the writer behind it - she makes the financial decisions and runs the show from the top down.</p>
<p>If she keeps hiring other people (please note that almost every main actress on the show is the daughter of a famous media person or celebrity) who come from the same background as she does, and does not diversify her cast and crew, that is both exclusive and simply bad directing, as it means the show is going to get very boring very quickly.</p>
<p>It would be a different show. It would, in my opinion, be a MUCH better and more worthwhile show. Because the thing is? I don’t have to watch or like this show. But PLEASE stop calling it “brilliant” or “new” or “an accurate portrayal of what it’s like to be 24 and in New York.” Because it isn’t. It’s a moderately talented young woman telling her specific story, which is a story of immense privilege and selfishness. It’s a story that involves going from wealthy white family to New York to elite mostly white university to the same wealthy white group she knew as a child. It isn’t about navigating the world, or even New York, as a 24 year old. It’s about being Lena Dunham and navigating relationships and work in New York as a 24 year old. And that’s fine. But unless she diversifies her show, that’s all it’s ever going to be.</p>
<p>So what if another young woman wrote a show (or book) about navigating the world, or even New York, as a 24 year old – someone not going from wealthy white family to New York to elite mostly white university to the same wealthy white group she knew as a child? And what if sometimes the characters had “Girls” on in the background and commented on how unrealistic it was? I would watch that show.</p>
<p>I think Dunham turned Sex and the City kind of on edge. It would be easy to do the same with her work. imho</p>
<p>^^why is it essential to have mixed religion, mixed race, mixed cultural TV show or to criticize someone for having a show that is a microcosm? Why is that “exclusive” and why would that render the show “boring” after a period of time?</p>
<p>I see it as the “Sex and the City” of a younger generation. The characters are just as vapid and self involved, but they are less glamorous at the same time.</p>
<p>It is essential to have TV shows and other cultural media that show the lives of people of color, of working-class people, of gay people, of immigrants, and of other minority groups because those stories have not been told. TV networks, recording companies, and other corporations that deliver the vast majority of entertainment in America tend to be run by wealthy white men, so it is no wonder that their stories are being told.</p>
<p>Think of it this way - New York is one of the most diverse cities in the world. Think of all of the popular group sitcoms based in New York of the past 15-20 years: Friends, Seinfield, How I Met Your Mother, Sex and the City, The King of Queens. Not a single one of them has a main character who isn’t white. The vast majority of them are upper middle class. The last TV show set in New York with a large cast that wasn’t almost entirely white that I can remember is The Cosby Show, which was (obviously) created and creatively directed by a black man.</p>
<p>It matters because the people in charge of telling our cultural stories almost always tell their own stories. And those people, and the demographics they come from, do not accurately reflect the diversity of our culture.</p>
<p>I know that my main issue with Lena Dunham is that she is not aware of what she says or what she does and how it affects someone. She throws up the routine that she can say things because she is “quirky” and went to a liberal arts school. </p>
<p>Guess what Lena? There are a bunch of white college educated women who are much more self aware. I just wish she could be accountable for what she says and what she does on the show. </p>
<p>I watch her show and then read a dozen different reviews the Monday after discussing her choices within that show. She is making material that easily brings in criticism and she knows it. I doubt another person of color will ever appear on this show because Dunham has admitted she doesn’t know how to write that voice. When most people don’t know how to do something they ask someone else. I am sure this is a young black woman who can write comedy and would be willing to help Lena Dunham bring diversity to her show. It just isn’t going to happen.</p>
<p>teenage_cliche, I happen to agree with you that those stories need to be told. And some of them are. Many network dramas have minority characters, and have had for many years. They’ve incorporated the personal stories of those characters into the fabric of the show in the same way that they’ve done it for the caucasian characters. Some shows have been predominantly minority characters - The Wire and Treme come to mind. </p>
<p>I don’t agree with you that every show should be required to have a certain number of minority characters, otherwise those people writing and producing the show must clearly be racist. I think that’s a simplistic vision of a more complex issue.</p>
<p>I don’t agree. How people live their lives should not be dependent on what is on TV. Most TV shows are fantasy and should be treated as such. Networks are in business to make money. If shows make money it does not matter what “type” the characters are. Greys Anatomy has been successful because having different people is part of the story. Will and Grace was successful because being gay was part of the story. The test for shows is whether people watch not how much diversity they have in their characters.</p>
<p>But isn’t it once a while nice to see yourself represented on television in a non-sterotyped character? </p>
<p>I am white so I don’t have this issue but if my friends of color look on TV they can say they do not see themselves. One of the biggest issues in Holywood is the representation of minorities on film and on television. If there are young African American boys and girls who turn on their TVs and see African Americans always being pushed to the side for storylines for the white characters they might see that acting is just for the white people. </p>
<p>Thankfully we have shows with strong African American women like Scandal and Gre y’s Anatomy. But want to know why they exist? Because Shonda Rhimes, an African American, didn’t see herself represented and created these shows.</p>
<p>Is it better to have a “token” character for a variety of minorities, like Glee does? Boy in a wheelchair, Asian, gay couple, lesbian couple, African American, etc. Is that more real? That seems just as prejudiced to me.</p>
<p>I actually thought that was humorous…it was so cliche slash PC as to be funny. I too, don’t think that writing, painting, photography etc. has a moral imperative to capture all of the nuances in our culture but rather to catch the writer, painter, photographer’s snippet of time.</p>
</p>