TV Tokenisim

 

This show is called Undercovers and is a network drama that aired 11 episodes on NBC at 8/7 Central. The main characters in the show are Steven and Samantha, pictured top left. They were ex CIA agents who were recruited back into the agency because they are good spies. Along with their friend Hoyt, (token white guy), they travel the world getting the bad guys and saving the day. Both have many secrets from their past which spill out throughout the season. Their friend however receives under half as much screen time as they do, and is usually in the back of the car fiddling on computers or hiding while Steven and Samantha get the job done.


Source 1: http://images.zap2it.com/images/tv-EP01264338/undercovers-5.jpg
Source 2: http://cdn.static.ovimg.com/episode/ 3046781.jpg

A Short Post About A Short Month

"I liken having a black history month in February and concentrating study on that to milk that's just about to go sour. You can still drink it but it just doesn't taste right" said Phillip Roth in his novel The Human Stain. I most definitely believe that he is onto something- it seems forced to me to have a whole month dedicated to blacks. A few initial questions I had were how did black history month start, who created it, and will it ever end?

Although this article about the history of this month is a bit dated, it is still true. To summarize: in 1926 a man named Dr. Carter G Woodson originally created Black History week in February in the week that was the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass, a former black slave and abolitionist, and President Abraham Lincoln who signed the Emancipation Proclomation. He was appalled by the lack of information the public had about their heritage. This later turned into an entire month in 1976 simply because the public began celebrating it earlier and finishing celebrating it later. (Here is a little point of irony: blacks are given the shortest month to celebrate their history.)

Now it is 86 years later and people are still unsure of whether or not blacks are being left out of the picture. I mean that both figuratively and literally. This past week in my American Studies class we have been discussing TV Tokenism. My teacher defined the token as a supporting character added to the show as a minority. Whether or not you have heard of TV Tokenism, this phenomenon most likely sounds familiar now. Just think about the black best friend, the boss never seen without a tie and suit, or the loving nanny. Many people have been upset by the fact that blacks are still never seen as the main characters in tv shows and only ever as figures of minorities to satisfy minority activist groups and members of minority groups. These characters are very forced in my opinion. However, I would be more upset if these characters did not exist and we saw a solely white cast.

Now I am curious, is it better to have these forced characters in these shows, or should we just accept the fact that blacks do not earn the same starring roles on tv shows that whites do? And in a time of political correctness, can we expect these tokens to ever disappear along with Black History Month? Are these symbols still even needed?

Damn Movie Theater Candy

So good, but so not worth it!

I just got back from seeing a movie tonight with a couple friends. The movie was hilarious, the company was good, and yet I'm angry. Why? Because all I wanted was a box of Raisinets to accompany my "cinema experience", but I am too stingy to pay the $4    for a 3.5 oz. box of candy. I have been boycotting movie theater candy for about two years now, and with little success. Perhaps boycott is not the correct word, but I am still part of a large movement to not by the ridiculously overpriced candy. Here is the secret on how I have not caved in: I bring my own candy from home- GASP!

Some people say that sneaking in your own food is wrong. However, there are no rules of the matter from the movie theater, it is just considered morally wrong so to speak. I disagree- as a consumer in America, I am given choices, not only between brands or Raisinets v. Milk Duds, but between buying and not buying. Although the right to boycott is not in the constitution, consumers may still buy what they want from the existing options.

I chose to research why exactly the candy at a movie theater is so expensive. It turns out that this information has been out in the open for almost 10 years now since CNN did a story on it. To sum it all up, the studios who make the movies take between 70 and 80 percent of the profits from ticket sales, leaving the theater with the leftovers. The only way the theaters can survive is on sales from concession stands, which is why they hike up the prices. CNN quoted one theater owner saying "'We have movies just to get people in to buy popcorn and candy, where we make our money'".


My research made me wonder, if I and everyone else who is not buying the candy at the concession stands continue our boycott, will theaters have to begin to charge more to see movies? After all, the two movie theaters in my area have both raised their ticket prices in the last year. And if they continue to raise their prices, then how much freedom do we really have as consumers?

Grammy Grub

The Prized Grammy Award

I am sad to be missing  the Grammy Awards, a joyful celebration of music, which are playing on television at this very moment.  But what may seem like an ode to all the winners of the music industry, (which it kind of is), has a history that contradicts that idea- the Grammy Awards began as a celebration of all those people who did not win.

Let me back up for a moment. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, which honors top musicians with stars on Hollywood Boulevard was in the midst of being created in the 1950s. It took a while to actually build those first stars and figure out all the legal stuff, but the first stars were placed in 1960. Somewhere between 2 to 4 years before that, the concept of the Grammy Awards was created. The people in charge of choosing who would win the stars on the Walk Of Fame wanted to honor everyone that could not be given a star. So now we have the Grammys, or a celebration of second place.

This concept of honoring people who are not good enough seems quite unAmerican to me. The United States is full of competition everywhere, from politics, to our capitalist economy, to our higher education system. I find it very refreshing to see an American tradition that honors not just the winners. But where else in America are the runners up looked up to and applauded? And why don't we appreciate everyone's success, not just the number 1s?

The Made In America Push

In my American Studies class, we have recently been learning about all of the products we buy which are not made here in America. When you look at the label of your shirt in says Made In China, Indonesia, India, or some other poor and underdeveloped country. ABC has been running a series called "Made In America" which talks about the origins of different products and the push to by more products Made In America. The most recent clip was on the Superbowl. To give you an idea of how an American sport has been outsourced consider this fact: you have to dig back about 50 years to find a football jersey that was made in the U.S. (Superbowl Made In America video).

On a more refreshing note, most of the footballs, helmets, coins, and trophies used in the NFL are made in the U.S. These products give Americans jobs as opposed to foreign laborers. The products also keep the money in America instead of outsourcing it. As a concerned humanitarian, the most important thing the Made In America push does, is takes a stand against the cruelties against foreign laborers. Workers here are paid properly, get breaks during work, and are not abused. 

In case you are still doubtful of switching to buying American made products, consider this example from the video. Tom Brady's jersey is made in Wisconsin, and the company there that makes copies of it has the copies down to the exact centimeter. The souvenir of it which was made in Korea is significantly larger and less precise. On top of American products helping the economy, they are simply better products. Consider that next time you are deciding on whether you should or should not spend the extra few dollars.