Racism? In my Golden Girls? It's more likely than you think!

[bee_york]

What in the flying fuck, Golden Girls? I'm currently watching an episode where Dorothy gets all upset when she finds out her son is engaged to a--oh, the horror of horrors--a black woman. Wtf? You should see how upset she was. Now the episode is trying to change things around when they actually meet and she finds out said woman is 44 (her son is 23). But the initial problem was, of course, that she was black, and not that she was older. (And Dorothy DOES bring up the fact that she's black when listing all the differences between her son and his fiancee). Oh, and now Rose and Blanche come out of the kitchen to meet the black woman's family, and they're in the middle of a face treatment, where they have mud on their face. So the joke is, of course, that it looks like they're in blackface. What were the writers thinking?

Most people who know me know that I'm one of the most UN-PC people to walk this Earth, to the point that I often enjoy making fun of people who get offended at TV shows and movies. But this is really too much! What the heeelllllllllll.

Comments

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

I could see the facial/blackface thing not being racist. It's the kind of joke I could imagine seeing on Frasier 15 years later, actually.

And for the first part, is it that Dorothy was really upset, or more just that she, as a character who would have grown up at a time when things like that (interracial marriage) really just did not happen, was having trouble accepting it?

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

The latter, for sure. But STILL. Ughghghghghhhhh.
They had a episode where someone was gay, and Sophia was just like "Yeah. Gay. Uh-huh, who cares?!" so I don't see why they couldn't have the same attitude about the black lady.

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

I think they're just trying to reflect their viewership. A lot of their older viewers (and their viewers were *mostly* older, obv) would have really identified with Dorothy's character having trouble coming to grips with that.

Meh. We don't get upset that TV reflects that people can think/say/do lots of other awful, awful things. The fact is there are people out there who would have a hard time dealing with a child in an interracial relationship. I don't see why it shouldn't be portrayed on TV.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know, but this in particular just annoyed me. If someone acted like that in front of me in real life, I'd probably bite their head off. I just don't have patience for that kind of attitude.

[sourdick.livejournal.com]

Plus, use some context, Golden Girls was about senior women living in Florida in the 1980s. So the characters were all over-60. That means they were born in the 20s~30s (Wikipedia says Dorothy was born in New York city in 1929). Racial tension would not be an uncommon thing, since the characters were raised in a pre-civil-rights era.

In fact, they would have been well into their adulthood by the time the movement really hit the mainstream.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

WHAT. THE GOLDEN GIRLS WERE OLD I HAD NO IDEA

[sourdick.livejournal.com]

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

I just lol'd IRL. Thanks, I needed that. ;_;


Do you have any other SS gifs? Cheer me up, James!

[sourdick.livejournal.com]

I dont think anyone in the history of the universe has ever been THIS happy:

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

OMFG THAT IS SOOOOOO CUTE.

THANK YOU :')

[sabatoa.livejournal.com]

Think about it from the writer's perspective. They were adressing the race issue by showing an obviously flawed opinion of one of the characters. The show wasn't being racist. DOROTHY was being racist. There's a difference.

Also, the blackface is funny IMO. Outragious and questionable humor, especially race or cultural is funny down here. (assuming the audience can handle it)

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Think about it from the writer's perspective. They were adressing the race issue by showing an obviously flawed opinion of one of the characters. The show wasn't being racist. DOROTHY was being racist. There's a difference.


You're right! I didn't think of it that way, but you're absolutely right. :)

[lostsailors.livejournal.com]

I think it works within character, just given her age in the show that might legitimately be a worry. I think the point of the episode was to show how utterly stupid she was being. Likewise, the show is over 20 years old at this point, so that might be another reason why it seems more obtuse.

I can't remember this episode, but it's not like we're still not using that same joke (Tropic Thunder). As long as it pointing out she was being stupid and wrong, that's all that matters.

Again, I haven't seen, so I just don't know how it was! There's a fine line of using offensive stuff to make a point about it being wrong, and than just - being Michael Richards on stage.

You are right though about GG being really open about gay and lesbian relationships, I always am amazed by that when I look back and watch.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

I agree about the blackface joke. If I had seen that on Family Guy, I'd have LMAO. But if I'm watching Family Guy, then I know (or at least I BELIEVE) that those types of jokes are always used as irony. I didn't think of applying that to the Golden Girls, since it's so old!

Yeah, they were pretty open with same-sex relationships, which makes me glad. I still think there needs to be WAY more of that on television!

[lostsailors.livejournal.com]

Oh, I just watch.



Um.


A lot of Golden Girls and they have so many PSA episodes it's always about pointing out issues. Like even the one where Blanche's brother comes out, or Sofia coming to terms her son was a cross-dresser and wanted to be buried in a dress, or old people being forgotten in nursing homes, getting AIDs through blood transfusions. I just watched and episode about finding out what Chronic Fatigue syndrome was! That's why I figured this one was probably about dealing with a hot topic issue, haha. I'll have to keep my eye out for this ep!

Whoa, late reply is late.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Funny you mention that, because when I was little, I found out what a gallbladder was from watching Golden Girls, lol. :)

Don't you worry about late replies, lol. I REALLY have to catch up on your LJ, eeek. Speaking of which! My fiance was sitting next to me late last night while I was scrolling through my f-list and I came across your name and I was telling him all about your amazing amazing artwork, I want to show him your comic next. :)

[sultrysong.livejournal.com]

Well, y'know, none of their actors were black, but at least one of them was gay, so you can see how that happens.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Oh, that makes sense! Which one of the cast members was gay?