I guess you truly don't have to be out of sight to be out of mind; at least that's what the latest Emmy nominations reflect. Only four minorities were nominated for this years Emmy Awards. According to Variety, since 1986, non-white actors have received only 53 nominations out of nearly 1000 in the top four acting categories for drama and comedy. Only eight have ever won!
What do we think about this folks?
With a 6 Season phenomenal series like The Wire airing on a major network (HBO) and not a single nomination, I have to say that it doesn't sit too well with me. As much as minorities may want to stray in the realm of "post-racial" we must face the reality that if we are, it is only in our dreams. If we are what we consume,and the Emmy's is supposed to reflect the best of that consumption-I guess we would all just be 25-49 year old white guys with a hankering for adventure. Or, we are young with "Glee" replicating scenes from high school musical as we go through our day to day routine. Moreover, there are a few people we wouldn't be:
We would never be the only African-American lead for a series currently on air (Hawthorne). Or, the hilariously funny voice of Hispanic Americans (George Lopez). We would never be the reality of Baltimore streets ripe with crime and ready for salvation (The Wire). We would never be the underdog, a trailblazer in his own right; hilarious and "very funny" packing two series on a major network and still without a paddle they sink into the sea of images left out of the discourse and labeled as less than worthy of recognition( Tyler Perry: House of Payne and Meet The Browns).
When I look at cable TV, I don't see me; and if I do my depiction is far less than flattering. How can I be expected to continue to watch something that is without the mere resemblance of who I am and where I am coming from? One things for sure, if the Cable business wants to stay afloat it'd better start making more programming that looks like the ever changing diverse landscape of American viewership. Simply put, if we want America to watch we have got to show America to itself! The networks neglect to reflect the range and depth of the Black Diaspora. Our talent gleams from behind the scenes to in-front of the camera and yet, according to the so-called "credible TV obsessives" that shinning light has begun to dull.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/07/08/2010-07-08_emmy_nominations_2010_tony_shalhoub_leads_only_four_minorities_nominated_in_majo.html
I read an essay Farai Chideya wrote that spoke about this. It was in a book called Black Genius. Latinos practically aren't on tv. Black people are portrayed as victims a majority of the time. This seemingly never-ending images of poverty and failure is just depressing. The media is too prevalent in society for them to give misleading information. People will believe (as they may already) that this is all we can achieve.
ReplyDeleteI just read this article (and a few others) and thought that some of the information was relevant from a historical & contemporary base. Hope you enjoy it!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/jezebel/