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Interracial characters still taboo in the media

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Gantz

Banned
Is it still a taboo to show interracial couples or families on television on movies? You just don't see them on TV(maybe for the exception of PBS) or movies. Why is that? Are people afraid interacial couples will tear the fabric of society?
 
Gantz said:
Is it still a taboo to show interracial characters such as lead characters, couples, or families on television on movies? You just don't see them on TV(maybe for the exception of PBS) or movies. Why is that? Are people afraid interacial couples will tear the fabric of society?

It don't go over too well in JESUSLAND.
 

Mama Smurf

My penis is still intact.
Eastenders has had plenty of interracial couples. And that's one of the biggest two shows in the UK.

Oh, you probably meant in Jesusland.
 

border

Member
Most characters don't go around shouting their racial origins, so there's not a lot of ways to work that into the plot.....and certainly not much reason to do so.
 

karasu

Member
Halle Berry, the Rock, Vin Diesel, scrubs like Shemar Moore, etc etc. Mixed people are everywhere.
 

mrmyth

Member
Mama Smurf said:
Gunn and Fred in Angel, Buffy/Faith and the Principal in Buffy, Wash and Zoe in Firefly.

Bored now.



"I'd like to test that theory."



Now find me a non-Joss Whedon show.
 

XS+

Banned
Days like these... said:
I thought the Rock was native american not interracial?

The Rock's father is black.

To the author of this thread -- We live in a society where white supremacy is unspoken but prevalent, a culture where the idolatry of whites is commonplace, where the blue eyed and blond are revered. Look at commercials. Can you recall a commercial that saw a black and white coupling, particularly when the man is the former? I can't.
 

DJ Sl4m

Member
Perhaps because the majority of couples are not interacially dating, and it's a representation similar to the real life ratio of these types of couples ?
 

XS+

Banned
DJ Sl4m said:
Perhaps because the majority of couples are not interacially dating, and it's a representation similar to the real life ratio of these types of couples ?

How does a backwater yokel like you know what the racial composition of the "majority of couples" is?
 

DJ Sl4m

Member
XS+ said:
How does a backwater yokel like you know what the racial composition of the "majority of couples" is?

Take your racial hate glasses off and you'll see interacial dating isn't over 50% of the couples.
 

XS+

Banned
DJ Sl4m said:
Take your racial hate glasses off and you'll see interacial dating isn't over 50% of the couples.

Racial hate? Again, how do you KNOW? Sorry, but I can only take with a grain of salt social reflections imparted by he who would weigh in on race from an insulated pocket of the South. Your post history doesn't lend itself to your opinion on this matter being taken seriously. No offense.
 
XS+ said:
Racial hate? Again, how do you KNOW? Sorry, but I can only take with a grain of salt social reflections imparted by he who would weigh in on race from an insulated pocket of the South. Your post history doesn't lend itself to your opinion on this matter being taken seriously. No offense.

Jeez, The guy is right. A majority of couples are not interracial. Is it impossible to think that the media just tends to reflect a majority of the population? There is not any underlying scheme to suppress other races by not showing interracical couples on TV.

Cynical liberals like yourself, looking for insignificant crap to get outraged about, give liberals a bad name.

BTW, I'm from New Jersey, minutes from NYC, does my opinion matter?
 

DJ Sl4m

Member
XS+ said:
Racial hate? Again, how do you KNOW? Sorry, but I can only take with a grain of salt social reflections imparted by he who would weigh in on race from an insulated pocket of the South. Your post history doesn't lend itself to your opinion on this matter being taken seriously. No offense.

Oh, I post a lot about race ?

If that's true, please pull up my history in a G-A search Kthx bye, thought so.

Seriously dude, it's not the majority yet, does this bother you in some way coming from me ?
 

XS+

Banned
BobbyRobby said:
Jeez, The guy is right. A majority of couples are not interracial. Is it impossible to think that the media just tends to reflect a majority of the population? There is not any underlying scheme to suppress other races by not showing interracical couples on TV.

Cynical liberals like yourself, looking for insignificant crap to get outraged about, give liberals a bad name.

BTW, I'm from New Jersey, minutes from NYC, does my opinion matter?

Like him, you're making a broad statement that is not empirically tenable. While at college, I saw more interracial couplings than homogenous pairings. As far as I'm concerned, until you can prove otherwise, interracial relationships occur as frequently as mono-racial unions. What does me being a "liberal" have to do with anything, by the way? It's funny how bigots like you always charge diversity's attendance to liberalism. As if racial plurality weren't an ideal strived for by the right. Are you betraying your true sentiment?
 

Dilbert

Member
OK, everyone take a deep breath and count to 20. Feel better?

To the original poster: The question is ill-formed. Do you mean that television, movies, etc. do not portray interracial dating or marriages, or do you mean that they do not portray characters of mixed racial backgrounds? I suspect that you mean the former, but "interracial characters" can be construed as the latter.

To everyone: I think it should be a homework assignment to go and define "race" before getting into these kinds of discussions. A good friend of mine is the product of a black father and an Asian mother -- not sure in either case about the exact geneology. My girlfriend is a mix of Chinese and Dutch. So, what "race" are they? If you would argue that they are "multi-racial," then isn't it likely that MOST people fall into that category? At the very least, without some detailed geneological work, there is at least reasonable doubt about one's origins.

XS+ said:
Like him, you're making a broad statement that is not empirically tenable. While at college, I saw more interracial couplings than homogenous pairings. As far as I'm concerned, until you can prove otherwise, interracial relationships occur as frequently as mono-racial unions.
Well, I don't see you presenting any empirical evidence either. You are falling into the EXACT SAME FALLACY that you're (correctly) accusing him of: mistaking one's personal experience for a general truth. It is just as reasonable for HIM to ask YOU to assume the burden of proof.

Also, you started things with a cheap shot about his living in the South. That was unwarranted.

I suspect you have some astute observations to make about the white paradigm in this country, but keep the ad hominem out of it, and bring your data to the table.
 

snapty00

Banned
Taboo? No, I wouldn't call it that.

But I'll be the first to admit that it looks a little "odd" when I see two totally different races dating. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not against it. Hell, I might do it myself. But my point is that I'm not even totally used to it myself.
 

Socreges

Banned
President Palmer and that white chick on 24.

Interracial dating, particularly between black/white people, is very much a minority. That's not personal experience. That's fact.

There, I said it.
 

Dilbert

Member
Socreges said:
Interracial dating, particularly between black/white people, is very much a minority. That's not personal experience. That's fact.
Source?

I just got done bitching at XS+ about this...you're on the hook as well if you want to make statements like that.
 

Mama Smurf

My penis is still intact.
-jinx- said:
My girlfriend is a mix of Chinese and Dutch.

You're going out with Kristen Kreuk? Fucking hell!

Seriously though, that's a good mix, I bet she's hot. As with the above example, there's something about the mix of a caucasian and oriental look which results in some seriously hot people. Girls anyway, not sure about guys.

In fact, a lot of people with mixed race genes (no matter what the mix, not that I can claim to have seen any Inuit-Mauris) are good looking. I guess that's a generalisation, but I suppose it's because every so often you're lucky enough to mix the best features of one race with the best features of another.

Of course, that theory leads to there being incredibly ugly mixed race people too. I've rambled enough.

EDIT: My first girlfriend was Chinese. My mum, who's really not racist at all I promise you, was obviously pretty proud that her little guy had his first romance, so told lots of people. But she would always say: "____'s got his first girlfriend. She's Chinese!" It was like she couldn't not say it. And I guess the reason was that she saw it as so unusual.
 

snapty00

Banned
I guess it depends on "how far" two people have to be to be considered different races. Some people consider Asians to be "white" (seriously), for example. And then there are mixed people...and they consider themselves mixed, while some people who are mixed consider themselves to be strictly part of one race.

For me personally, if I see one person who has very dark skin dating a person with relatively light skin, it strikes me a bit. It just does.
 

Socreges

Banned
-jinx- said:
Source?

I just got done bitching at XS+ about this...you're on the hook as well if you want to make statements like that.
Oy vey

I gave you "There, I said it" to indicate that I'm aware that it was a preposterous statement to suggest that it is "fact". It's just testimony.

But, for what it's worth, in all likelihood the testimony of 99% of everyone. If you want to argue that it's just as reasonable to suggest that interracial dating is NOT a minority than of it being a minority, then you do that. I'll just sit here and scoff.

Oh oh, I should mention: I'm talking about two distinct races dating each other, due to the fact that pretty much anyone of mixed heritage is going to be "interracial dating" no matter who they're with.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I have noticed restaurant commercials almost never have them mixed together. KFC and pizza places are the most glaring example of this, they even seem to stereotype them a lot. I think Taco Bell is pretty good about it though, I think I remember several commercials fo theirs with mixed groups. A while ago I think Verizon had commercials with an interracial family, that was nice.
 

Dilbert

Member
Socreges said:
Oy vey

I gave you "There, I said it" to indicate that I'm aware that it was a preposterous statement to suggest that it is "fact". It's just testimony.

But, for what it's worth, in all likelihood the testimony of 99% of everyone. If you want to argue that it's just as reasonable to suggest that interracial dating is NOT a minority than of it being a minority, then you do that. I'll just sit here and scoff.

Oh oh, I should mention: I'm talking about two distinct races dating each other, due to the fact that pretty much anyone of mixed heritage is going to be "interracial dating" no matter who they're with.
I figured you were probably being sarcastic. Still, the problem is that most people throw words like "race" around without thinking about what those terms MEAN. Also, without some kind of data, how do you know that your "commonsense notion" about interracial dating is, in fact, correct?

The unexamined life isn't worth living, etc.
 

Musashi Wins!

FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
I don't know what this adds to the thread but I have noticed this.....commercials never...ever...feature a black man with a white woman. I think but I'm not sure that I've seen the opposite once. And I often see commercials where a white man is paired with an Asian woman. Mind you, it's all contextual, but it's pretty clear in the brief presentation of a commercial landscape that these people are being represented as romantic mates, selling whatever product. And while it might shift a bit depending on the product, I've still never seen a television commercial featuring a couple where the man is black and the female is white.
 

Socreges

Banned
-jinx- said:
I figured you were probably being sarcastic. Still, the problem is that most people throw words like "race" around without thinking about what those terms MEAN. Also, without some kind of data, how do you know that your "commonsense notion" about interracial dating is, in fact, correct?
No, no, no. I just conceded that it was not "in fact, correct". But I've got my particular thoughts on this and I'm just going to shake my head at anyone who suggests otherwise. Leave me to that.

The unexamined life isn't worth living, etc.
I examine it just fine, thanks.
 

Dilbert

Member
Well, let's dig into this a little since memories can be affected by our personal filters.

Does anyone on GAF work in advertising or marketing? If so, have you ever been instructed (in a written or verbal policy) on how (or if) to present race in a commercial or advertisement? If you were left on your own to "cast" the advertisement, how did you decide what people to include, and how to portray them?
 

Gantz

Banned
-jinx- said:
OK, everyone take a deep breath and count to 20. Feel better?

To the original poster: The question is ill-formed. Do you mean that television, movies, etc. do not portray interracial dating or marriages, or do you mean that they do not portray characters of mixed racial backgrounds? I suspect that you mean the former, but "interracial characters" can be construed as the latter.

Yeah I meant intterracial dating, marriages. I'm not sure why i included characters.
 

XS+

Banned
-jinx- said:
OK, everyone take a deep breath and count to 20. Feel better?
Well, I don't see you presenting any empirical evidence either. You are falling into the EXACT SAME FALLACY that you're (correctly) accusing him of: mistaking one's personal experience for a general truth. It is just as reasonable for HIM to ask YOU to assume the burden of proof.

I probably should have worded it differently. By responding in kind, I had hoped to show him how specious and empty his generalization was. My statement was deliberately broad. I don't know if interracial couplings are widespread or rare -- frankly, I don't care. I just can't help but feel that anyone, particularly in our progressive age, who is so dismissive of the idea that interracial relationships are on the rise, isn't particularly fond of the idea. Perhaps that's the racial paranoiac in me speaking.
 

Stele

Holds a little red book
Gantz said:
Is it still a taboo to show interracial couples or families on television on movies? You just don't see them on TV(maybe for the exception of PBS) or movies. Why is that? Are people afraid interacial couples will tear the fabric of society?
Maybe because they're 1% of the population, and hence, not too common.
 

fobtastic

Member
NotMSRP said:
You don't see Asian/Indian/Other man with a white woman either.

This is pretty much spot on. It's taboo because those "interracial" couples tend to be limited to very specific pairings. With regards to the media, I see more Asian females partnered with a non-Asian male, than with an Asian male. Does this reflect real life? No. Anyone remember the Old Navy fiasco with Lisa Ling? From a business perspective, it makes sense since you don't want to alienate your largest market. From a political perspective, you're just asking for it. To put it quite bluntly, media only shows love for white males, white females, black males, black females, and Asian females.

Not the best article, but it gets the point across.
 

XS+

Banned
Musashi Wins! said:
I don't know what this adds to the thread but I have noticed this.....commercials never...ever...feature a black man with a white woman. I think but I'm not sure that I've seen the opposite once. And I often see commercials where a white man is paired with an Asian woman. Mind you, it's all contextual, but it's pretty clear in the brief presentation of a commercial landscape that these people are being represented as romantic mates, selling whatever product. And while it might shift a bit depending on the product, I've still never seen a television commercial featuring a couple where the man is black and the female is white.

You won't -- at least, not in any traditional commercials that aren't catering to the 18-24 demo. That's the country we live in, a state so "liberal" that companies are frightened of alienating those who might cringe at the sight of a black man and white woman together. Why would you WANT that kind of person buying your products???
 

Stele

Holds a little red book
fobtastic said:
This is pretty much spot on. It's taboo because those "interracial" couples tend to be limited to very specific pairings. With regards to the media, I see more Asian females partnered with a non-Asian male, than with an Asian male. Does this reflect real life? No. Anyone remember the Old Navy fiasco with Lisa Ling? From a business perspective, it makes sense since you don't want to alienate your largest market. From a political perspective, you're just asking for it. To put it quite bluntly, media only shows love for white males, white females, black males, black females, and Asian females.

Not the best article, but it gets the point across.
25% of Asian females marry a white man. That's from the 1990 census -- it may be higher now. Cohabitation in 1990 is 45% white male/Asian female and 43% Asian male/Asian female.

http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/000806.html

The only way trends like these will change is if China becomes the next superpower, and not just some associate member of the Western Civilization like Japan.
 

fobtastic

Member

RevenantKioku

PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
Is a black man going to say "Well, this white woman is really attracted to me, and I to her, but I've never seen a couple like this in a TV commercial, so how can it work?"

Taboo, rampant? Who gives a flying fuck? Is it really that important to you? Really? Really? I mean come on people, look at what you're saying.
 

fobtastic

Member
RevenantKioku said:
Is a black man going to say "Well, this white woman is really attracted to me, and I to her, but I've never seen a couple like this in a TV commercial, so how can it work?"

Taboo, rampant? Who gives a flying fuck? Is it really that important to you? Really? Really? I mean come on people, look at what you're saying.

How old are you?
 

RevenantKioku

PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
fobtastic said:
How old are you?

Not old enough probably.
I dunno, it just bugs the hell out of me (which in turn goes into play on what I was going for in my main point, stop caring, which makes me hypocritical, but hey whatever, you know?)
I mean, I don't watch television, so I guess it just doesn't bother me what they do on there.
 
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