The black officer in Beetle Bailey is Lieutenant Flap- and I’ve never seen him do much except rant and rave over the squeaky wheel on Sarge’s office chair.
Sorry, but this is actually based on real life; David Simon’s “Homicide: A Year On the Killing Streets.” Yep, there’s real stories of real people behind the show. In fact, some of the dialogue is directly lifted from the book.
IIRC, in the book, Al Giardello (in the book, “Gary D’Addario”) was as he is pictured in the show: Sicilian and black.
your humble TubaDiva
“Death’s at the bottom of everything, Martins. Leave death to the professionals.” – The Third Man
Some perhaps irrelevant notes:
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skin-colorism is also prevalant in Asia–light skin good, dark skin bad. Women in Japan and Korea commonly carry umbrellas to keep the sun off.
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Moreover, many many cartoon characters (and animation is huge in asia) usually have caucasian features–round eyes, etc. Of course they also have purple hair…
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Asian advertising is “racist.” Probably 5-10% of print ads in Taiwan, Korea and Japan feature whites, who are .02% of the population. (It’s less on TV, presumably for language reasons)
“It all started with marbles in school…”
I think that it’s funny that the majority of Latinos west of the Mississippi are mostly of Mexican heritage and also often dark skinned. Yet,the Spanish language television here hardly has any charcers with dark skin. Even the movies from Mexico tend to have light skinned actresses and sometimes the actors are dark skinned but they are usually the “vigilante” type.
Anyway, in Asia it is true, skin colorism is very prevalent. I noticed that in many ads from Japan the trend is to have the models more western (big round eyes, and skin that looks like it would burn in partial shade :)). In the Philippines there are even skin lightening creams! Also, many women there wear light colored makeup to appear light skinned.
Ah gee Tuba, you had to ruin my counterexample. Anyway you gave support to my argument that unless the part says black, more likly than not they wont cast black.
Furt, I may have an explination for that. Animation became big in Japan and Asia after WWII. In Japan, this came along with the desire to become integrated with the west. Be like America. So in that regard, ths came through in their drawings.
I’m curious if the parts of the President in Deep Impact and the “old lag” (forgot the name) in Shawshank Redemption were originally “written black” or if Morgan Freeman being cast for them is the counterexample you’re looking for.
The part of “Red” in Shawshank Redemption was not ‘written black.’ The novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption was written by Stephen King, and set in Maine (IIRC). The novella didn’t make an issue of race one way or another (not too many blacks in mid-century Maine I wouldn’t think), and Red was Irish. An excellent read, BTW.
Regarding Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager :
When I first saw the character of Tuvok, my very first thoughts were of a 1970s Saturday Morning cartoon series called The Super Friends. One of the super-heroes added to the series in its third year was named – I kid you not – Black Vulcan!
Quick-N-Dirty Aviation: Trading altitude for airspeed since 1992.
AWB:
What about on “Star Trek: Voyager”.
B’Elanna Torres is always fighting the inner rage of her heritage. C’mon, Latinos aren’t all hot-tempered!
andros:
Voyager has a hotheaded latina (Torres), a science-savant asian (Kim), a violent black (Security chief Tuvok), and a philosophical amerind (Chakotay). Not to mention Janeway as the mother figure, nurturing and caring, yet violently defending her brood.
I was joking about her Latino side being the cause of Torres’ temper. Everyone knows it’s 'cause she’s a woman.
(ducking)
Yes, it’s another joke!
The Peyote Coyote: I thought of a few more cartoon characters, SterlingNorth.
Lt. Flap and Cpl. Yo in Beetle Bailey.
I haven’t seen Yo in quite a while. I think there was too much protest in his stereotypicity (is that a word?), and he was quietly removed.
What about Ms. Buxley, the general’s sexy civilian secretary? She complains about sexual harassment, yet continues to wear micro-mini skirts that would make Ally McBeal blush. Not that I’m saying that she’s asking for it. I just think she should have some professionalism and wear more conservative outfits.
What would happen if we took this debate, and moved it to another locale?
like. . .maybe, France?
Here’s an interesting tangent on television diversity. . .
Another Battle of TV Diversity (LA Times)
It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either.
—Mark Twain