time for more TV in class

Nov 10, 2008 15:20

If you were going to show an episode of Firefly specifically to talk about race, which one would you choose?

I'm leaning towards "Objects in Space" because of the Operative, but I don't know if it's the best one to use.

race, help me lj you're my only hope, fandom, firefly

Leave a comment

Comments 29

hedonistpoet November 10 2008, 22:22:46 UTC
If we're going to talk about the "absence of race" as a marker of problematic television, you can go pretty much everywhere in television. The Zoe/Walsh dynamic is MUCH more about gender - Zoe's aggressive sexual nature simply does not fit into 20/21st century stereotypes about aggressive (ANGRY) sexual (voracious) black people. Book is arguably within the "Magical Negro" category, but a weak example of it.

I love Firefly, but this seems out of place. If you want to just show Firefly, fine. But if you want to really get discussion on race going, there are far better places to go. What are your goals?

Reply

cabell November 10 2008, 22:31:49 UTC
To me, the fact that the world of Firefly is explicitly meant to be some kind of Chinese-European fusion culture makes the absence of Asian people a much stronger example than in programming that doesn't appropriate markers of a culture, like language, without representing the people who are supposed to have contributed them.

I think that Zoe's overall representation as a strong aggressive woman IS linked to her race--all of the women on the show (except River) are fairly sexual, so I agree that's not as relevant to her characterization. But I think it's a point for discussion that the "soldier" woman is Black (and the prostitute is not Asian, but represented in a very "geisha-fied" way).

I'm not sure why you think that the characterization of Book as a Magical Negro is particularly weak. What's your reasoning?

Reply

hedonistpoet November 10 2008, 23:09:46 UTC
With regards to missing Asians where they ought be, if you're going to go with that, show Kung Fu. There, it is more explicit. The Magic Negro is typically the means with which all the whities can find solution to a problem. Through the Magic Negro one finds the solution to the great crisis. S/he points the way... He is a weak Magical Negro because his knowledge and help is largely pretty limited. He does not generally act as a means to salvation. His character is far more about the mystery of the redeemed regretful warrior with a past he . If he were to play out the Magical Negro character, he would not be being used in the reversal of the confessional (between him and Inara in the pilot). Again, Joss is doing one of his favorites: reversing the convention, turning expectation on its head ( ... )

Reply

goddess32585 November 10 2008, 22:42:58 UTC
I don't think it's just 'absence of race' we're going for; the Firefly universe explicitly includes tons of non-white/East and South* Asian cultural artifacts, but lost all the Asians themselves somewhere along the way. It's not news that most TV doesn't even try that hard, but I think it's worth talking about stuff that tries and fails.

Also, I think Firefly's SF status lends itself to better/more speculative analysis than, say, The Wire, which is my current fave example of TV that tackles race in a fairly explicit way. I can see that show engendering a whole lot of defensive missing-the-point.

*Inara being not just a space geisha, but dressing in saris and other Indian-styled silks; Simon also appears in some fascinating suits at times.

Reply


fennel November 10 2008, 22:43:32 UTC
I'm curious-- what do you make of Jubal Early, looking at him through the lens of race?

Reply

cabell November 10 2008, 22:45:15 UTC
I'm watching the ep now, and the threats of sexual violence he makes seem REALLY gratuitous. It's hard to read them in any way other than as the usual Black male sexual threat.

Reply

fennel November 10 2008, 22:51:08 UTC
Wow, I did not remember that at all. (It's been a while.)

Reply


were_duck November 10 2008, 23:12:43 UTC
Hi! (I'm so friending you, not sure why I haven't done so already, hope you don't mind!)

I think that discussing the depiction (or lack thereof) of race in Firefly is a worthy pursuit. Does it fit with the other material being taught in the course (I don't even know what the course is about, so.)

If you're looking for a genre show with problematic depictions of race, I would suggest Heroes, especially the Season 2 bits with Maya and Alejandro being illegal immigrants, the Haitian, etc--it might be easier to get students to discuss something that IS there than something that ISN'T, if that makes sense.

I mean, I completely agree that the lack of Asian actors/characters in Firefly is a clear example of cultural appropriation without representation, but... how do you plan to get your students to engage with this issue beyond simply pointing it out to them?

Reply

cabell November 10 2008, 23:36:42 UTC
I actually decided to go with Objects precisely because it has some really gratuitous threatening Black male sexuality in it, which I think is a good counterpoint. I will emphasize to them that bad characters of color are not necessarily a bad thing, but that there seems no reason for this in the episode; it's unnecessary and plays up to an obvious stereotype.

The class is race & ethnicity and we're talking about race in the media tomorrow, specifically TV shows and movies, so. :-)

Reply


Almost totally, completely off topic kaygigi November 10 2008, 23:33:36 UTC
A friend of mine in my program mentioned at some point last week her fear that Barack Obama was the Magic Negro of politics, some president-elect Baggar Vance to lead the White House and White Congress to salvation.
::sigh:: I wish I got to teach something more interesting than 101.

Otherwise, I'm not up on Firefly, so I can't comment on a specific episode.

Reply


raz0rgirl November 11 2008, 01:34:19 UTC
"Objects in Space" bothered me *a lot*. I think it's illustrative of a general pattern in much of Joss Whedon's stuff when it comes to black men, particularly when it comes to threatening white female characters who are presented as extra vulnerable.

Reply

cabell November 11 2008, 05:16:46 UTC
Yes, that was definitely my impression, and it's why I ended up deciding to use that one--the absence of Asians plus the gratuitous threatening Black male sexuality.

Reply


Leave a comment

Up