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,
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Comments 29
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?
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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?
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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.
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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?
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The class is race & ethnicity and we're talking about race in the media tomorrow, specifically TV shows and movies, so. :-)
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::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.
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