FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: JonFromMaplewood on June 30, 2010, 11:09:01 AM
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Many people on this board know a lot about TV, and that includes the business of TV and the people behind the scenes. This question is for you.
I can only judge NBC's new show Outsourced by the trailer, which I know is not enough. But based only on that, it looks straight up racist. I do not like to jump to conclusions and so I am on a fact-finding mission (I cannot seem to find anything on the web about this other than promotional stuff). Is there something the trailer is not showing us that will balance out all of the Indian caricatures? Perhaps some Indian characters who are equivalent to the American POV character?
Does anyone know?
Thanks,
JfM
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I saw the film that the sitcom is based on (also called OUTSOURCED, available on Netflix instant), and it was pretty okay. Certainly not as offensive looking as the promos for the sitcom. The tv show looks gross and I'm already mad about it.
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Racist or not, I'm already mad at it because it's the reason "Parks and Rec" won't be back on for like a year or something.
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I'll watch the first few episodes. Unless I'm completely naive, I can't imagine NBC would greenlight a series that's TOO offensive towards Indian culture. On the same token, I could see a non-cable network try to cash in on the successes of "Sunny in Philly," for example, and try to throw unintelligent, stupid and, ultimately, offensive jokes on screen and pass it off as "edgy."
Here's a review of the Pilot: http://www.cliqueclack.com/tv/2010/05/28/nbc%E2%80%99s-outsourced-pilot-script-review/. The mediocre review actually makes me want to watch it more to judge for myself.
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Racist or not, I'm already mad at it because it's the reason "Parks and Rec" won't be back on for like a year or something.
Exactly. The fact that it's bumping the current funniest show on Thurs. nights makes me hate it even more than I already would have.
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I'm currently pitching a sitcom called "Outraged" about a bunch of people who get outraged about stuff before they even see it.
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I'm currently pitching a sitcom called "Outraged" about a bunch of people who get outraged about stuff before they even see it.
That's an outrageous idea!
Do it!
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Related:
You know who can shut up?
Time Magazine's Joel Stein can shut up.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1999416,00.html
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Related:
You know who can shut up?
Time Magazine's Joel Stein can shut up.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1999416,00.html
What the fucking fuck? That has to be the most racist thing to have ever been associated with Time Magazine.
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The worst thing about racism is that it's so totally racist.
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Related:
You know who can shut up?
Time Magazine's Joel Stein can shut up.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1999416,00.html
All the changes that he's complaining about actually sound like distinct improvements.
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Folks,
Call me brilliant, but I am getting the feeling from the heavy sarcasm on this thread that my original post is being mocked. I thought I made it clear in the original post that I do not want to jump to conclusions, that the show may be completely irreverent and may turn the stereotypes on their heads, etc. And that was why I was asking around. The trailer in and of itself is racist in my opinion because it does not once balance out the comical Indian characters with anyone else. So I was curious if anyone knew anything in advance about the show itself.
C'mon guys. I am not going to act like a protester outside of Life of Brian who never saw the thing. I am asking about the show, that is all. Just wanted to get a discussion going.
And yes, I get that the Time Magazine article is supposed to be a gag.
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Unfortunately, one of those gags that will be taken as entirely seriously by those of a certain bent. (And I'm not talking about you, Samir.)
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Yes, Stein's "joking," but he's still being a racist asshole.
One thing that does surprise and fascinate me, though, is the Jersey-fication of a lot of first- and second-generation Asian kids. I taught a lot of them at Rutgers.
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Folks,
Call me brilliant, but I am getting the feeling from the heavy sarcasm on this thread that my original post is being mocked. I thought I made it clear in the original post that I do not want to jump to conclusions, that the show may be completely irreverent and may turn the stereotypes on their heads, etc. And that was why I was asking around. The trailer in and of itself is racist in my opinion because it does not once balance out the comical Indian characters with anyone else. So I was curious if anyone knew anything in advance about the show itself.
C'mon guys. I am not going to act like a protester outside of Life of Brian who never saw the thing. I am asking about the show, that is all. Just wanted to get a discussion going.
And yes, I get that the Time Magazine article is supposed to be a gag.
I could see how my message could be perceived as teasing. My apologies. I was trying to be a goofball more than trying to put anyone down. I hadn't heard of it until this thread. I'm sure that your viewpoint from seeing the trailer is totally merited. Plus its NBC, they have maybe two decent shows? I wouldn't put it past them to play up stereotypes for ratings.
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Unfortunately, one of those gags that will be taken as entirely seriously by those of a certain bent. (And I'm not talking about you, Samir.)
Duh, that's me, I guess. What can I say? Joel Stein's wit flew over my head.
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I meant your racist types, Bryan. I can see a lot of people reading that article and nodding in agreement.
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Ha ha, yeah, but knee-jerk PC scolds like me are just as likely to take it at face value!
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Unfortunately, one of those gags that will be taken as entirely seriously by those of a certain bent. (And I'm not talking about you, Samir.)
Just like Nicolò Machiavelli's The Prince.
And "greed is good" from Wall Street.
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Oh, don't get me wrong, Bryan: I knew it was intended to be a joke, yet my hackles still rose.
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I was being 100% serious and refuse to apologize for my hilarious/insightful line.
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Unfortunately, one of those gags that will be taken as entirely seriously by those of a certain bent. (And I'm not talking about you, Samir.)
Duh, that's me, I guess. What can I say? Joel Stein's wit flew over my head.
Yea, I'm totally lost, too.
I worked with one of the two guys from those cell phone commercials the other day. He was a nice dude. He's laughing all the way to the bank on that one.
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Unfortunately, one of those gags that will be taken as entirely seriously by those of a certain bent. (And I'm not talking about you, Samir.)
Sorry, I should have clarified...I got that the article was a gag, but a really awful, unfunny gag.
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I think I know what you mean Jon. If I saw the trailer with no other context, it would make me pretty wary.
Here's what I'm wondering, though - did the writers/network think this show would avoid backlash because Indians are perceived as being so well-integrated into Western culture at this point? The cultural and business relationships that exist between the West and India at this point are part of our everyday lives, especially those of us who work in technology. Also, the cast is largely Indian, so it's not like a minstrel show where their identities are being projected by White actors in bad faith. Maybe the writers thought satirizing an office of Indian employees isn't too different than making fun of "our own" (think of Texans and Mexicans portrayed in King of the Hill or the cast of Trailer Park Boys). On one hand the show seems like it's skating thin ice, but it also seems like they're trying to be more topical than racist. Then again, I've only read reviews, haven't see the whole show.
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I think I know what you mean Jon. If I saw the trailer with no other context, it would make me pretty wary.
Here's what I'm wondering, though - did the writers/network think this show would avoid backlash because Indians are perceived as being so well-integrated into Western culture at this point? The cultural and business relationships that exist between the West and India at this point are part of our everyday lives, especially those of us who work in technology. Also, the cast is largely Indian, so it's not like a minstrel show where their identities are being projected by White actors in bad faith. Maybe the writers thought satirizing an office of Indian employees isn't too different than making fun of "our own" (think of Texans and Mexicans portrayed in King of the Hill or the cast of Trailer Park Boys). On one hand the show seems like it's skating thin ice, but it also seems like they're trying to be more topical than racist. Then again, I've only read reviews, haven't see the whole show.
I thought the joke in Trailer Park Boys was that nobody there is actually like that. I don't know, I've never been.
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FWIW, Indian folks are falling on both sides of the fence about this show as well (http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/006165.html (http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/006165.html)). The movie handled the culture clash thing tolerably, but it looks like the show will be more broad with the humor. As an Indian, I definitely have mixed emotions about this kind of show, but I don't think it's out and out racism. The poster on the link above talks about cringing and laughing at the same time, which is pretty accurate. I'm guessing after the first few episodes, it'll settle down into an Office style modern comedy.
And hey, it can't be any worse than Aliens in America, right?
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I thought the joke in Trailer Park Boys was that nobody there is actually like that. I don't know, I've never been.
Nope. Canada's got its share of redneck goons, too.
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I can attest to that: I'm friendly with a bunch of them.
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Unfortunately, one of those gags that will be taken as entirely seriously by those of a certain bent. (And I'm not talking about you, Samir.)
Duh, that's me, I guess. What can I say? Joel Stein's wit flew over my head.
We sincerely regret that any of our readers were upset by this humor column of Joel Stein's. It was in no way intended to cause offense.
I didn't get it either. I though I knew what humor was, too.
But seriously, passing racism off as comedy/humor is weak and lazy. And racist.
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That tea party letter was hilarious, though.
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Duh, that's me, I guess. What can I say? Joel Stein's wit flew over my head.
I've since realized that at least part of my "not getting it" was due to the fact that I'd mixed up the author with Ben Stein.
I've enjoyed some of Joel Stein's work in the past - I thought his Q&As were pretty funny, years ago. But this piece was pretty clumsy.
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You guys said "racist" eight times in this thread.
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You guys said "racist" eight times in this thread.
Racists!?!
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Unfortunately, one of those gags that will be taken as entirely seriously by those of a certain bent. (And I'm not talking about you, Samir.)
Sorry, I should have clarified...I got that the article was a gag, but a really awful, unfunny gag.
It was meant to be funny and edgy...like Michael Richards!
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I thought the movie Outsourced was cute; there, I said it, cute. Meaningless, frivolous, trivial fun. 100 minutes is about all you could get out of that comedic premise, so the TV show is doomed, much like Cavemen.
How about a cross-cultural comedy about a lumbering but well-meaning guy from the south who comes to live for a year with radio host and his charming lady friend? Much hilarity would ensue as this bumpkin is introduced to the bucolic wonderland that is the enlightened north! Many lessons would be shared across the boundless cultural divide separating upper-middle class white southerners and upper middle-class white northerners.
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How about a cross-cultural comedy about a lumbering but well-meaning guy from the south who comes to live for a year with radio host and his charming lady friend? Much hilarity would ensue as this bumpkin is introduced to the bucolic wonderland that is the enlightened north! Many lessons would be shared across the boundless cultural divide separating upper-middle class white southerners and upper middle-class white northerners.
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
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I thought the movie Outsourced was cute; there, I said it, cute. Meaningless, frivolous, trivial fun. 100 minutes is about all you could get out of that comedic premise, so the TV show is doomed, much like Cavemen.
How about a cross-cultural comedy about a lumbering but well-meaning guy from the south who comes to live for a year with radio host and his charming lady friend? Much hilarity would ensue as this bumpkin is introduced to the bucolic wonderland that is the enlightened north! Many lessons would be shared across the boundless cultural divide separating upper-middle class white southerners and upper middle-class white northerners.
The North has had it's fair share of racists throughout history (including recent history). I hope no one is deluding themselves that The North has always been a benevolent beacon of Enlightenment.
But I think your pitch should get the green light.
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That show would have a lot to offer both upper-middle class Northerners and upper-middle class Southerners. I'm thinking it would even test well with upper-middle class Midwesterners, although I'm not sure how it would play to upper-middle class Pacific Northwesterners.
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I am just waiting for Tom and his lady friend to "green light" this project. And by "green light" I mean send me his address and a 1-way plane ticket.
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Maybe you should get his cell number first, then you can go from there, homeboy.
(I did like that story)
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I am just waiting for Tom and his lady friend to "green light" this project. And by "green light" I mean send me his address and a 1-way plane ticket.
"Andy from Knoxville, Dad's going away for awhile. You're the man of the house now."
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I thought the movie Outsourced was cute; there, I said it, cute. Meaningless, frivolous, trivial fun. 100 minutes is about all you could get out of that comedic premise, so the TV show is doomed, much like Cavemen.
How about a cross-cultural comedy about a lumbering but well-meaning guy from the south who comes to live for a year with radio host and his charming lady friend? Much hilarity would ensue as this bumpkin is introduced to the bucolic wonderland that is the enlightened north! Many lessons would be shared across the boundless cultural divide separating upper-middle class white southerners and upper middle-class white northerners.
The character should be visibly offended at every northern diner that doesn't serve souse with biscuits.
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Here we go.
Can't wait.
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Didn't watch. Verdict?
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I watched about two-thirds of it. The jokes were really unfunny to me (e.g., Indian food will give you diarrhea, Indians have "wacky" names like "Manmeet"). I didn't like Community and Parks and Rec. at first, so maybe I'll end up liking this. I doubt it though.
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I accidentally watched a few minutes after The Office. I guess you could say it was racist? It was mostly just offensively base and unfunny. Indian names are funny compared to ours! Indian food is so gross! Hate.
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Really bad. I don't like The Office and it's intentionally awkward humor, it's even worse when it's unitentionally awkward.
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Yep, like others have said, what's offensive is how lazy and unfunny it is.
Here's a sentence I thought I'd never write: One guy from Das Racist (of Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell fame) wrote a pretty well-reasoned assessment (http://stereogum.com/522812/op-ed-by-das-racists-himanshu-suri-you-know-thats-saag-paneer-dude/franchises/op-ed/) of the show.
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Glad he gave Goodness Gracious Me the stamp of approval. That show made me laugh sometimes, although it was often broader than I like and relied on repeat schticks a lot.
Outsourced stinks, by the way. And not just because it's unfunny and lazy. It's the kind of show that reinforces and legitimizes stereotypes for those so inclined even while it pays (very faint) lip service to their dismantling. Dirty.
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And not just because it's unfunny and lazy. It's the kind of show that reinforces and legitimizes stereotypes for those so inclined even while it pays (very faint) lip service to their dismantling. Dirty.
That's a perfect way to put it.
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So wait, does Parks & Rec get better? I gave up after 2 episodes.
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I gave up on Parks & Rec after four-five episodes, came back for season two, loved it! It improved 100000% between S1 and S2, in my opinion.
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Is it racist humor? This thread wasn't started because the show looked unfunny.
Also, I agree with Martin about parks and rec.
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My father is Indian and he felt the show was degrading and not at all amusing, as would be expected.
As I stated on Twitter, I thought it was terrible. Not because I thought it was racially offensive, but because I thought it was pretty much devoid of any humor.
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I hate that NBC tricked me into watching this dumb show by putting it when 30 Rock is supposed to be on.
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I hate that NBC tricked me into watching this dumb show by putting it when 30 Rock is supposed to be on.
And it took you the entire show to work that out?
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Man, this Outsourced commercial is lasting forever...
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I hate that NBC tricked me into watching this dumb show by putting it when 30 Rock is supposed to be on.
And it took you the entire show to work that out?
Work is hard!
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By way of comparison, for anyone like myself who's not up to date, Netflix Instant now has the complete Parks and Rec.