3 ms·

Curiously though I always thought the show portrayed the US protagonists in a less than flattering light. I can't speak of the biggottery the 'hackers' mention

by kelvin0 11y ago

Curiously though I always thought the show portrayed the US protagonists in a less than flattering light. I can't speak of the biggottery the 'hackers' mention ... but clearly (to me at least) the decisions made by the agents are very nuanced and show some disturbing disregard for the impact of their actions and the short-sightedness of their attacks.

smt88 11y ago
I think "nuanced" is the key there. Also, when you're portraying a minority, the effect of your work will be different. If you live in the US, chances are excellent that you know a variety of white people well. Some are good, some are bad. Chances are much worse that you know Muslims or Middle Eastern immigrants well. Muslims are one of the most discriminated against minorities in the US, and there's some shocking witch-hunt-esque rhetoric coming from the conservative right that makes it even more problematic. I'm not saying that a TV show is responsible for righting society's wrongs (or even contradicting stereotypes), but they can certainly make small narrative tweaks to portray people as people, rather than flat stereotypes. It makes the show better, too.
- briandear 11y ago
  Interesting because Christians are among the most discriminated against groups in the Middle East. Pot, meet kettle.
  - rmxt 11y ago
    Yes, because Western media conglomerates should operate using the same tactics that media companies in the Islamosphere use. /s Other countries' media's lack of nuance is no excuse for Western media's lack of nuance.
  - smt88 11y ago
    1) That was completely non-sequitur. I didn't say Christians are primarily responsible for discriminating against Muslims. 2) The people persecuting Christians in (some of) the Middle East aren't the same people facing persecution here. It's unfair to assume they're guilty of bigotry just because someone else who shares their religion is. Should we assume all Catholics molest children because some do? Are all Protestants members of the Klan? 3) I'm from the US, and I'm not bigoted toward Muslims or Christians (nor do I belong to either group). I'm neither pot nor kettle, so your nonsensical comment means even less to me.

by kelvin0 11y ago

smt88 11y ago

I think "nuanced" is the key there. Also, when you're portraying a minority, the effect of your work will be different. If you live in the US, chances are excellent that you know a variety of white people well. Some are good, some are bad. Chances are much worse that you know Muslims or Middle Eastern immigrants well. Muslims are one of the most discriminated against minorities in the US, and there's some shocking witch-hunt-esque rhetoric coming from the conservative right that makes it even more problematic. I'm not saying that a TV show is responsible for righting society's wrongs (or even contradicting stereotypes), but they can certainly make small narrative tweaks to portray people as people, rather than flat stereotypes. It makes the show better, too.

briandear 11y ago
Interesting because Christians are among the most discriminated against groups in the Middle East. Pot, meet kettle.
- rmxt 11y ago
  Yes, because Western media conglomerates should operate using the same tactics that media companies in the Islamosphere use. /s Other countries' media's lack of nuance is no excuse for Western media's lack of nuance.
- smt88 11y ago
  1) That was completely non-sequitur. I didn't say Christians are primarily responsible for discriminating against Muslims. 2) The people persecuting Christians in (some of) the Middle East aren't the same people facing persecution here. It's unfair to assume they're guilty of bigotry just because someone else who shares their religion is. Should we assume all Catholics molest children because some do? Are all Protestants members of the Klan? 3) I'm from the US, and I'm not bigoted toward Muslims or Christians (nor do I belong to either group). I'm neither pot nor kettle, so your nonsensical comment means even less to me.