It is with heavy heart that I announce that I am turning off Grey’s Anatomy for good. So long McDreamy, Grey, Addison, Preston and the rest of you. I just can’t seem to care anymore. When I first tuned in, I thought I was getting hooked on a show that was going to be smart and snarky and real. I thought I was going to get a dose of medical drama, coupled with the real-life drama that comes from mixing up a whole bunch of beautiful people from diverse backgrounds in a high-pressured situation. But instead, after last week’s episode, I realized Grey’s Anatomy is just another nightime soap opera with colored faces.
And I know there’s a need for TV drama with a multicultural cast that isn’t about RACE. It’s supposed to be about the characters. I get that. But note to GA’s writing team, you can’t ignore the R-word either. And maybe they dabbled with racial themes during the first seasons, but still, I just can’t watch a super successful Black doctor get ready to marry a Korean woman and the race thing doesn’t pop up. I keep waiting for a Black nurse with attitude to get in Sandra Oh's face or at least give her some shade in the hallways. I’ve had Korean friends who would have thrown themselves under a train before telling their parents they were dating a Brother Man. And please tell me that Working Class White Boy George and his family have/had nothing to say about his new wife’s Hispanic background? I’m not saying these have to be major plot points, but it would be nice to see them hashed out. I mean why have all this diversity if it’s not going to be utilized to the fullest?
I think I’m going to have to return to American Idol for my Affirmative Action TV viewing. I have a hunch a race war is going to ensue if Sanjaya, the cute Indian boy with the questionable vocals continues to get the votes to stay on the show. Some people are saying Indians en masse are voting for him. Power to the people. Stay tuned.
Peace!
(Photo Courtesy of GreysAnatomyInsider.com)
3 comments:
I know what you mean. But I do appreciate the escape from race once and a while.
Hey, Lori. I'm not a Grey's watcher, but I'm not surprised. Friday night Bill Moyers (who I like) interviewed a black guy who had been wrongly incarcerated for 25 years. Moyers seemed outraged and incredulous that such a thing could have happened in the United States, but he never brought up race as one of the potential factors that influenced the case. If serious journalists don't mention racism, except when it's in reaction to some celebrity slip (Don Imus, Michael Richards, etc.), I'm not surprised fiction writers shy aware from it too. My guess: too many white viewers don't want to see reality reflected back to them.
Hi there. I’ve just started reading your blog. I’m going from the earliest posts to the latest and so far I’ve really enjoyed them:) I don’t usually comment on ppls blogs, but I did wanna say something about this post. You make a good point, but I feel that although race is a very real part of an interracial union, I don’t always find it entertaining as a subplot. I appreciate GA somewhat dismissal of the issue. It gets old and sometimes comes off as a cop out for a story line. I don’t watch GA, but I do know I would be even more annoyed if they had decided to throw some kind of racial conflict thingy in there. I don’t feel like I’m making a lot of sense, lol. This why I don’t comment on ppls blogs :P
Anyway, great stuff. I was at Borders the other day reading The Audacity of Hope (great book--but you probably already know that) and on my way out I saw your book on the shelf. It caught my eye because ever since I started going natural (October 2005) any image of natural hair makes me do a double take. I flipped through it really quick because my mom was riding my ass about hurrying up so we wouldn’t be late for this thing. I tried to remember your name and promised myself to Google it when I got home. Well...I did, and that’s when I came across your wonderful blog. I don’t have much money at all but the next time I get 30 bucks I’m gonna buy your book. I’m sure I’ll be in for a good read.
Regards,
Jessie
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