Comments on: Forget the one alien in America http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/ Thoughts on teaching and writing about south asian media and culture Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:49:02 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: aswinp http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-21 aswinp Thu, 04 Oct 2007 01:50:56 +0000 http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-21 Jonathan - I *really* like your thought about "spreading the burden of acting and scripting." And yes, there is a hint about rural Canada and xenophobia in Little Mosque - in several episodes, characters make snide remarks about Mercy not being Toronto and so on. Jonathan – I *really* like your thought about “spreading the burden of acting and scripting.” And yes, there is a hint about rural Canada and xenophobia in Little Mosque – in several episodes, characters make snide remarks about Mercy not being Toronto and so on.

]]> By: Jonathan Gray http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-19 Jonathan Gray Wed, 03 Oct 2007 18:37:54 +0000 http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-19 My key concern, I guess, is exactly that, Aswin, and you hit the nail on the head -- its set-up restricts a lot of prospect for nuance. Going into it, I felt that so much rested on the shoulders of one young actor, but therein lies the problem. Compare to The Wire, for instance, which is full of African American crack dealers, crack addicts, corrupt cops, corrupt politicians, etc. ... yet also has many other African American characters, spreading the burden of acting and scripting across so many characters that nuance is practically inevitable. Aliens may well challenge stereotypes to a degree, but it seems to be batting in a minor league, rather than actually aiming for success in the majors. I'm also bothered by how often these stories are told re: small towns, so that urban America can convince itself that the nation's rampant xenophobia only really takes place in small towns (Jon Kraszewski's chapter in Sue Murray and Laurie Ouellette's Reality TV makes the same argument about racism in Real World - that it's always from rural Americans). [This isn't a comment directed at Little Mosque too, which I haven't yet seen] My key concern, I guess, is exactly that, Aswin, and you hit the nail on the head — its set-up restricts a lot of prospect for nuance. Going into it, I felt that so much rested on the shoulders of one young actor, but therein lies the problem. Compare to The Wire, for instance, which is full of African American crack dealers, crack addicts, corrupt cops, corrupt politicians, etc. … yet also has many other African American characters, spreading the burden of acting and scripting across so many characters that nuance is practically inevitable. Aliens may well challenge stereotypes to a degree, but it seems to be batting in a minor league, rather than actually aiming for success in the majors.

I’m also bothered by how often these stories are told re: small towns, so that urban America can convince itself that the nation’s rampant xenophobia only really takes place in small towns (Jon Kraszewski’s chapter in Sue Murray and Laurie Ouellette’s Reality TV makes the same argument about racism in Real World – that it’s always from rural Americans). [This isn't a comment directed at Little Mosque too, which I haven't yet seen]

]]> By: aswinp http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-15 aswinp Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:12:04 +0000 http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-15 I was willing to look past that...and to be honest, I could sit through the show and even laugh at a few jokes. But I just can't see how they can develop the show into something more nuanced. I was willing to look past that…and to be honest, I could sit through the show and even laugh at a few jokes. But I just can’t see how they can develop the show into something more nuanced.

]]> By: amrita http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-14 amrita Tue, 02 Oct 2007 20:20:47 +0000 http://bollyspace.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/forget-the-one-alien-in-america/#comment-14 The name itself "aliens in america" kinda gets my knickers in a knot ... although we file non-resident/resident ALIEN taxes every year. The name itself “aliens in america” kinda gets my knickers in a knot … although we file non-resident/resident ALIEN taxes every year.

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