Is This Sheer Patronising Towards Black People?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2465784/Downton-Abbey-creator-Julian-Fellowes-opens-need-black-role-models-television.html

If a character in a play, film, tv programme etc, etc needs to be a black person, then all right they should be selected, but to create parts simply to provide the token black person for political correct reasons is wrong.

/// Julian Fellowes believes it is necessary – because the black community need to see more positive role models on TV. ///

We are seeing this type of thing happening all over the media, but what about the Chinese community do they ever get their fair share of opportunities?

[anotheoldgit]

/// The point is that there should be more opportunities for our talented black and Asian actors here in the UK...because what happens, is that we lose them to the US who are streets ahead of us in terms of casting. ///

/// I think we might be agreeing on this - most roles will go to white
actors. ///

Well I have no control over how our producers programme planners etc choose their shows. But to get us back to square one in a predominate white country and it is obvious that there are going to be more opportunities for white actors.

That is not saying that others should be excluded, but then they are not are they, there have been some shows in which Asian actors have been in the majority and as you say, in inner city dramas for example there are plenty of black actors.

[anotheoldgit]

THECORBYLOON

/// That first para was meant to be in quotes from ANOTHEOLDGIT by the way... ///

And what the hell had your second paragraph got anything to do with what I said?

[THECORBYLOON]

You are saying that having female sports and weather presenters are examples of tokenism and not because they are good at what they do, the same with Asian and black reporters. Do you think the same about female and non-white doctors for exampe? What about Mrs Thatcher, was that tokenism?
Are you saying that women and non-whites are not employed on merit?

[anotheoldgit]

THECORBYLOON

howe many times have you heard there are not enough black police officers, not enough black front benches, not enough black football managers rtc, equally can be said regarding women.

No I have nothing against putting the right person in the job on merit, in fact I applaud it, be them Male, female, black, brown, or any shade of skin colour, but I am totally against tokenism.

[THECORBYLOON]

You said that having female weather and sports presenters was tokenism. You said having black and Asian reporters was tokenism. Can you name three or four examples of each who are not employed on merit (in your opinion), say how long they been doing that job and explain in what way or ways they are lacking in ability. Thanks.

[sp1814]

AOG

I was 100% correct on how the Daily Mail brigade would react to a black character appearing in Downton Abbey.

Look at the top rated responses to the Julian Fellowes report, and the first report (from earlier this year) when it was announced.

[sp1814]

AOG

When I wrote that your post 'bothers' me - I was being very, very polite.

If you must know, originally I had written something overly aggressive because people who write about black people succeeding through tokenism and political correctness - well, I think that they're complete twits.

And yes, 'twit' is a typo.

However, I thought it wouldn't help the debate to start levelling personal insults, so I deleted some of the more pejorative terms and toned my post WAY down.

I felt it was good manners.

[sp1814]

AOG

"Good for you, but it seems strange how you can afford to spend the vast amount of time that you spend on this web site, if you have the busy work load that you say you have."

I travel from one of our offices in London to another - I have a mobile phone which is internet connected. In 'downtime' I like to kill time on the journey on AB.

Hope that explains everything for you.

[sp1814]

AOG

You wrote:

"As regards "reflecting real life" that you refer to, there are villages in England, that are inhabited by the same white families who have lived there for generation after generation, and even a white person from another area is looked down upon, so if a TV drama/soap was set in such a village, why should a black person be placed in that village, if not for in a purely token gesture?"

Well unfortunately for your argument, the BBC's biggest new hit drama of the year featured an all white cast, and no-one had a problem with it.

It was called 'The Fall'.

And then of course, there was ITV's biggest new hit drama - 'Broadchurch'.

No-one had a problem with that all white cast either.