Thanks for posting the link again. I will go to it and check out the other tweets, though I'm sure it's going to be very painful to read them.
The whole concept of satirizing racism through comedy is very interesting but, obviously, fraught with danger. To cite one of the most famous examples, ALL IN THE FAMILY seemed to manage it brilliantly, and though of course I'm not sure about this, I think maybe that show would be completely accepted for its clear intent and without any controversy even if it was new today. But I'm sure there are many other examples of past attempts to satirize racism that were not successful at the time and/or wouldn't be viewed as successful today.
On a related note, I become very upset when I think of what happened with THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS -- a satire of very different form and tone, if indeed satire is the correct word -- in terms of the reaction to that show in some quarters and, in some cases, by people who hadn't even seen the show. |
