We're not talking about the viewers of the show, we're talking about the people (Muslims, Arabs, etc) who are affected by the people who choose to watch the show -- that is, the impact on the culture that racism has.
>Would you propose to curtail the right to free speech?
We already do. The FCC does this. But I'm not suggesting that there be a law against it -- though other countries have gone this route -- I'm critizing the production of the television show. For being racist.
>It's a TV show, not real life.
Ah, but here we are: it is real life for millions of Muslims. Remember after 9/11 when Sikhs got beat up because people thought they were Muslims? Remember in the 60s when a black man couldn't get a hotel room in Atlanta?
We know that television and media have an impact on people, their opinions, and how they treat others. The people who broadcast that content have a moral responsibility to use that power in a way that does not negatively impact a single group.
Edit: since we reached our limit here:
>So one of the solutions to solving fundamental societal problems is to criticize a TV show?
Sure has worked for gay people. The public opinion turnaround time for gay marriage has been astoundingly fast. Television featuring strong portrayals of gay people certainly helped.
The Bill Cosby show/Fresh prince of Bel Air showed African Americans in the non-sterotypical manner. How did that work out?
Outliers don't mean they work in all cases.
Again, I point to the fact that these are societal problems, you can't criticize writers and producers of a TV show with this burden. They aren't incarnations of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. They're just trying to make money, it's a TV show for the umpteenth time.
> We're not talking about the viewers of the show, we're talking about the people (Muslims, Arabs, etc) who are affected by the people who choose to watch the show -- that is, the impact on the culture that racism has.
I agree, but I don't agree that this is the problem of the show's creators.
> Ah, but here we are: it is real life for millions of Muslims. Remember after 9/11 when Sikhs got beat up because people thought they were Muslims? Remember in the 60s when a black man couldn't get a hotel room in Atlanta?
So one of the solutions to solving fundamental societal problems is to criticize a TV show?
We're not talking about the viewers of the show, we're talking about the people (Muslims, Arabs, etc) who are affected by the people who choose to watch the show -- that is, the impact on the culture that racism has.
>Would you propose to curtail the right to free speech?
We already do. The FCC does this. But I'm not suggesting that there be a law against it -- though other countries have gone this route -- I'm critizing the production of the television show. For being racist.
>It's a TV show, not real life.
Ah, but here we are: it is real life for millions of Muslims. Remember after 9/11 when Sikhs got beat up because people thought they were Muslims? Remember in the 60s when a black man couldn't get a hotel room in Atlanta?
We know that television and media have an impact on people, their opinions, and how they treat others. The people who broadcast that content have a moral responsibility to use that power in a way that does not negatively impact a single group.
Edit: since we reached our limit here:
>So one of the solutions to solving fundamental societal problems is to criticize a TV show?
Sure has worked for gay people. The public opinion turnaround time for gay marriage has been astoundingly fast. Television featuring strong portrayals of gay people certainly helped.