It is no secret on this blog that I am a lover of good politic commentary on TV shows. I personally believe that when used right, TV shows end up revealing a lot about our society and the world around us. Parks and Recreation has proven to be an absolute delight in this regard. Within the space of 21 minutes, they manage to touch upon and portray all kinds of issues; feminism, sexism in the workplace, racism, the perils and pitfalls of government, dealing with history, gay marriage, love in the workplace, dating issues and depression. I relish watching a show that provides me with so much food for thought and manages to point out and explore so many issues with respect and sensitivity, using humor and sarcasm as the vehicles but also approaching them with seriousness.
I will delve better into the feminist aspect later but I want to point out two specific examples in which Parks and Rec has made political commentary
Season 2 had an entire episode dedicated to the issue of gay marriage. Leslie accidentally married two gay penguins and was harassed for it. She defended her choice. I was cheering pretty much the entire time I watched the episode and it is one of my favorites. 21 minutes dedicated to nothing but pushing this important issue. It was great
Click here to watch
The issue concerning Tom's name. Tom's original name was Indian Muslim but he changed it because dark-skinned people with funny sounding Muslim names aren't going to make it far in politics. Watching that scene made me sad. It speaks volumes about racial issues and prejudices regarding skin color and religion. I know it's a TV show but I think a lot of people have found themselves in this place. Obama did become president but many still believe he is a Muslim. I have traveled to India and I know Indian Muslims face greta prejudice in their own country as well as abroad in every aspect of life - so yeah, they got a point across
Click here to watch - what's in a name
I have already covered the episode where they dealt with the issue of Native-Americans. This scene stands out to me specifically. No humor involved or anything, only seriousness to get the point across. And that they did.
Click here to watch - map of pawnee
Parks and rec does really well with political commentary and it is one of the reasons I like the show so much. It brings depth and seriousness to TV which is important.
I will delve better into the feminist aspect later but I want to point out two specific examples in which Parks and Rec has made political commentary
Season 2 had an entire episode dedicated to the issue of gay marriage. Leslie accidentally married two gay penguins and was harassed for it. She defended her choice. I was cheering pretty much the entire time I watched the episode and it is one of my favorites. 21 minutes dedicated to nothing but pushing this important issue. It was great
Click here to watch
The issue concerning Tom's name. Tom's original name was Indian Muslim but he changed it because dark-skinned people with funny sounding Muslim names aren't going to make it far in politics. Watching that scene made me sad. It speaks volumes about racial issues and prejudices regarding skin color and religion. I know it's a TV show but I think a lot of people have found themselves in this place. Obama did become president but many still believe he is a Muslim. I have traveled to India and I know Indian Muslims face greta prejudice in their own country as well as abroad in every aspect of life - so yeah, they got a point across
Click here to watch - what's in a name
I have already covered the episode where they dealt with the issue of Native-Americans. This scene stands out to me specifically. No humor involved or anything, only seriousness to get the point across. And that they did.
Click here to watch - map of pawnee
Parks and rec does really well with political commentary and it is one of the reasons I like the show so much. It brings depth and seriousness to TV which is important.
No comments:
Post a Comment