Racism in Media - Why in the effing does skin color matter?!

Now this post is not strictly TV related but it is media related so I´m letting it pass.

As I have already stated earlier I am a Scandinavian Caucasian with the whole shebang, formerly blond hair which mysteriously turned light brown a few years back, blue eyes and the skin color of a vampire. And because of that, the color of my skin, my race, I am save from racial slurs. Never, ever have I in my entire life encountered racial slurs based on my skin color. Not once.

But if the tables were turned and I was actually African, Hispanic or Asian I would have encountered a lot of racial slurs at my age. I would have been subjected to stereotypial remarks, racial slurs, prejudice and gross conjectures. All because of the color of my skin.

The only difference between me and girls my age that are of different races is the skin color and our looks. Nothing else. Yet, because of my ivory skin color I am safe from racial slurs, from predjudice.
It makes me want to hit my head against the wall that things work like that. Why on earth am I safer just because my skin color is pale? It is obviously not my fault I am white. I am an ethnic Scandinavian so it comes with the territory. But I am no more deserving than others of being safe from racism just because I sport a white skin. It is just my skin color and looks, nothing else.

I hate the fact that because of being  pale/Caucasian/looking like a vampire/having skin that always burns in the sunlight, people enjoy more rights, they are more safe, they get more chances.

The media offers an excellent look at just how prevalent racism is still today. Quvenzhané Wallis was subjected to the c-word. It´d not have happened had she been Caucasian
Amandla Stenberg was subjected to racism as well because of her skin color. People actually tweeted they were turned off by the fact that Rue was meant to be black. It says so in the bloody book! Unless people are color blind and read the word 'white' everywhere instead of 'black'.
Malia Obama was subjected to racism because of a t-shirt she was wearing

This article here on Rookie explains it all Rookie Magazine (click on it!)

Had those girls been white they would not have been subjected to those atrocities  Their skin color determined people's belief of whether they could be talked badly about and subjected to prejudice or not. Because they had dark skin it was deemed okay.

I am flabbergasted and furious that it is our skin color that determines whether it is okay to slander people or not. We all deserve respect and sensitivity IRREGARDLESS OF OUR SKIN COLOR.
I am worth no more and am a no better person because I look like a vampire. What determines my worth and how I should be treated in media (were I a public figure which I am thankfully not) is that I am a person, I am alive. The same goes for those beautiful girls and every single person that is subjected to racism in media. They all deserve it.

Every person deserves to be treated with respect and sensitivity. It is that simple.It is a no-brainer and it is something we all need to be aware of

Barrett Foa singing as Mitt Romney - an ode of love (and a rant on politics)

So just to get it cleared up - I love musicals, absolutely love them. I am a classically trained musician and music is a big part of my life. And I am a proud musical geek (favorites are Wicked and Mary Poppins).
So understandably I devour any piece from a new musical that comes my way.

But I am also a thinker and an observer with a great interest in international matters and media. And learning new things. And I have a tendency to get extremely interested in certain things and try learning about them as much as possible (this includes my long standing love affair with Russian culture and the language). And last autumn was an absolute field day for a nerd like me. The American presidential election was on!

I dove into it with enthusiasm and started following Romney and Obama and enlightening myself on their policies on various matters, the most interesting one being taxes, health care reform and international matters. And was I in for a "treat" (written with great sarcasm). or what. From the beginning of the campaigns, I sat in shock in front of my computer as I watched video after video, read article after article with misconceptions and slander about Europe as a whole. Mind you, the entire continent was spoken about as if we were one collective country (which we are NOT!).

Europe as a whole continent was called a socialist state and candidates promised they would NOT have a socialist government like Europe. 
Because yes, we are all socialist pigs and all belong to the same country and all have the same government
Russia was declared as USA's main enemy
The Cold War and WWII are still going on apparently and Russia still aims to destroy USA - the rest of Europe did not get the memo apparently
European health care was described as terrible over and over again
Yes, our hospitals are ran by government agent with the sole purpose of killing people, you found us out USA sadly
European governments control everything people do and have their nose in people´s personal affairs
Yes the government watches my every action and even has a camera in my bedroom

I can tell you that my jaw fell to the floor over and over again and I ranted again and again about the insanity of this. And Romney was at the top of his game when it came to international policy and Europe.
His Europe trip was England, Poland and Israel. Apparently Europe only consists of three countries.
His vice president candidate declared Russia to be USA's number one enemy and talked about it being communist
He spoke in his foreign policy (and I read this with my own eyes) of having people come over to USA from Russia to get ideas on democracy and such things and then they cold go back home to Russia and educate people on it.
And Europe was time and again declared a socialist place (nice putting us all under one hat)
And to cap it off he had international policy towards all continents except Africa and Europe. he had a specific international policy towards Russia (so quite clearly we do not exist as a continent).

So I was feeling like losing my head. You might say I was letting this get too much to me but I care dearly about where I come from and seeing it talked about like that annoyed me to no end. It was as if the world had gone mad for a while. And I was not okay with it.

So when I found the gem of a song that is Barett Foa singing as Mitt Romney it meant a lot to me. I know it sounds incredibly silly (and it is) but the song instantly got to me. I loved it so much and still do. It made sense to me in so many ways and considering the politic situation it was perfect. I listened to it over and over again and each time I laughed my head off. I learned it by heart and started singing it when on my way to work. I realize how dorky this is but I arrived in good spirit at work every time. I still listen to it regularly and it makes me grin each and every time.

And here is why
-The song is a very good musical number - like really good
-Barrett Foa sings it really well - he has an excellent voice and you can tell he is a trained singer
-The lyrics - all my opinions and thoughts on Romney and politics in general expressed in fund and thoughtful lyrics - it expressed everything but also had valid political concerns
-It was fun - I love things that make me happy and make me laugh and this did and still does

It was such a relief to get this song and it came at the right time. I have played it for friends and family and they all think it's great. Barrett Foa managed to address the concerns and thoughts of pretty much all Scandinavians (save a few) in one song when it came to politics and Romney.

Music is something I respond very strongly to (I am a classically trained musician and have been a music nerd since infancy) and it helps me make sense of things. And this song did.
So thank you Mr. Foa for saving the political sanity of a Scandinavian :) And for making me laugh time and again!

And here is the gem on a youtube link - Click here!

NCIS:RED - I liked it

So I guess my readers are all eager to know how I liked the NCIS:RED launch seeing how annoyed I was with the initial descriptions of the characters. Well, I needed to eat up my own words as I was very pleasantly surprised with the way it turned out. I mean very surprised but it caught my interest and I want to see more of it.

So here´s in bulleting points what I liked about the show
-Kim Raver - First of all I was completely surprised with Kim Raver´s performance. I don´t know her as an actress and I was very impressed with her! She did a great job as Paris and I thought she was very believable. She gave Paris a nuance  and made her feel realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance!
-Gillian Alexy - Another actress I did not know but she impressed me as well. She has an awesome Australian accent and she carried herself with great confidence, even swagger which I enjoyed a lot.
-Scott Grimes - I enjoyed him a lot. He definitely pulled out the funniest performance!
-Paris Summerskill - The character was actually very well realized and you got heaps of interesting back story about her. She´s even part French! I was impressed with how realistic and well nuanced she was straight from the beginning. And I really want to see more of her.
-Claire Keats - She was my favorite! She was so self confident, sarcastic (which I bloody loved), enthusiastic, had a bit of a swagger, nicely weird and obviously very smart. I loved her in her scenes with Sam where she was so enthusiastic and just very genuine in her behavior. And her accent was so wonderful to listen to.
-The humour - Scott Grimes kept me laughing with his cooking prowess, his commentary on vegetarians and vegans (I totally recognized that being the long suffering sister of a strict vegetarian), his comment on the socks Keats gave him and adorable awkwardness. He was like Eric Beale and I enjoyed that.
-The storyline - I was actually really intrigued by the storyline and thought the twists and turns were fun. It certainly kept me on my toes and I did NOT expect the ending
-The spark between Paris and Callen - I adored it. The actors pulled well off the atmosphere of cautious but wondering curiosity and they were very earnest with each other. I thought it was lovely to see them and Callen deserves to have someone.
-The clothes - can I just say that I thought they were wonderful. I want all of Paris´s and Claire´s outfits already.
-The fact that there is a woman in charge - seeing how the TV world works today I loved that and it's a step up for CBS to actually have a TV series with a woman in charge (aside from Hetty maybe)

What I did not like
-The shoes the actresses were - minor detail but still, you do NOT wear shoes with heels when fighting someone/playing an agent
-Roy Haines - somehow he didn't quite get to me as a character. He was just a bit too... annoying and he did not seem to listen to Paris. But he can definitely improve
-Kai Ashe´s accent - this sounds extremely petty and mean but when I first heard his accent I was lost and couldn't grasp properly what he was saying. I had to listen a few times to get it. It did put me off.
But once I got used to it, it was much easier to listen to. I have excellent auditory English skills but  sometimes I cannot hear properly what the actors say and it does throw me off to have to listen to a clip several times just to get the words.

Best scenes
-Claire and Dave sharing the chocolate bar. It was such a fun scene. They seemed so comfortable with each other sharing it and it was so normal for them. That did it for me. I laughed my head off when I saw it
-Dave talking about the socks that Claire gave him
-Dave worrying about allergies
-Callen and Paris discussing calling her P
-Hetty checking in on everyone
-Claire being over excited in the coffee house with Sam
-Dave trying to speak Spanish - what a wonderful scene it was!

Overall I thought it was a nice introduction to a new series and I  am happy that a lot of my earlier misgivings proved untrue. I was apprehensive about it but now I do hope it´ll be put to a series. It definitely has potential and could turn out to be really really good. It's also allow for more overlap with NCIS:LA which would be fun. I do want to see Kensi and Deeks visit the Red team and Nell and Eric too.

So CBS you got me, please put it to series!
But I still stand by what I said when I first read the descriptions of the characters - they were terrible but thank goodness you improved.

Can we all just agree not to hate celebrities?

Today I was reading yet another article on why people hate Anne Hathaway? Really, there exists an entire mob out there dedicated to spewing out bad things and insults against her on the internet. I am flabbergasted.  Why do people do that? Why on earth?

Why do people take special time out of their day to write badly about others on the internet, especially people they do not know?!
Is it okay for us as people to badmouth celebrities and talk terribly about them online and tweet that garbage?
Is it somehow our moral right because they are famous?
Was it okay for the Onion to tweet the c-word about Quvenzhané Wallis because now she is famous?

I mean, I regularly wish I had the paycheck that celebrities have. And it can be annoying to see them look perfect all the time when I personally end up looking like a frazzled hen with my hair all over the place and my braces (yeps, rocking them at over 20).  And yes they tend to be seriously successful in their work. And sometimes celebrities annoy me a tiny bit (don´t get me started on the "new mother" covers which make me gag) but it does not affect my daily life. I prefer happiness and not bothering with being annoyed with things that in the end do not matter.

Celebrities are also human. They definitely look and feel grumpy when in private and I am certain they enjoy looking like pigs like the rest of us every once in a while. And they have their own makeup and hair stylist on set so no wonder they look perfect on TV/Film all the time. We'd all look gorgeous all day long if we had that! They probably had money worries before their fame and might still. And they still have their successes and downfalls. And in the end what is success? I know of some incredibly successful people that will leave behind them (and have left) a legacy and have touched so many people with their work. Those folks were/are all teachers. And us normal people get privacy!

And just because celebrities are famous does not make them immune to reality. Fame often has nothing to do with that. And before they were famous, many celebrities actually had a really difficult life. Are we going to call someone that went through verbal/emotional and physical abuse and lived in poverty when younger "immune to reality" because that person achieves fame later on? Former experiences do not fade away with a larger paycheck.
And they continue to have difficulties. Divorces, miscarriages, losing their children, marital difficulties, losing a loved one, drug and alcohol use and the list goes on. Money and fame do not change the fact that those are difficult things to deal with. And celebrities do it in the spotlight with the whole world watching, waiting and judging. The rest of us do it in peace, in quiet.

Behind the glossy pictures in the magazines and the endless smiling perfect interviews and cheesy pictures there is a person. And every person is hurt by words. No matter who they are. No one of like being called names, especially by people that don´t know us and never will. People only see one side of celebrities very often and that often a side that is easy to judge. So very incredibly easy. I have no doubt it hurts like hell to see constant tweets and articles about why people hate you. It pretty hard to ignore when the entire internet becomes hell bent on a personal vendetta against a person. Especially people who do not know squat about who you are.

Some celebrities and famous people do end up acting like absolute gits and idiots. I am not trying to dispute that and in my opinion their actions can be judged, just like with anyone else. Yet again, fame does not stop people from acting like idiots and neither does no fame. There are idiots in every occupation and their actions can be discussed.

But 95% of people are decent, hard working people that are not idiots. Not perfect of course, but not idiots. And I prefer not wasting my time on being annoyed by those people. Because at the end of the day, does it really matter? So lets just quit it and concentrate on the things that really matter in life

(I personally much prefer the occupation of fangirling. Way more fun and brings back the nostalgia of teenage years spent on admiring Orlando Bloom and Heath Ledger. And of course my current regular occupation of listening to Barrett Foa singing as Mitt Romney over and over again while studying and making other people listen to it as well. It just makes me grin from ear to ear each time I hear it)

Tiva Goodness!!

Now I am a NCIS fangirl and proud of it and a Tiva shipper. I am pretty quiet about it but get me going and I can blabber on endlessly. Case in point, I have had a fangirl moment at my University with another girl when we discussed our favorite Ducky moments, dished on Abby and quoted our favorite scenes word for word. Yes, even here in the cold North we watch NCIS :)

So lets just say I grinned when I saw this picture (click)
And read that Tony and Ziva will be travelling alone to Berlin together to track down her father´s killer. Berlin is perhaps not the most romantic city in the world but Tony and Ziva, alone and dancing. It is pure heaven for the Tiva fans and I personally can not wait to see it.
I know not to expect too much but still - anything that goes on between these two is pure greatness.

And I can not wait!

And if you are interested - Abby´s best scenes is without a doubt when she discusses with McGee not listening that she is pregnant with Gibbs's baby. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

Implicating history - sensitvity is needed

I have always been clear on the fact that I am a NCIS:LA fan. I think it´s a great show. But sometimes they aren´t too good when it comes to dealing with sensitive matters, particularly when dealing with international matters. I have written about the seemingly obsessive interest they have with Russians. But they also have an obsessive interest in Germans. And unfortunately, in my opinion, they don´t handle it very well.

Everyone is aware of the history of Germany and the terrible things that took place their in WWII when jews, gays, disabled people, roma people, anyone Hitler deemed as unfit to live were marched to camps to be tortured and killed so that Arians could become the dominating race. It´s something that has left a scar on Europe that will never heal. It´s impact is felt very strongly here and will always be. I cannot emphasize enough the effect this had upon Europe. It´s history that makes us ashamed. More ashamed than people realize.

So I was particularly annoyed (well angry) when NCIS:LA so candidly decided to focus on Germany in episode 2x09 Absolution. I know it aired 2 years ago but I still need to criticize it because what was said in that episode was terrible. I have wondered about why they put those lines in. Obviously they were meant to be funny but the point is, you don´t mock certain things, least of all WWII/German history.

Marty Deeks: Then again, they are Germans. They could just be getting their kink on.

Eric Beale: I'm half German.

Sam Hanna: I can see that.

What Deeks says there makes me bristle. Yes, what happened in WWII, everything that Germans have ever done can be related to them "getting their kink on". Because obviously killing millions of people and torturing them is just following a natural urge that Germans have. So, no big deal.

Excuse me! That is not only incredibly offensive but also making fun of what is a tragic history. Germans will never recover from what happened, the shame is very deep and no matter how much they atone it´ll always be there staring them in the face. I am not apologizing or minimizing what they did. I never will. But I know personally about the deep shame they carry. 

And what about Jews? This is history that affected them, systematic killing and torture of people only based on their religion. Jews suffered unspeakably tragedies during this time and they will never recover from it. Anti-semitism is still going strong today and Jews have to live with the fact that only 60 years ago, they weren´t deemed worthy of live because of their religion. 

So go ahead Hollywood. Mock history and make it sound as if what happened was just Germans getting their kink on. How very historically sensitive 

And then there´s this gem of a conversation:

Marty Deeks: Why did the Germans whack him now?

Henrietta 'Hetty' Lange: Ah. One never knows with the Germans.

Marty Deeks: [Deeks scoffs] Right.

Eric Beale: Come on guys! I'm right here!

Henrietta 'Hetty' Lange: Apologies, her Beale.

Eric Beale: Danke.

Yes Hetty, obviously one never knows with the Germans. They are just mindless creatures that go around killing and torturing people for the fun of it. So everything that has happened in German history is related to their biological urges and not something they can control.

This coming from the country that pretty much wiped out Native-Americans. Oh and had slavery until the late 19th century.

Thank goodness that they had Eric Beale be offended and bothered with their insensitive comments and he was vocal about it. I have always suspected that they put those lines in later as to make the effect of what Deeks and Hetty said a little less.

But sorry it didn´t work. 

NCIS:LA has since been a little bit more gentle and tried to even out their criticism of foreign countries. But this was not one of their finest moments.

I know America is a country of free speech but with that also comes the responsibility of not behaving like an absolute twit. With rights come responsibilities. And that includes being respectful and sensitive. Because certain things are not meant be made fun of. 

Conversation was copied from this link IMDB - All rights go to them

The killing - Forbrydelsen - Americans copying European TV

One of the things that we have a LOT of on TV culture here in the North are crime series. For such a small place in the world, we happen to produce an alarming amount crime TV series each year. And they are all high-quality drama series. Every night of the week you can count on there being shown a Scandinavian crime series on our TV channels. And we actually show more of them than American crime series. And I will say that most of the time, our crime series are way better than American one´s.

One of the things we frequently criticize over here in Scandinavia is the particular obsession of American TV franchises to take on European TV shows and ideas and attempt to convert them into something more "suitable" for American TV viewers. We see it as 'dumbing down' because
A) We watch American series all the time, either dubber or with subtitles so why can´t American´s watch our tv series in the same way
B) American version of European shows frequently end up being way worse than the original one. Such as The Office, Coupling.. need  I go on?
C) European TV series are produced with the same caliber and quality as American ones. So why can´t American TV viewers watch them? Are they afraid of them or something?
D) Is it really so bad to listen to another language?

So when I heard they were going to reproduce Forbrydelsen in America I sighed. Here you have an excellent, very popular Danish series, which Americans are dying to reproduce. Everyone has Scandinavian last name and the storyline is comfortably moved to the good old USA. I had already decided first handed that this series would be awful, even before I started researching it.

So I was surprised to read that actually the series is popular, well-liked and apparently high-quality produced. So I have to eat up my own words. And yes, I will watch it one day.

But rest assured, us Nordics will continue to view with suspicion anything American TV franchises produce based on European TV! It is in our own dear nature in order to nurture our ego.