I hope this doesn't spark a flame war...
Maybe it would be different if I identified more strongly with any minority group (AS included) but generally I am increasingly finding an axe to grind with people who at every single turn find fault with any show that portrays minority groups. It seems no matter what people do, unless they are gay/bisexual/trysexual themselves with the proper street cred, everything else is a white middle class way of gaining control of minority groups, no matter how they are portrayed.
If they are portrayed in a negative way, thats bad, obviously.
If they are portrayed as people, flawed heroes, thats bad
If they are portrayed as saintly, thats bad.
Ive been reading up on how Jonathan Larson allegedly stole Sarah Schulman's People In Trouble to form the basis of Rent. Her issues over plagarism aside, her issue is with how Rent portrays the AIDS/gay minority and it's amazing, and extremely annoying, how she sees everything in Rent as a glossy corporate repackaging of homosexuality to make it acceptable to straights. (a lot to say on this but I suspect few people are acquainted with the show here). I often see the same thing going on with AS response to anything that comes out in the media about AS.
So. Should the only people allowed to write about AS be AS people?
I don't think you need to worry about sparking a flame war, with your post. It's an interesting topic to consider. I love Rent, and the movie is just like..you need to have a box of kleenex on hand, if you plan to watch it.
I don't get Sarah's position at all, if it was just plagarism alright. The issue of the show wasn't at all about selling Homosexuality to straights. There were a variety of people with AIDs not just Gays. So I don't get her point.
Secondly, I admit I like like gay people. I like femme guys in general, in Japan they're called Bishounen and seen as attractive by straight girls as well as gay men. If Sarah thinks Rent was bad, she should rent Velvet Goldmine. That movie is totatally fag-tastic, in a good way. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers stars in it, and he's really hot.
So about only AS people being able to write about AS people, it's hard to say. If there is more understanding of people with Asperger's Syndrome in the future, then we might be more willing to let other people write about us. However, it seems the only NTs writing about us now, are morons looking to support Curbie groups, that support our demise. Or are people who want to put anyone Autistic in the same box, without any regard for the Autistic Spectrum. I'm sure you can appreciate the frustration with this.
The very fact, that minority people Are portrayed, is a way of saying, that they are not like the rest of us.
The very fact, that minority people Are portrayed, is a way of saying, that they are not like the rest of us.
This is precisely the kind of thing I am getting at. if minority groups are not portrayed, its bad. If they are portrayed, it's bad. If they are portrayed as a unique group, then it's bad cos youre then trying to say that theyre not like the rest of us". If they are portrayed as part of normal society then its bad cos you are ignoring their uniqueness and glossing over issues unique to them.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
How about showing us in a different light that is also unique and shows the positives. It's hard to do, and I'd probably be the first to bitch, but they could do it.
How about showing us in a different light that is also unique and shows the positives. It's hard to do, and I'd probably be the first to bitch, but they could do it.
But that's the whole thing--there will still be bitching about the portrayal.
This is really an interesting phenomena. If you don't portray minoritys, or portray them in a bad light, you're being predjudiced.
If you portray them in a good light, you're biased & trying to apeal to minority groups.
:?:
It doesn't really make sense.
There's always something to complain about. If your movie doesn't have any black characters, that's biased. If the only black characters are supporting characters, that's biased, too, because it makes the blacks seem to be not as good or not as important.
And then, if your main character is black, that's biased too, against whites.
You really can't win.
It's really weird. If you don't portray black people at all, you're racist. If you do portray black people as secondary characters, you're racist because they don't have a good stance in the story. If you portay black people as main characters, you're racist and discriminating against white people. It's crazy.
People really need to stop obsessing over diversity/similarity/equality/stuff and just enjoy the show and accept the way people are portrayed.
Interesting...
I don't reckon it's bad if people who are not members of a minority group portray that minority group. (Some of the best minority characters ever have been created by "outsiders") But I feel that in order to do so effectively, those involved do need to have gained a significant level of insight.
I don't like it when characters are defined by their group. They just become stereotypical caricatures. That's the other thing. I like characters where difference is part of their identity, but complex characters are ALWAYS better than simple ones.