I know. It’s not like people think all black people are thugs and drug dealers or otherwise dangerous to be around. Even when they have black neighbors or friends. Or that Russia is bad, and the U.S. is good. Or that Asian people are good at math. It’s almost like they’ve reduced complexity in favor of coherence.
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You’ve managed to miss the point again.
Yeah, some people think those things, and some people don’t, and some think both are true, and some think neither. Complex situations yield a range of opinions.
When it comes to fiction — I mean, is there anyone who doesn’t support Katniss? She was explicitly created to be the hero in her story; you don’t really have any choice but to support her.
I support whomever I want to support in a story, and that support is not dictated by the author. You may find that Jack Reacher/Flashman/Holden Caulfield/Little Tree/etc. doesn’t float your particular boat regardless of what you may consider to be authorial intent, and so you root for someone else in the fictional tale. In practically every Nicholas Cage movie other than Raising Arizona, I want his character to die. By VX gas, thug, CIA, etc. I can read or watch fiction any way I choose to interpret that fiction. Complex situations yield a range of opinions.
You can interpret however you want; that doesn’t change the fact that the author designed the protagonist to be the hero in her story, and created a plot to validate and valorize her choices.
Real life, on the other hand, isn’t shaped, which means the choices people make reflect the messiness of reality, rather than the moral clarity of a kid’s book.
You again missed the point — and went off on a completely irrelevant tangent — so I’m done engaging with you. (I do, however, look forward to seeing what phrase of mine you misuse in your next response.)
Is there a bot randomly generating firstname_lastname handles under which to post establishment apologia?
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Suggested reading:
‘I Put in White Tenants’: The Grim, Racist (and Likely Illegal) Methods of One Brooklyn Landlord, May 2015.
The Case for Reparations, June 2014.
Redlining: Discrimination in Residential Mortgage Loans, 1975.
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I’m not clear about the relevance of your links. Black people are routinely denied entree into the housing market. Yes. It’s called racism. Maybe I should have mentioned that racism exists, is deeply ingrained and endemic. And maybe I should have said something about how it’s institutional…oh, wait. I did. I criticized the metaphor, and that made you go all link-happy on me. Wow. You know what this makes me think of? The Hunger Games. I feel consternation. You know, like Katniss.
I’m not sure what the reparations link is all about. I tried to see how that article relates to the topic, but confess that I didn’t read past the opening Bible quote. I have thoughts about reparations. I have thoughts about where to get the best pizza around here too. I don’t see how either relates to the topic, but it has been a long day and maybe I’m just missing something, so here goes: I’m going to have to say Papa’s, unless you want to drive out of town. Or Spartan’s, if you prefer a Greek style, which I do. However, I find that Greek pizza just doesn’t travel well so I recommend eating in instead of taking out.
The sides seem exceptionally clear to me in Baltimore – more so than is usually the case in fiction.
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Stick to the pizza. You’re not cut out for sympathy, equality, or reading.
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Uhhhh… I’m not a fan of 24 or Mad Men, so I can’t comment on that… but I’m fairly certain that Underwood is more of a villain in his story. I mean, guys smothers a dog within the first 5 minutes of the opening episode. If you identify with Underwood, you’re likely doing it wrong.
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I was really struck by this link in the article. How can that not infuriate people?
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Whether you call him a “hero” or a “villain,” Underwood is the protagonist of House of Cards — there’s only a series if the viewer is on his side, even if only to admire his ruthlessness.
I don’t think that’s the case. The guy is not written to be sympathetic. The killing of the dog is a very early indicator that this is not an admirable human being. I think you can enjoy the story and not like Underwood. I think that’s likely the point. If the show is going in the direction I think it’s going, you’re meant to enjoy his eventually downfall, not his victory. The name of the series is a strong indicator of that - a house of cards is not a stable structure, it’s meant to fall. He’s building his own collapse. Not all stories are written so that you root for the protagonist of the story.
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You’re mistaking interest for sympathy; Underwood is not a “good person,” but he does captivate the viewer, who wants to know what happens next. This is what I mean when I say the viewers are on his side.
I disagree with your take on the first scene. The dog had just been hit by a car, and Underwood ended its life quickly to spare it unnecessary pain. The scene established that Underwood is both principled and ruthless; I’d argue this does elicit a certain admiration, if not sympathy.
I’m currently watching a PBS documentary entitled An American Dilemma about the time the Carnegie Foundation paid a Swedish researcher to come over (during WWII, as it happens) to research and write a report on “the Negro Problem” as an outside observer. His horror at what he witnessed and the observations he made are quite telling. He couldn’t believe the dichotomy between the American Creed (as he referred to it…we would now say the American Dream) which was fervently believed in by everyone, black and white, and the reality of racism at every moment that of course undercut the ideal entirely for one group of citizens.
Only an hour, and definitely worth watching.
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Looks fascinating, thanks!
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