Rose Colored Glasses
(can I even say the word “colored”?

At what point do we go too far NOT to step on somebody's toes. It's been happening gradually over the past few years as "Political Correctness" became more and more fashionable. While I find some things to be offensive, rude and stupid, I see the steps taken to avoid seeming offensive, turning into giant leaps from rationality.

Take for instance NBC's latest stance regarding a recent Law and Order episode. This particular episode was inspired by the real life melee in Central Park following the Puerto Rican Day Parade last year. In the episode, a parade day rampage ended with a Brazilian being convicted of murder. After airing the episode on January 24th NBC has made the decision that it will never again be aired on their network.  Not only will they not air it again, they apologized for it. Why? Hispanic groups complained to the network because it cast the Latino community in a "bad light".

(Did I mention this was based on a "real" event?)

But it isn't just this episode. Law and Order has been criticized in the past for running story lines that have at times offended "Jews, Catholics, Protestants, African Americans, Asian Americans, Aryans, gays and lesbians, Italians, Russians, Greeks, conservatives, liberals, pro-life and pro-choice advocates". Let's not forget Monica Lewinsky's father who was outraged when the show referred to oral sex as "getting a Lewinsky".

I can't think of much these days that couldn't potentially offend somebody. I'm offended that someone was offended by this show. What is the world of entertainment coming to? Catering to special interest groups so much that in the future the only "bad guys" will be white males? I'm sorry - that's not reality.

Oh, but what does reality have to do with television anyway. Read on....

In regards to NBC's decision, Manuel Mirabal, head of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, was "pleased".  "We're no longer going to allow networks to shrug off their responsibility to ensure this doesn't happen again."

To ensure what doesn't happen??  To ensure a Latino is never again shown in a television series in a bad light? OK. I'll agree that that should never happen again. As soon as I'm guaranteed that no Latino ever again does anything bad. Ever. Same with the rest of these poor offended groups. You don't want to be cast in a negative light? Stop doing negative things. Until there are no crimes or bad acts committed by any Jews, Catholics, Protestants, African Americans, Asian Americans, Aryans, gays or lesbians, Italians, Russians, Greeks, conservatives, liberals, pro-life and pro-choice advocates, then I think it's perfectly acceptable for one to be to be portrayed in a "bad light".

It’s time to take off the rose colored glasses. The world is full of crimes committed by ALL types of people. Maybe these naysayers should be more offended by the real crimes and acts that are committed in the real world by real people, than they are by the crimes committed by characters on television shows.

Dammit.

~Trixie, February 2001
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