A question about the West Wing

[AliceWonderland]

Right. Well. I avoid television because it just makes me want to throw things and I like my things and want to keep them intact. However, I just turned on the box to put in a video tape and unhappily, I tuned in for what I believe was a revolting promo for the West Wing. Did I misunderstand, or has the pres-daughter been kidnapped by, I assume, evil Arabs and if they're not they're evil Muslims and if they're not they're evil generic brown people? Was that a map of Oman flashed on the screen? And was *John Goodman* saying that if pres-daughter is killed, and I quote, "I'm gonna blow up something"? It could have been a bad dream, a hypoglycemic shock from the shortbread cookie I had for dessert, a hazy flashback to my previous life in some other badly scripted propaganda regime. This is supposed to be a "serious" show, too, I gather. For god's sake. The lunatics are running the asylum, everywhere I look. Ah well. What would networks do if they couldn't fall back on the ol' two minutes of hate? I sincerely hope I misunderstood.

[Wolfman 11]

1. I don't really watch it

but I don't think John Goodman is on the show.

[SlutBunwalla]

3. Uh, yes he is...

He's playing the (republican) Speaker of the House, who's been given presidential power while Bartlett temporarily steps down.

[Wolfman 11]

4. oh

from reading the original post it sounded like he was the president, and I knew that was Martin Sheen

[FreeperSlayer]

2. Never watched it

why are you?

[SOteric]

5. It's not as cut and dried as you make it sound.

The president's daughter has been kidnapped by radicals of the mythical country of "Kumar." It is retaliatory. The president ordered the assassination of a Kumari head of state last season, and then covered it up. Throughout the season, an assortment of leaks came out in the press and public media. Some in foreign intelligence agencies later proved that the murdered Kumari statesmen was judged unfairly.

Long story short, yes, some mythical country of brown-skinned people have kidnapped the president's daughter. But not because they are brown-skinned. Not because they may be Islamic. And not because the white guys are unquestioningly on the side of right.

[AliceWonderland]

7. Hm

And just, you know, for pure sado-masochistic curiosity, what was the original reason for assasinating the head of state of the brown-skinned populated "Kumar", where kidnapping "radicals" come from? I'll take a guess that he was suspected of doing one of those evil-doing brown-skinned things. Especially since I'm betting "Kumar" is in the Middle East and its citizens aren't English-speaking Christians. Just a wild guess, of course.

[Dookus]

8. he wasn't the head of state...

I believe he was the head of their military. And yes, he was offed because he was shown to be involved in a plot to blow up the Golden Gate bridge.

The show reflects a LOT of current issues. It would be downright silly to make him Swedish.

[AliceWonderland]

9. Well sure

It would be silly to have a contemporary story and not have a wild-eyed fanatical brown person in it, committing some senseless act of violence. After all, we want to reflect current issues.

[Dookus]

10. if you haven't seen the show...

I'm not sure you're qualified to characterize it that way.

I do watch it. Not once have I seen a wild-eyed fanatical brown person in it.

In case you weren't paying attention, we are currently at war with TWO Islamic countries. It's not at all surprising that that fact would be reflected in popular culture.


I really don't understand your objection. I believe you're trying to make a case that it's racist to use non-whites in this case. I think it's not racist. It's a reflection of the situation we're in right now.

[AliceWonderland]

11. And what situation would that be?

The phony, trumped up War On Terra ? The "situation we're in right now" is, quite frankly, a farce that would be laughable if it weren't cutting a swath of blood across the world. As it is, it's just absurd. And, of course, bloody.

But thank you for reminding me that I don't watch the show. Yes, I know; I was merely asking a question or two. But you're quite right -- for all I know, the program might be very even-handed towards generic Arab-stand-in countries without any context save that of terrorism.

[Dookus]

12. *shrug*

watch it and find out.

[SOteric]

13. You seem to have quite an agenda

about a show you haven't seen.

I can't fathom why you'd think that logical or rational.

[Lisa]

6. insanely-detailed plot summaries up here

Kind of helps fill in the holes.


www.televisionwithoutpity.com

[lpbk2713]

14. I beleve the Goodman remark..........

about blowing up something alludes to a subplot. One of Bartlett's many concerns is that Goodman will over-react and cause a major world crisis.