A TV sitcom is just a frivolous thing, right? Not worth taking seriously, surely. Except that we do; we take TV shows and TV characters very seriously. The enormous hoopla and press coverage surrounding the reboot of the sitcom “Roseanne” is a case in point, and TV writer and actor Kelvin Yu makes a very specific criticism of the program in this April 2018 New York Times essay.
Read it here: Yu, “’Roseanne’: When a punch line feels like a gut punch”
- Yu refers to the “subtle yet loaded implications of the joke” he heard on “Roseanne” the night before. What are those implications? Summarize them briefly. Do you agree with Yu’s assessment of the joke? Why or why not?
- What is the “fourth wall” that Yu refers to? Give a brief definition. What is Yu’s point about the selective blurring of TV fiction and reality? How clearly is this point presented? Would his argument have been more effective without mentioning the fourth wall? Why or why not?
- Read (or re-read) Chapter 4 of your text, particularly the sections on agreeing with a difference and agreeing and disagreeing simultaneously. Which of the moves described in those two sections does Yu employ? Point to specific examples of each move.
- Yu points out that we may watch some programs to observe and learn about people different from us, while we watch other programs to see our own experiences reflected. As Yu asserts, we all need to receive the message: “I see you. You matter.” Are there television shows that provide that message for you? If so, which ones? What is it about them that you identify with? If not, why not? What would you need to see in order to feel that your life and experience are reflected in a TV show? Write an essay responding to these questions, and feel free to point to existing programs as examples.
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I personally agree with Kelvin Yu’s claim that the joke on Roseanne eluded that the shows Fresh Off the Boat and Black-ish are meaningful solely because they involve Asian and African-American actors. Roseanne’s fictional character is speaking about real television shows, which jars viewers, taking them out of the story and causing them to think about reality. However, I commend Yu by empathizing with the writers of Roseanne, admitting that the pressures of the television business may result in a bad joke going to air. Nevertheless, he still states that the statement is more than a bad joke, as it is about attention and for the show to say to its audience, “I see you. You matter.” Yu further points out that, while there are several shows detailing the experiences of blue-collar households, Fresh Off the Boat, one of my favorite shows, is the only network show involving Asian-Americans and their experience. Watching shows can give an audience an understanding of someone else’s point of view or can mirror moments from their own lives. Together, these shows share one purpose: for their particular story to be told. Therefore, the significance of shows “about Black and Asian families,” as quoted by Roseanne, cannot be swept aside by one bad joke since viewers see them, and they matter.
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I thoroughly agree with Yu’s argument of this joke being way too severe. While the director tries to relate the joke back to Rosanne and assumes that most will understood the context in which he meant it. He fails to realize that other’s, especially of this descent, will not feel the same about the joke as he may feel. Yu claims that having a show named after the main character is considered a “fourth wall” due to the fact that it’s already initiating quite a racial context. I think his argument became ore effective because now he has that point in his favor and shows the audience the type of humor the director may possess. According to Chapter 4 of the text, Yu uses the blunt form of disagreeing and giving several explanations and reasons why he feels so strongly about his argument.This can be shown in the tone of his writing in the article. For example, “But the truth remains: They wrote a bad joke. It wasn’t funny, it used broad racial generalizations for no ostensible reason, and it never should have made it to air.” (The New York Times). In the world we live in today, especially the year 2018, and the mountains that have been moved in the past just to make people realize a person’s skin color doesn’t define them, it is very inappropriate as well as disdainful for a television production, as well known as this one, has the nerve to joke about one’s race and ethnicity.
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On the show “Roseanne”, she makes a joke that implies that other real life tv shows that air on their viewers network, black-ish and Straight Off the Boat, are just merely shows and hold no greater value than that. She was implying that these shows that feature minority families and full minority casts are not important and are no different than her own show, which features an almost exclusive white cast. I completely agree with Yu’s assessment of the joke and felt he was very justified in his stance. Coming from a minority background, seeing diversity in a normalized setting or large family network is still hard to find. When shows like black-ish or Straight Off the Boat come about, they help break down stigmas and showcase culture that is often underlooked or ignored when such a large portion of American families are minority families. Roseann’s joke dismissed the fact that these shows are different in the sense of bringing inclusivity into the common household, and that’s extremely important in many people’s eyes. His argument of “I see you, you matter.” is much more than asking for attention, it’s asking for inclusivity and representation in the common media where it lacks greatly.
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The article on “Roseanne” written by Kelvin Yu definitely explains why we are not “all caught up”. Yu explains how he viewed a joke on Roseanne as being offensive to him. Yu called it a bad joke. The article was eye opening as I would not have caught on or even paid attention but he pointed out the oversight that a white audience might not see. I understand now how people of any color could have taken that joke. People do matter, all people but at the end of the day I hope no one took it to personal and I hope the shows writers pay closer attention to things they say that make people feel inferior to others. We are all important.
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When reading this article I was immediately surprised when the realization came that there are certainly numerous amounts of derogatory jokes in the recent Roseanne reboot. Throughout the season, characters make comments about people of other races or ethnic backgrounds. It is unfortunate that the famous sitcom that portrays the average blue collar family, that everybody enjoyed in the 1990s is not the same as it once was. In Kelvin Yu’s report, “‘Roseanne’: When a Punch Line Feels Like a Gut Punch”, he agrees that though the show was once full of great entertaining jokes and story lines, it began to escalate downwards when comments were being said that were not so funny and somewhat offensive to certain individuals in the audience. Yu puts it that “They wrote a bad joke. It wasn’t funny, it used broad racial generalizations for no ostensible reason…” (‘Roseanne’). Kelvin corroborates that many of the jokes were put towards Asian Americans. The old adage is that the 1990s sitcom chose not to include jokes in the script that would not be considered funny; subjects mostly avoided, being race, ethnicity, gender, immigration, etc. Personally, the majority of recent television shows automatically avoid sensitive subjects such as these to avoid problems we are now facing in today’s society. By doing this it keeps the peace between individuals and does not worsen the current negative events we face today.
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