Miriam Heddy's "The Lone Jew In Fandom"

[browngirl]

I was going to post about the "how to write the Other" discussion going on (posts by matociquala and deepad among others) but I hadn't yet compiled an exhaustive list. Then lomedet sent me a link to miriam_heddy's "The Lone Jew in Fandom", about the recent NUMB3RS episode "Arrow of Time" and about the depiction of the Eppes family as Jewish in general, and I found myself considering the discussion from the other side, as it were. This is a situation where I'm a member of the majority, a person benefiting from privilege, and I want to be the kind of ally that I would like others to be to me in the situations where I'm not.

My reply, which I wanted to put here too:

Thank you very much for this post. A friend of mine pointed me to it.

[Paragraph on my perspective, because there always has to be one.] Being a woman of color, I think about discussions like these a lot; I may be over-analogizing, but I feel as if I'm looking at this one from the "other side", not from the POV of a member of a misrepresented minority but from that of a member of the oppressive, privileged majority, one who wants to do what I can to be an active ally or at least not actively contribute to oppression. So I'm thinking of what I want people to do with respect to characters of color, and trying to see how I can do that with respect to Jewish characters.

I was at first delighted by The Arrow of Time because I was delighted to see Don in synagogue. I let that delight blind me to the huge problems in the way that was presented, from the emptiness of the synagogue to its use as the location of a potential shootout (!) -- even setting up that moment at the end where Robin tactitly gives Don her approval of his religious journey doesn't excuse that. I should have seen better before you pointed it out; thank you for saying this, personally because you opened my eyes, but globally because it needed to be said.

I've been thinking about how to write Don and Charlie as Jewish, how to show how their heritage informs every aspect of their lives the way I see it inform my Jewish friends' lives, the way being Black and a former Christian informs my life, the way it *should* if they are to be fully rounded people. This is uncomfortable to say, but that extends to thinking about their relationships. I love Amita, I am delighted to see a woman of color in her role on the show and an interracial relationship presented as a stable and long term one, but I have to consider if her role was taken from a potential Jewish character who should have had a claim to it.

But then, perhaps that very discomfort indicates that I should think about these things.

Thank you for having written this. I've learned a lot from it, both about how to do better by characters I love and the real people they represent, and about how to be true to oneself while being a fan of problematic canon.

PS I realized that "obviously Fallacci's comment was asinine so I won't say anything about it" isn't going to cut it, so I came back to edit my comment. *smile* It struck me as being the same statement people often say about characters of color or LGBT characters, that same 'it doesn't matter' dismissiveness, but that may be my particular lens. Regardless of what it is or isn't like, that statement was certainly *wrong*, and I thought I should at least say so.

Last but not least: yes, I feel weird about posting this on a Saturday morning; I don't want to feel like I'm trying to hide this from people who might have a perspective on it. But I also wanted to write this post while my thoughts were fresh, so.

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Do you know what what I don't get? I have read through several of these posts and the hundreds of comments and discussions with them and on this one I just skimmed because I didn't have time to really read through it as thoroughly as I liked. But one issue brought up in it reminds me of that recent scandal where they were going to replace the Asian superheroes with white actors (sorry, I'm totally blanking on the name) and how it was all about pleasing the wider audience. I DON'T GET THAT!!! How is choosing to negate someone's heritage and white-washing everything appealing to a wider audience? Whenever I see someone who has an Arabic name on a show, for example, either he is being accused of terrorism (Flying While Arab), about to commit terrorism, or there is nothing whatsoever about his culture relevant to the show. He's just a token POC who happens to have that name. I think it would be so wonderful if some show some time had a very multicultural cast (sort of like Heroes or Lost the first season(s) before they killed off almost all the POC and focused on the white characters primarily) but with a genuine desire to make everyone well-rounded and a product of where they came from as well as how they fit into the world around them. /rambling and babbling (hoping this made some sense)

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

But one issue brought up in it reminds me of that recent scandal where they were going to replace the Asian superheroes with white actors (sorry, I'm totally blanking on the name) and how it was all about pleasing the wider audience. I DON'T GET THAT!!!

Like I often say to you, that's because you have sense. (The show you're thinking of is Avatar: The Last Airbender, btw) It is incredibly, incredibly insulting to tell us that we can't identify with people who aren't just like us.

*nods in agreement* I cringe when I see Middle Eastern characters stuck in Yet Another Terrorism Plot, too, just as I crnge at Yet Another Black Gang Member or Hispanic Drug Dealer and so on. Plot-by-stereotype is both badly constructed art and full of deleterious real-life consequences.

I think it would be so wonderful if some show some time had a very multicultural cast (sort of like Heroes or Lost the first season(s) before they killed off almost all the POC and focused on the white characters primarily) but with a genuine desire to make everyone well-rounded and a product of where they came from as well as how they fit into the world around them.

I would ADORE this. I'd hoped Heroes would be this, but alas.

[hradzka.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. Interesting stuff.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. Thank Miriam Heddy for writing it!

[sophinisba]

Cool, I saw Miriam's post last night and was thinking of mentioning it to you. I'm glad someone else did and I love reading your thoughts about it, even though I don't really know the show and didn't see that episode.

I was at first delighted by The Arrow of Time because I was delighted to see Don in synagogue. I let that delight blind me to the huge problems in the way that was presented

I find this kind of thing happens to me all the time, whether it's with Jewish characters or characters of color. I get so excited to see them there in the first place (and not fulfilling the crudest stereotypes) and even better to see their background acknowledged in some way, that I totally miss how problematic the presentation is, and I need other people who are more knowledgeable to spell it out for me. And of course then I get grumpy because it's so disappointing. :)

I think I have something else to say about writers and actors and whether characters are written as of their race or ethnicity or just cast that way, but I want to think about it a little more before I comment. Do you watch House at all? Did you watch ER?

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

It was awesome to see Sayyid in Lost, for example, although then they did that whole thing about his past where he got involved with some Arab terrorist group in Australia, and I was thinking, "nooooo" because out of all the Arab men in all the Arab countries, it is the tiniest percentage that ever gets involved in organizations like that BUT the typical Arab character in movies/television that is supposed to be "sympathetic" is doing something where he is stopping or trying to stop "friends" who are about to blow something up...It makes more sense his past in being an interrogator in Iraq because Saddam created a very wide-scale intelligence situation where a lot of Arab men WERE put in those positions...:)

[sophinisba]

Lost is such a frustrating show sometimes because it's got this big diverse cast that seems so promising, and then they do stupid things like getting rid of almost all their black characters, and writing stupid terrorism plots (although there were also things I liked about that episode)!

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

I find this kind of thing happens to me all the time, whether it's with Jewish characters or characters of color.

*nod* Me too, which is why when I *do* see something sketchy I try to say something, and why when I don't I try to listen. It's very human; none of us has complete information, we all see things others don't and vice versa. I don't want to be like those who have hurt and infuriated me in the past by saying that because they didn't see what I saw that it didn't exist, and often if I look where my friends indicate I do see what they've seen, and am enlightened thereby.

Whups, I forgot to answer your question: I don't watch House, and I stopped watching ER a decade ago when I had a job in one. :)

[sophinisba]

I stopped watching ER some years ago too, but I was thinking about something I read really early on, like the first or second season, that said Eric LaSalle liked playing Benton partly because that role hadn't been written as The Black Doctor (like Denzel Washington's character on St. Elsewhere) but instead had been written as The Arrogant Doctor, and only later cast with him, a black actor. And obviously later they were able to get into some different story lines that dealt with his identity, his relationship to his family and to the black community, and so on. (I remember this one episode where he was on the committee selecting new med students and he's pushing to say, Okay, maybe this kid's test scores aren't as good but he's had to overcome some other stuff, and that seemed to be such a struggle for his character but he was doing it, and it was really cool, or at least so it seemed to me.)

I'm just thinking about these Numbr3rs writers saying that they wrote these characters and then they happened to get Jewish actors and how it was Rob Morrow as an actor who had to push for Jewish themes to be present in the show, and how people were discussing in comments that something similar happened o X-Files, and I just. Like...

Like way too often it seems that when a Jewish character or character of color appears on these shows, it's either that the series creators
1. wrote a character with "no particular ethnicity" in mind (that is, wrote them as WASP without realizing they were writing any particular ethnicity) and cast this Jewish actor or actor of color, but then have to be seriously pushed before they'll put anything in the show that talks about this characters family or faith or community, or else
2. wrote a character as being of a certain race or ethnicity and based it on stereotypes. (Stargate Universe omg.)

D:

[1trackmind.livejournal.com]

but I have to consider if her role was taken from a potential Jewish character who should have had a claim to it.

I haven't watched the ep yet (I know!) but I kind of doubt it. Charlie has never seemed particularly religious or interested in religion, although he has, on occasion, wonder if his being Jewish has caused a problem. I've read that more as ethnic than religious though since as far as I can tell he's non-practicing.

I think the only reason we're seeing this arc for Don is that Rob Morrow has been pushing behind the scenes (at least, that's the impression I get from every article about it that I've read) so frankly I'm not sure their ethnic/religious background ever would have come up if it hadn't been for that. It's never mentioned until S2, right?

Added to that, would it necessarily be good if Amita were Jewish and not Indian? Does that reinforce the idea that ethnic groups should "stick to their own?" The Eppes brothers seem to be okay crossing racial lines, but from what I can recall Megan, David, Larry, Alan, and Colby have all dated within their same ethnicity. Arguably Colby should be out of that group since he has a crush on Liz. Nikki and Ian also have a one way attraction.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

The thing is, I'm never quite so emphatic as when I'm arguing against myself. :) More on that in a bit.

Charlie has never seemed particularly religious or interested in religion, although he has, on occasion, wonder if his being Jewish has caused a problem.

*nod* This fits with the Charlie I've seen, too. The Charlie whose brother was afraid to be argued out of going to synagogue by him, for one thing.

I think the only reason we're seeing this arc for Don is that Rob Morrow has been pushing behind the scenes (at least, that's the impression I get from every article about it that I've read) so frankly I'm not sure their ethnic/religious background ever would have come up if it hadn't been for that. It's never mentioned until S2, right?

The thing is... he shouldn't've had to, and I'm proud of him for having done so. I really love this arc, because I always saw the Eppes family as Jewish and I think it's a good thing that that's being discussed like anything else about them as three-dimensional people.

Added to that, would it necessarily be good if Amita were Jewish and not Indian? Does that reinforce the idea that ethnic groups should "stick to their own?"

Here is why I said I'm arguing against myself. My first impulse is to say "of course not; it would reinforce that terrible idea, and that would be a bad thing". Amita is one of my favorite characters for many reasons (I like her personality, I like seeing a South Asian immigrant as a main character, I approve of and identify with immigrants and people in interracial relationships). Because of that I have to be hard on myself about her because I know I'm inclined to defend her.

I've seen it pointed out that Jewish men on TV are usually given non-Jewish love interests because Jewish women aren't depicted as desirable; this means something specific to Jewish culture, and it also reminds me of how Black men tend not to be given love interests who aren't Black. I *want* to see Amita as a beautiful mathematician and an Indian-American and the woman Charlie loves, but if she is also part of a deleterious trend in depictions of Jewish people in media I *must* see that because I don't want to, or I risk being unfair to the Jewish people I know. I don't want to be like the people who dismiss problems people of color point out in fiction, after all.

So I'm trying to figure out if she is, and if she is, what I can do about it. I've always believed in fanfic as a way to patch various kinds of problems with canon, and I might be able to get an interesting story or three out of her asking herself these same questions about herself that I'm asking about her. (Not to get too personal, but this would also be writing what I know, or rather have experience with. *wry smile*)

[1trackmind.livejournal.com]

The thing is... he shouldn't've had to, and I'm proud of him for having done so.

Yes and no. If the creators didn't envision the Eppes as Jewish characters but happened to cast three Jewish actors I'm a little more okay with an outside source bringing the issue to the fore. If, however, they envisioned the characters as Jewish, hired Jewish actors, and then just decided not to ever make any of it explicit, then yes, I don't think Morrow should have had to say anything.

I also think that affects how we see Amita. If the characters weren't conceived of as Jewish than I don't think hiring an actress of another ethnicity raises the same problems.

I've always believed in fanfic as a way to patch various kinds of problems with canon,

Yes!

and I might be able to get an interesting story or three out of her asking herself these same questions about herself that I'm asking about her. (Not to get too personal, but this would also be writing what I know, or rather have experience with. *wry smile*)

I think you probably could, too. But I'm just not sure any of this is as important in Charlie's world as it is in Don's. If anything I think it would be the reverse for them, where it's Amita who has concerns about faith and fitting into a culture. Certainly her parents expressed that concern at one time. Do we know anything about Amita's faith? If Jewish heritage isn't important to Charlie, should not being Jewish be important to Amita? And if it is important, why? Does she think Charlie is wrong for not placing a higher value on his ethnicity? Is Alan wrong for not encouraging it? If it's not okay for Charlie to date someone outside his ethnicity/religion why is it okay for her?

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Oh, you ask the best questions. I don't have answers yet, but my brain is whirring furiously; if I get a story out of all of this I am so praising you in the Acknowledgements.

[1trackmind.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks!

[owl]

I hear you with the fix-it fic thing. I've been feeling that this season is not so much broken as missing bits. (I fear I may have crushed my beta by sending her five episode tags at once.)

But I don't think the guns-in-shul thing is fixable without saying, "It didn't happen like that" and going slightly AU (like Buck tracking Don down instead of Don pickingthe place). I've had to do that on a couple of occasions when Academia Doesn't Work Like That, especially with Amita.

I think it would be easier to write what Charlie feels about being Jewish, because it isn't as important to him as it is to Don, Charlie's religion being mathematics, of course. And they don't seem to have had much part of the Jewish community growing up, so he probably thinks of it just in terms of ethnicity. I can see him having a dee-down uneasy feeling that he doesn't quite belong to America, actually.

As for Don, who knows what's going in his head? Not me, that's for certain. Oh, Don...

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

I never did thank you for your sensible thoughts here, did I? I'm sorry about that.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

*blush* I'm just thinking and trying to learn, is all.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Yeah, physically empty. In her post, miriam_heddy discussed the missing Jewish community and the hole the lack of them puts in Don's religious arc.