On Sat, Aug 4, 2012 at 5:47 PM, Bob in Jersey <[email protected]>wrote:
> An interesting juxtaposition occurred Thursday involving Gabrielle > Douglas' gymnastics triumph and an ad for the aforementioned *Animal > Practice* featuring a simian performing on rings -- a > columnist<http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-sports/olympics/20120803-did-nbc-make-blunder-in-ad-choice-after-gabby-douglas-win.ece>for > the > *Dallas Morning News* saw something offensive -- NBCU told > THR<http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nbc-gabby-douglas-animal-practice-promo-olympics-358229>there > was no intent... > I actually received several emails about this the morning after it happened. I had not noticed it myself because I skip commercials, but I went back and watched it. Nothing to see here - move along. The obvious line is the truest one: The only offensive thing about the commercial was the insult to my intelligence that any suggestion that I might want to watch the show represents. It had nothing to do with Douglas or African-American gymnasts. Interestingly, I also received a few emails that morning bashing Costas and NBC for even mentioning that Douglas was African-American, seeing this as part of some pro-Obama conspiracy to get even more entitlements for dark skinned people (or something - I did not really understand the basis for the criticism exactly, it was mostly just an opportunity to foam at the mouth incoherently). The actual point is that Costas and NBC handled Douglas's ethnicity appropriately and gracefully. They did not mention it at all during the competition, or, to my memory, in any of the event broadcast or commentary after it was over. Costas did not mention it at all during his post-event discussion and interviews, until just before his sign-off, when he introduced it by stating that it as a sign of how far we had come that it hardly seemed remarkable any more, but still worth nothing that she was the first African-American woman to win the Olympic all-around. He noted that Douglas had been inspired by an African-American who won a team Gold some years ago (Dominque something, I kind of remember her as being a part of one of the more obnoxious US Gymnastics Teams), and then noted somewhat sentimentally but no doubt accurately that there were probably more than a few African-American girls going to bed that night thinking they might want to try out for the Olympics one day. Very short, very understated, and very appropriate. In other words, the opposite of the trumped up, irrational controversy, on various sides, in the aftermath. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
