I think you are misrepresenting this incident. The Koreans did not say “Yes, your joke was true, but it makes us look bad so don’t tell it.” They said that while it was true that Koreans eat dogs, joking that most Koreans would eat their own pets is trading on an ethnic stereotype. Basically, their point was that Leno had told the equivalent of a joke about an African-American eating his neighbor’s pet chicken because Blacks like fried chicken so much. Jokes like that are ugly (not to mention Hack) not because there is no truth in the underlying premise (yes, Jay, many Koreans do eat dogs, and many African Americans do like fried chicken) but because they depend for their so called humor in reducing a marginalized other to a few decontexualized traits, thereby objectifying and dehumanizing them. It is one reason in groups can get away with telling jokes like that about themselves - they are not in danger of objectifying and marginalizing themselves.
As for Union, I have never seen the show, but I read in Variety that some reports say that “Union was subjected to a very specific critique — that her rotating hair styles were “too black” for the audience of “AGT,” a note she received over half a dozen times, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the exchanges who spoke on the condition of anonymity.” I’m sure it’s easier for NBC not to have cast memberS from different backgrounds who voice their different perceptions and embody their differences on camera. If the changes in the times are that it is now a little bit harder for NBC to try to have it so easy, then perhaps the changes are for the good. On Wed, Nov 27, 2019 at 8:06 PM Diner <[email protected]> wrote: > I recall back in the 90s or 2000s Jay said in an interview that he once > made a joke on the air about Koreans eating dogs, and a Korean group > complained, so he met with them. When they asked him to apologize, he said > it was his understanding that the joke was based in truth - that people in > Korea actually do eat dogs; their response was that yes, it is true, but > that they didn't want people to talk about it because it was bad for their > image. He said that if it was true they had no right to complain, and that > he would not apologize because it was fair game. > But it's a different world now. > > > On Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 2:50:47 PM UTC-5, Joe Hass wrote: >> >> Gabrielle Union went to NBC producers earlier this year after guest judge >> Jay Leno made an out-dated, racist joke. They blew her off. Then they >> didn't renew her contact at the end of the year. >> >> >> https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/americas-got-talent-gabrielle-union-julianne-hough-toxic-culture-ousted-judges-1203417447 >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/c4dbea05-d209-41f5-83ab-fba2df89b715%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/c4dbea05-d209-41f5-83ab-fba2df89b715%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Sent from Gmail Mobile -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKGtkYJDpdgsNAcpec_%3DFtOMYgy%3D4ToSKGf3iRKqSVE%2Bd8FKOw%40mail.gmail.com.
