This is the best hack I've seen on Hacker News in months and it doesn't even involve a computer. Great job to everyone involved in pulling it off, even if the casual viewers didn't notice.
Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
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Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#22Meta: Does this act count as culture jamming? And if so, does culture jamming count as hacking? Because if so, I foresee the possibility of more links on HN about Banksy, or whomever is the Banksy of the moment, and others who find ways to disrupt establishment norms.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#23Never knew you could be "racist" against a religion. I get it though, take a powerful word with negative connotations and use it to put your target on the defensive, no matter how tangential the connection. Kind of like being called a "commie" in the 20th century.
What if the race is synonymous with a religion- Judaism and Jews being the obvious example?
I think a lot of people would disagree that there is such a thing as a Jewish race, to start with. This gets at the question of what exactly is a race, as well. I think it most likely has something to do with your genes and family lineage, without getting too deep into it.
Unsure of this myself, I have googled and found that some writers with prominent search ranks say that Jews were always considered to be a race until after the holocaust. I still don't think it's remotely correct to say "synonymous" even here.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#24Never knew you could be "racist" against a religion. I get it though, take a powerful word with negative connotations and use it to put your target on the defensive, no matter how tangential the connection. Kind of like being called a "commie" in the 20th century.
I've come through the other side on this topic. When someone levels an "ism" charge, I assume the accuser has an agenda and become suspicious.
How exactly does that strategy address the original concern? It sidesteps the issue completely without refuting it.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#25Never knew you could be "racist" against a religion. I get it though, take a powerful word with negative connotations and use it to put your target on the defensive, no matter how tangential the connection. Kind of like being called a "commie" in the 20th century.
Racism is just shorthand for prejudices such as ethnocentrism, Orientalism, Othering.
I'm sorry, but according to whom? Not the dictionary, or Wikipedia.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#26I haven't seen Homeland past the first season - but can someone who has seen more shed light on the alleged "racism" of the show? Is the show actually racist in its depiction of Arab-speaking characters, or is this simply a manifestation of Hanlon's Razor - "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"?
Well, the show depicts largely terrorists and criminals. Activists apparently want long diatribes about how wonderful Arab and Muslim families are to "balance" it out. Homeland isn't a documentary. Its a dramatic show about national security and as such it will probably not paint a realistic picture of the average Muslim, because average Muslims aren't really what its supposed to portray. The same way professional wr…
> Homeland isn't a documentary ...
True, but I don't feel it's not enough for Homeland's producers, or anyone, to say 'it's not our problem'. We all live in a community and are responsible for taking care of it and for the consequences of what we do. "No man is an island."
People absorb their views of the world from TV, in part. With widespread prejudice against people who believe in Islam, portraying stereotypes of that prejudice worsens a dangerous situation. Many, many very bad things in history have resulted and are resulting from that kind of prejudice. It's similar to portraying all black skinned people on TV as drug dealers; many people, seeing only stereotypes, come to believe them.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#27I hope next they protest how much of a propaganda tool for the U.S. government this show is - a cake for drone striking someone? Really?
In the same episode, a drone strike kills tens of innocent people. If you think that is "propaganda", you obviously weren't paying any attention.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#28clever. I'm curious if the group cashed the check from the producers for their "services" or if that's also just part of the statement they're making.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#29I haven't seen Homeland past the first season - but can someone who has seen more shed light on the alleged "racism" of the show? Is the show actually racist in its depiction of Arab-speaking characters, or is this simply a manifestation of Hanlon's Razor - "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"?
Well, the show depicts largely terrorists and criminals. Activists apparently want long diatribes about how wonderful Arab and Muslim families are to "balance" it out. Homeland isn't a documentary. Its a dramatic show about national security and as such it will probably not paint a realistic picture of the average Muslim, because average Muslims aren't really what its supposed to portray. The same way professional wr…
There's no such thing as an average person.
Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Racism is just shorthand for prejudices such as ethnocentrism, Orientalism, Othering.
I'm sorry, but according to whom? Not the dictionary, or Wikipedia.
According to popular use. A lot of words, especially in the political or controversial sphere, end up having folk definitions that are open to interpretation. Witness how meaningless labels like "conservative" or "liberal" become when you try to dissect them.