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Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

nytimes.com

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Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#111

Post by rsync »

frenchman_in_ny wrote: post #75
vijayr wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am conflicted - on one hand it is a great hack, no doubt. But they also screwed over the producers, who trusted them and paid them for their work.

The producers also admire the hack. From the show's creator & executive producer: "We wish we’d caught these images before they made it to air. However, as Homeland always strives to be subversive in its own right and a stimulus for conversation, we can’t help but admire this act of artistic sabotage.” [0] [0] http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/oct/15/homeland... (edited for clarity)

... and there's the hack. It's us.

If you ever needed proof of the adage that capitalism will co-opt even the most accurate and stinging criticism of it, here it is.

The show was criticized as being racist and so the show appropriated that message (by hiring the "street artists" and instructing them to "go rogue") in order to sell more of the show.

Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#112

Post by anigbrowl »

vijayr wrote: post #61
unknownzero wrote: post #21

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.

I am conflicted - on one hand it is a great hack, no doubt. But they also screwed over the producers, who trusted them and paid them for their work.

The producers are doing just fine. artistic subversion of commercial considerations is a norm in the arts industry; if anything, this gives an otherwise shallow piece of ideological entertainment some unintended cultural depth.

Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#113

Post by mlvljr »

gotchange wrote: post #102

A native Arabic speaker here, I must say that I admire the courage and innovation of the graffiti artists and activists who chose this medium to protest and convey their message, which needless to say, that I don't necessarily endorse or share the creators' point of view. I have to admit that I haven't seen the show yet not even a single shot and I could say too that I have a very thick skin when it comes to "cultura…

Same has happened with writings in Russian language for decades -- Hollywood folks seem to not care at all :)

Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#116

Post by TeMPOraL »

What's that in the upper left corner of the other image[0]? Is that a hashtag-something? I don't see any mention of it neither in the article nor here. Can anyone who reads Arabic chime in?

[0] - http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/10/16/world/middleeast/1...

Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#117

Post by chris_wot »

stonogo wrote: post #109
pessimizer wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As racist as it would be if there were a US show based on how the French are scary, and no one involved with the show spoke French. It means that they are likely exclusively trading in stereotypes and Western orientialist imagery and tropes. I've never seen the show.

France is not a race. That would be xenophobia, which is a different brand of bigotry. Not speaking Arabic is a grey area -- not all Muslims are Arabic, despite the fact that the Quran is written in Arabic and only canonical in that language. There are millions and millions of Muslims who do not speak Arabic, and rely on their clergy to teach them the Quran. While it's apparently not the case here, the absence of an…

No, but it does show that the writers who are making storylines around Arabic speaking nations and cultures don't have anyone who lives in that culture.

Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#118

Post by TeMPOraL »

gotchange wrote: post #102

A native Arabic speaker here, I must say that I admire the courage and innovation of the graffiti artists and activists who chose this medium to protest and convey their message, which needless to say, that I don't necessarily endorse or share the creators' point of view. I have to admit that I haven't seen the show yet not even a single shot and I could say too that I have a very thick skin when it comes to "cultura…

Hi 'gotchange! Since you speak (and read) Arabic, could you tell what's in the top left corner of that picture[0]? Seems like hashtag-something, but it wasn't mentioned in the article.

[0] - http://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/10/16/world/middleeast/1...

Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#119

Post by TeMPOraL »

[deleted] wrote: post #45
dalke wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For an example of how the fake TV world can be used to justify real world beliefs: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/06/20/justice-scalia-hearts-ja... > The Globe and Mail reported that Scalia came to the defense of Jack Bauer and his torture tactics during an Ottawa conference of international jurists and national security officials last week. During a panel discussion about terrorism, torture and the law, a Canadian ju…

[deleted]

It also provides anchors and examples for availability heuristic[0]. It then leads some people to generalize from fictional evidence[1].

[0] - http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Availability_heuristic

[1] - http://lesswrong.com/lw/k9/the_logical_fallacy_of_generaliza...

Re: Graffiti on ‘Homeland,’ Unnoticed by Producers, Calls Show Racist

#120

Post by [deleted] »

dalke wrote: post #63
[deleted] wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

"it's just a way of relating" Yes, I believe that it my point. By creating constructs like Bauer, the underlying topic that torture is justifiable became easier to relate to. Thus, it's not correct to absolve the creators of those shows simply, as drzaiusapelord did, because 'Its a dramatic show'. I have no idea what your last line means.

[deleted]
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