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Post by RichmondStreet5164 on Mar 27, 2016 18:32:11 GMT
Hi all
I just watched the episode 'Mixed Blessings' where Dorothy's son Michael gets married to an older woman called Lorraine who is twice his age and also a black woman.
When Dorothy hears the news that Lorraine is black she says ' Well is she or isn't she ?' and Michael replies ' she is ' to which Dorothy responds ' Oh God'', in the episode later on she says race is not an issue.
My first thought was if this was the case when why did she respond initially with 'oh god' - why would it matter if Lorraine is black ? Is it a generational thing as to why Dorothy responded that way or was she a bit racist ?
I don't think she was but her reaction confused me !
What do you think ?
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Post by Freddy Peterson on Mar 29, 2016 12:52:42 GMT
Hi all I just watched the episode 'Mixed Blessings' where Dorothy's son Michael gets married to an older woman called Lorraine who is twice his age and also a black woman. When Dorothy hears the news that Lorraine is black she says ' Well is she or isn't she ?' and Michael replies ' she is ' to which Dorothy responds ' Oh God'', in the episode later on she says race is not an issue. My first thought was if this was the case when why did she respond initially with 'oh god' - why would it matter if Lorraine is black ? Is it a generational thing as to why Dorothy responded that way or was she a bit racist ? I don't think she was but her reaction confused me ! What do you think ? A good question, RichmondStreet5164 - Keep in mind that this episode premiered in 1988. Just 20-25 years prior, the nation was still struggling in race relations. Segregation still existed in some parts of America. It was only 20 years prior (April 1968) that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. I would say that, because of the ages of "the girls," they were all aware of racial tensions over the years. In a sitcom - a 30-minute-with-commercials sitcom - it would be impossible to get the individual backgrounds of all the characters on the show, especially on this topic. The 1980s were certainly a progressive decade, but the older generation in that time - the ones who had lived through WWII and the 1960's upheaval - easily recalled the racial issues they had lived through. My thinking is that it's one of two things: * Dorothy was concerned about the public perception of having Michael in a mixed-race relationship. It was a idea that had simply never crossed her mind - likely because Michael had never dated a black woman before. * It was simply a comedy effect, and nothing more can be read into it.  |
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Post by RichmondStreet5164 on Mar 29, 2016 17:30:16 GMT
Thanks Freddie !
That was a good answer, I can see the situation more clearly now ! Yes it most likely was for comedic effect - I guess I look to deeply at things haha
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Post by Little Sven on Apr 3, 2016 18:00:11 GMT
It's definitely the first and second lumped into one. I never liked Dorothy's feelings about their relationship, even though I don't believe they made her racist. It felt kind of odd and out of character.
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Post by kevko76 on Apr 4, 2016 14:54:55 GMT
I agree with Freddie... I think they used this sort of plot device for a lot of the issues they confronted on the show:
Put one of the characters into the role of a common public opinion, then resolve the matter using progressive ideals.
They did the same with Clayton being gay, Dr. Jonathan Newman, etc etc.
You need to have a character with a differing opinion in order to counter that opinion. It's great! and usually done with brilliant comedy and tact
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