#(which also i now remember included being called problematic for watching the understandably problematic rep that came years before

[qaraxuanzenith]

What’s your favorite show with good Jewish representation?

Hey there! Thank you for the question!

I can think of only one show (followed by a handful of qualified honourable mentions) that I have enjoyed that has good Jewish representation: Covert Affairs.

Without giving too many spoilers, Covert Affairs is a spy show about a CIA agent that has a recurring character who is an Israeli Mossad agent. He has an obviously-but-not-too-stereotypically Israeli/Jewish name, and over the course of his appearances in the show is an unquestionably heroic character, who is loyal to both his country and his friends, even when that means navigating the conflicts between those two loyalties. He and the main character of the show save each other’s lives numerous times. Importantly, the show doesn’t shy away from his Israeli-ness or his Jewish-ness, even though those are far from his only or dominant character traits. He talks up how amazing his country is to the protagonist from his first appearance, and the show acknowledges how certain countries / situations are more dangerous for him than for our heroine because he is Israeli, and he casually quotes the Talmud to her. The show never specifies how observant he is; we don’t know if he’s Orthodox, Reform, secular, religious - because his personal observances don’t matter so much as the fact that his Judaism is an important part of his life that informs his conversation and his outlook.

I will share my 5 honourable mentions under the cut.

Honourable mention 1: Babylon Five

I can’t call Babylon Five a favourite show of mine with good Jewish rep, because I’ve never seen it (other than five minutes my dad showed me when I was little of a Jewish character lighting a chanukiyah in space). But what I know of it makes me want to see it because of its good Jewish representation - I don’t know if this is spoilers, since I’ve never watched the show, but I understand that at one point, a Jewish community leader approaches a Jewish major character to discuss why she has not yet sat shiva / said Kaddish for her deceased father.

Honourable mention 2: The Nanny

Strictly speaking, I can’t say The Nanny is good Jewish representation. It doesn’t show a diversity of Jewish characters (and certainly none who relate to their Judaism the way I do), and instead reinforces many Jewish stereotypes. It gives a (spoilers, but the show aired about 30 years ago) happy ending in which the Jewish woman marries her non-Jewish romantic lead and joins his non-Jewish family, which is... disappointing and unsurprising in television. Nevertheless, a few points in its favour: it may not represent my view of Judaism, but it was pitched and produced by Fran Drescher to represent an accurate(-ish) portrait of her experience of Judaism; despite the annoying stereotypes being reinforced, the character of Fran is, throughout, vocal, proud, and unapologetic about her own Judaism, which we don’t seem often enough; and Fran unabashedly loves Israel and even (spoilers?) brings the whole family on a trip to a kibbutz in a late-season episode.

Honourable mention 3: Srugim

I don’t think Srugim should count for this question, because it’s an Israeli show made for a Jewish/Israeli audience. I also don’t think the portrayals in Srugim are unproblematic; it is, however, the only show I can think of that I’ve seen which includes some/any (not universally offensive) portrayals of Modern Orthodox Jews, and that is something I want to see more of, and which I appreciated seeing in Srugim (okay, the real reason I liked Srugim was for the cameo appearance of Avshalom Kur, that’s real representation for Tanach/language nerds).

Honourable mention 4: The Rugrats

I’m certain this question was not aiming for answers from kids’ shows, and I honestly can’t remember liking Rugrats all that much. But I do remember that it was a rare show with meaningful Jewish content. As I recall, all the babies (with the exception of Angelica?) are explicitly or strongly implied to be Jewish. I have vague memory of an episode in which Tommy’s grandfather speaks to the babies (in an age-appropriate way) about the Shoah, and another in which they act out the story of Pesach in a way that was clearly informed by actual Jewish knowledge. So it gets those sweet, sweet representation points!

Honourable mention 5: Sesame Street / Rechov Sumsum

Okay, now I feel like I’m really reaching. I know Sesame Street made cultural-equivalent shows in many countries, so Rechov Sumsum, as a show made for Jewish-Israeli children audiences, strictly speaking Does Not Count, except I do remember being shown a couple of crossover episodes between Sesame Street and Rechov Sumsum, in which classic Sesame Street characters got invited to a Muppet relative’s Seder, and learned authentic Jewish traditions. I didn’t grow up on a strict diet of Sesame Street like some people did, but this meant a lot to me as a kid!

This post is long enough and I’m trying really hard to not go on Yet Another Representation rant, but I’ve seen a lot of television shows (though obviously there are many more I haven’t seen), and I think it’s sad that I can only think of six shows - one of which I haven’t seen, one of which is Israeli-made, and two of which are children’s shows - that have any degree of good Jewish representation. I can think of plenty of shows - shows I loved, even - that had offensive Jewish representation (and can put together that list, explaining what was offensive / problematic, upon request); I can think of plenty of shows written/produced by Jews that were informed by Jewish ideas but never made anyone or anything explicitly Jewish, and plenty of shows with characters of ambiguous or ambiguously Jewish backgrounds played by Jews, who were never made into actual Jewish representation. But these six are the only ones I can think of that actually provided any real, not-directly-offensive, representation of Jewish people.

If anyone knows of any other shows that meet this bar or did better, I would love to know!

#am i jewish tumblr #jumblr #representation #jewish representation #representation in media #representation matters #representation done right #covert affairs #babylon five #the nanny #srugim #rugrats #sesame street #rechov sumsum #representation rant #solicited judaism rambles #semi-solicited judaism posts

[buddha-in-disguise]

Will this ever end?

Well I woke up to a shitstorm on Twitter and the Supergirl fandom, with David Harewood.

I can't say exactly what was said to cause David to post what he did as I haven't seen posts he might have done - but his subsequent reactions have unfortunately merely seemed to have exacerbated the issue and inflamed it.

My thoughts though before I go further into this. Also remember these are my own thoughts, I don't expect everyone to agree with me. However I hope I can make some kind of sense with what I'm trying to write down here.

Supergirl this season has one character I'm finding hard to relate to. This has absolutely nothing to do with potential storylines and relationship possibilty, but everything to do with what they have tried to do with William Dey as a whole.

I get the reason he came along in regards Russell and so the Andrea connection. That story made some sense.

What hasn't made sense - William being used as a journalist, when Nia is right there! Nia has barely had any screen time, and virtually none as a journalist; you know - her actual job. I'm not sure what the minutes on screen ratio has been this season between the two, but it has felt completely slanted towards William as a viewer.

First instead of Kara and Nia investigating Leviathan after William was 'exposed' in the earlier episodes, now Nia is sidelined again, because they want Kara to team up with William to investigate Lex.

Why? Why do they need that journalistic pairing, when Nia - who as a Superhero, is better placed if danger from Lex occurs. But no, they're making it about Kara having to work with William because Lex threatened to kill him.

They have a Superhero who is also a journalist right there!

Right. There.

Personally this simply makes no sense to me. Plus if I am being honest, William as a character is bringing nothing to the table for me. He feels more like a token male character because James has left.

That brings me to Dansen. While we had some scenes before Crisis, considering at SDCC we were being told how Dansen would strengthen after those events, again we have seen seconds worth of screen time of Kelly, let alone the lack of Dansen.

We accept it isn't the Dansen show and this isn't about that, but again it feels as if it is being pushed way into the background & Kelly is being underutilised. She works for Obsidian North, yet was nowhere to be seen at the launch of the new tech. Sure, it isn't her area of expertise within the company, but you would expect senior employees to have been at such an important launch.

Plus, she is ex-military, but again nothing has been utilised about that part of her character.

The problems with both these issues is these characters are LGBTQ rep on the show. Representation that is already severely underrepresented on TV. Even allowing for the LGBTQ rep on SG (which is above average), it is still well below the ratio percentages that GLAAD show as being the main demographic of viewers.

So LGBTQ fans also look at non-canon representation as well. They have to, because LGBTQ on screen numbers simply don't reflect what the viewer numbers are. I made a post about it to try & highlight this, which I will link to.

But needless to say, LGBTQ fans also generally have difficulties that a lot of people don't have to face.

This brings me back to David and his lack of understanding that many fans were (looking through the comments), trying to explain to him. That criticism wasn't aimed at him per se (at least that I saw), or his directing or acting of that episode. If criticism was aimed at him, that was and is wrong.

The main criticism I saw was being aimed about elements that the writers and producers had done (Winn's wife being another aspect that was problematic). It was unfortunate that it has coincided with David's directorial episode.

Look, David can direct an episode wonderfully, it can have some great aspects to it, but it can also be highly problematic to some fans, & receive valid criticism for it.

For example, the latest episode of Batwoman. The Alice/Beth story was great. The acting superb. What I found worrying was the way they made Sophie feel guilty for legitimate reasons why she had led a closeted lifestyle. That lifestyle is valid, for Sophie and many LGBTQ people, and for good reason, including keeping some people safe from harm. I felt it was a clumsy attempt for Alice to get into Sophie's mind; it could've been tackled other ways, so it felt wrong they used her sexuality as a way to achieve that. Being closeted for many literally keeps them alive. So that was one hell of a poor choice in my opinion. So, great episode, valid criticism.

I personally find it sad that David hasn't seemed to understand this. Especially considering he only recently tweeted about the lack of diversity on TV for black actors. His argument there applies to what the LGBTQ audience have been trying to explain so many times, both with Supergirl and beyond that.

Except for LGBTQ it goes further, as not only are there LGBTQ, there is further intersectionality that runs through us as a group.

So for example, Kelly is LGBTQ, but Black. She is also a woman. All areas that struggle in their own sphere and marginalised in their own right. Added together, and it makes her representation even more important.

Nia Nal is Transgender. And a woman. Also two areas of intersectionality. If we don't listen to all marginalised people, especially when that intersectionality comes into play, we fail.

David is Black.

But also heterosexual, and male, and honestly, seeing his reaction I felt the heterosexual male with no understanding what the LGBTQ audience was trying to explain come through far more than I imagined I would.

Now of course, it could be David had no intention of coming across in that way. Yet the way he liked certain posts also felt as a complete dismissal of the LGBTQ community as a whole. It felt like the reactions from SDCC 2017 all over again.

Without a doubt some fans were taking it too far. I get that. I don't know how often I have written about fandoms and the way some can behave. However, if David is putting everyone in a fandom as all being problematic (as his liking of Tweets seem to suggest), then that is a very poor take indeed by him, and one I hope he considers.

By taking those steps, he has angered some fans more than was necessary in my view. Like Staz the other day, I know we are all human and sometimes react emotionally. Unlike Staz, who tried to clarify his words and apologised for any upset he might've caused, David seems to have gone the other way and doubled down against fans, blocking even respectful tweets to him that were trying to explain a point of view.

Now before anyone thinks I am hating on David, I'm not. I have supported much of his work.

I am though disappointed that for someone who is marginalised himself, has had mental health struggles, he has seemingly failed to understand that LGBTQ are just as marginalised (if not more so) than he is, & that because of the issues LGBTQ people face, mental health problems are extremely high versus the general population. That some of his wording and liking of tweets have felt like a complete slap in the face for many, who have legitimate concerns about Supergirl at the moment.

As I say, I get some fans take it too far, in all areas of the Supergirl fandom. Outright hate towards anyone is absolutely unacceptable. I also understand that we all react at times that is instinctual because we feel hurt, and that reaction is not as good as it could be.

I just hope that rather than it implode more on us, that everyone takes a step back to try and calm down.

As for the issues of queerbaiting that has risen as a result of the teaser for the next episode of SG. Supergirl in earlier episodes of the season, used parallels to show Lena and Kara alongside canon relationships on the show. To then have other people call fans delusional for seeing those scenes as romantically formulated is not okay! It really isn't. That's hateful, because like it or not, those elements are there.

When I have people who don't watch the show asking if Lena and Kara are together because of clips they might see (straight people at that), that isn't delusional.

But, that isn't an issue the cast should address or make judgement on, or fans to insist they do.

It should though be something asked of the producers and showrunners, because if they have no plans to go through with it - it has been outright queerbaiting this season. Up until this year, they've not done things with notable intent to parallel other relationships. This season they have. The shift felt deliberate.

I know ultimately that this show is about Supergirl, but it is also about those around her as family & friends. I understand there are only so many minutes in one episode. What I don't understand is why those precious minutes are going to a character, when they have one perfectly placed to do the same role. Why they have to potentially explore another relationship, when we have one canon relationship & one relationship that while isn't canon in terms of romantic, it is a big story in terms of best friends, both seemingly sidelined. Which brings me to the Kara fighting for Lena's soul aspect. Again, I am not seeing a lot of fighting for anything, except more and more fans fighting themselves and cast.

I will be honest, I had high hopes for this season. I also knew it was likely going to be pretty confusing at times since it was given as 'our Black mirror season' and 'nothing is as it seems.' I accepted that.

However, all it seems at the moment is a jumbled mess from pre and post Crisis. They just doesn't appear to be any cohesion at all, which is making it really difficult as a viewer. Add in the changes post Crisis and it feels even more of a mess.

Of course, they could bring in more cohesive elements soon, but considering that we know episode 13 is 'It's a wonderful life,' and Alex Danvers in a later episode is wearing a Super suit - I just sense this whole 'nothing is as it seems' side we appear to be getting isn't changing any time soon, & with episodes running out, with so many strings running through at the moment, it feels really discombomulated. If by seasons end, they pull it off and you can look back and see how it's played out as a whole, I will be the first to say well done for that part.

I get that as more characters are added to a show, it can make shuffling screen time for those already established characters harder to achieve that will please everyone, especially when we get invested in those characters.

I do though think right now Supergirl feels chaotic beyond expectation, and no end in sight. I feel there have been too many character additions this season (particularly Andrea & William) that is taking screen time away from Kara, Alex, Nia, Lena, Kelly et al.

That is causing confusion for fans, that is also beginning to become frustration. That frustration is spilling over. Add in the genuine and legitimate concerns over the LGBTQ issues that have arisen, and the frustration has built even more.

Again though, that is something we need to be asking of the producers and show runners, and not pulling the cast into it.

Let's all try less to score points against each other, or make generalisations, as none of that is helpful.

If you can't do that, you will get other fans calling you out.

Let's all learn to step away a bit more when it is obviously getting to the point rational discussion isn't working, to let things calm down.

We all need to try and do better.

#supergirl #davidharewood #supercorp #lgbtq representation