Racism is alive and well in the North just as it is in the South, it just manifests differently. To put the blame of racism squarely on the shoulders of Southern whites absolves the daily and toxic racism that occurs in the North by Nothern whites. Do we really need to talk about the numerous unarmed black men shot in the back by NYPD?

Come on down to the deep South sometime…things have changed a lot.

One poster mentioned the post-Cosby show era as perhaps being a bit more racist than one would think. An ironic statement, but full of truth I believe, considering the United States has it’s first African American president.

I think part of what we’re witnessing is the fact that white americans are soon to become a minority in the United States. While many see this as just a natural progression of shifting demographics, many do not and see the loss of white privilege and status as racial majority as something they can not and will not stomach.

While it took just a few generations for the Irish, Italians, Jews, Greeks and other ethnic groups to assimilate into America and be considered White, it was easier to stomach, get used to, and move on, because of skin color.

Once you toss in brown skin, a different religion (and even if you’re Christian, you’re still considered different) and different ethnicities (try explaining or asking the average American what the difference between an Iranian and Iraqi citizen) and it’s just too much for them to deal with.

People change because they truly want to. I don’t believe a TV show honestly changes what’s in a persons heart. Besides which, not every person of color wants to wear sweaters or follow the template laid out by the Cosby Show. I haven’t watched Outsourced; the few promos I did catch only made me shake my head and wonder who on earth came up with such a show and why.

It’s a tough issue that no one has put in the arena for public discussion so far. But I think blogs and forums such as yours at least have presence and help to get the ball rolling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHmNpacogSo

radical, You have to act by the subscribed norms of any society to fit in. For the country club set act like carlton banks and master your hybrid clubs. If you want to get in the horse crowd get in good at Santa Anita.

How do you define American society?

Is it broad and multicultural, old school WASP?

That will define what you have to do to fit in.

Yet the Cosby’s blend into american society pretty well, and many could argue the show is pretty “whitewashed.” (Which seems to be Mandvi’s point in his parody). There weren’t many episodes where their problems were around their race. You hardly saw anyone interact with them outside their house. Which raises the ever important question- Do you have to act white to fit into American society?

My problems as a brown kid were things like- explaining to people why my dad wears a turban, how to pronounce my name, and why does my house always smell kinda funny?

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Cosby’s but it definitely didn’t make me feel normal, or help me assimilate as a brown kid in a white world.

At least..then the younger ones could have some sort of positive role models, especially for first-generations, that defeat the typical stereotypes of being either Muslim or just South Asian in the States.

But I do agree, that if the audience is like that pilot audience, it probably would miss. Again.