The Colorblind Screen by Turner Sarah E. Nilsen Sarah & Sarah E. Turner

The Colorblind Screen by Turner Sarah E. Nilsen Sarah & Sarah E. Turner

Author:Turner, Sarah E.,Nilsen, Sarah & Sarah E. Turner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 2014-07-14T16:00:00+00:00


The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: “Allah in the Family” (Original Air Date: February 17, 2011)

Aasif Mandvi, a show “correspondent” (fake reporter) and, in this skit, an aspiring actor, stars in a pilot called “The Qu’osby Show,” modeled after The Cosby Show but starring a Muslim family. The satirical skit is shot in the same style as The Cosby Show and raises the question of how Muslims can appeal to an American audience that is skeptical and suspicious of Muslims. In the lead-in to the pilot, Mandvi interviews a group of Americans who are not fans of Muslims or Islam, and they make suggestions about how the show should be done.

There was robust laughter among both groups during the Comedy Central skits starring Aasif Mandvi, an actor of South Asian Indian Muslim origin. The clips that were shown were played directly from Comedy Central’s website and included an introductory skit by Jon Stewart. Participants from G2 were enthusiastic about the idea of watching a series like The Cosby Show that starred Muslim characters. Although not all the participants were familiar with The Cosby Show and its impact on race relations in the United States (Downing), they viewed the categorization of the “Other” as a distinction between urban and rural Americans; those who were exposed to diversity and others who were more insular in their personal experiences. Another show the participants were not likely to be familiar with was the Canadian comedy Little Mosque on the Prairie, which depicts a Muslim community trying to assimilate in rural Canada. One participant in the non-Muslim group (G2) stated:

Actually, that would be a great idea, if that kind of show existed. I believe in the power of television to change our minds about minority groups in America. But it’s going to be a tough sell for people like those white people who live in the middle of nowhere and aren’t exposed to a multicultural side of the U.S. They are the ones who will always hate Muslims no matter what, and they are the same people who still hate black people, Mexicans, and Asians.

Most G2 participants reacted with praise for the use of comedy to break down barriers between Muslims and the rest of American society. They recognized television’s power to integrate immigrant communities and promote diversity, particularly with programming that appeals to a wide audience through the use of humor. This was the closest to a post-racial reading of comedy programming. However, G2 participants also acknowledged that the views expressed on The Daily Show are progressive and liberal and thus not representative of the entire American spectrum of political and social ideology. As one participant commented:

That was an awesome spoof. The idea of using comedy to address bigotry is brilliant. This only goes to show that we want everybody to have the same shared American experience. There must be Muslims out there who are country music fans, right? I don’t really remember watching The Cosby Show, but I know what it is and what it did to humanize the African American community to the rest of the country.



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