Does Diversity mean you can be racist?

[SarahJoyBrownFF]

First, it was John and Mamie

Next, it was Neil and Victoria

Now, it is Daniel and Lily

Next, it will be Cane and Lily

John and Mamie had a innocent relationship that dated back to the olden days. They were growing closer and looked great together, yet again Y&R for some unknown reason decided against this couple and dropped them too.

Neil and Heather Tom's Victoria has mad chemistry together. They looked good together, then Y&R got scared because the racist were writing them tell them they didn't like Neil and Victoria together, so they appeased the racist and dropped this good couple.

Y&R let Daniel become a porn lover just to create some distance between him and his loving wife so they could pair him with Amber who has just deceived Cane into marrying her about two seconds earlier.

Now, Y&R has let Cane who had just been bitten by Amber's lies to pretend like he had sex with the freak of the week Chloe so they can now drop Lily from Cane life and create this uninteresting pairing of Cane and Chloe.

This is a patten with Y&R and I have simply had it. Michael Logan wrote a column asking if Soaps are now going color-blind if they watched Y&R for any length of time their answer would be an loud sounding NO!

Just because Y&R has a couple more black folks (and I commend AMC because they are just about to pass them in this department) doesn't mean they can just treat the interracial couples that most of their audience have invested in any kind of way.

What say you?

[MTSRocks]

I'm tired of interracial coupling being strictly black and white. I'd love to see some REAL diversity being incorporated into these shows.

As for Neil/Victoria and John/Mamie, is already publicly known that the audience did not "accept" their relationship. Extremely stupid, but I guess that was that. I think Y&R has done better with black/white relationships recently though.

[BadZoe]

I didn't find that Neil and Victoria worked at all as a couple. Back then she was a strong woman and from the way he behaved, it was obvious he didn't like strong women. He was always trying to get Dru to quit modeling saying that it wasn't a valid career, choice. The only woman he saw as having a valid job was Dr. Olivia. On the other hand, I was always disappointed that they never paired Victoria and Malcolm. They had chemistry in spades and he didn't seem to be bothered by a woman with power.

That porn storyline was the lamest thing I've ever seen. If women everywhere dropped their hubby's for enjoying porn, probably the divorce rate would shoot up to 90% instead of 50%. She acted like he was watching gay porn or child porn. I wouldn't blame people for being pissed over the way Lily is written. First with Daniel, and now insisting that Cane marry a woman he doesn't love, and won't remain married to, just to feel good about herself for being a self sacrificing saint. Can't this show write a woman as being good hearted without also being totally brain dead?

AMC used to do interracial romances better. They let their couples grow organically and never forced a pairing. One of my favorite couples ever is Noah and Julia. They had such a tender and sweet romance that was never about race. It was just two people falling in love.

[Greg's GL]

IA that an interracial coupling could and should be more than black/white. That being said, there is a lot of disparity between the races on how far we have come regarding black/white relations. I believe that alot of people will hide behind the banner of "diversity" and still be racists. That's a fact. Because it's no longer socially acceptable for white men to put on robes, I believe a lot of racism has gone underground and for me, that's more dangerous than people who were "out and proud" racists. You can never be sure these days where someone stands on the issue. Unless you can read their minds, you will never know what evil thoughts are behind their eyes.

But do we know for a fact that William Bell was a racist? Or his writers? I remember Neil/Victoria, and IA they had mega chemistry. Was there ever a discussion about this when they dropped the SL so many years ago?

As far as Lane goes, and this is just speculation, Cane/Chloe isn't the end game IMO. Even though I don't like Cane and Lily together, they will probably get back around to each other.

[DeeeDee]

John/Mamie was way before Neil/Victoria.

[MTSRocks]

Precisely. And in the end, that should be all that matters.

[YRBB]

I think (apart from Neil/Victoria and John/Mamie) that you just described what happens with any couple of any race in soaps: They have problems and they break up. Whether the reasons for the break up are good or bad (depends on the writing) is a whole other point. Other than that, I think you are seeing things that are not there. Y&R has more than proved that they do interracial pairings and breaking up does not mean the writers hate black people, nor that they are racist.

However, I DO agree that John/Mamie and Neil/Victoria are two couples I would have LOVED to have seen flourish (loved Tom with John, they were fantastic), but when you've got tons of viewers threatening to quit then you do what seems better for the show (even though I do not personally agree with the decision).

[DeeeDee]

Most interracial "romances" in Daytime only serve two purposes.

1. Marginalize minority females.

2. Emasculate minority males.

[nassaunew]

Neil and Karen are an interracial couple.

[MoTheGreat]

When I watch soaps I see they have no problems doing White & others. It's just when it comes to black people getting love interests even if it's just black on black love. It like they saying black people aren't loveable or something.

Anyway I didn't see chemistry between Neil & Victoria so I was cool with them breaking up even. My thing why they didn't try Malcolm out with Phylis, Victoria, Ashley, Jill. He's the one who had the chemistry out of the two brothers.

Mamie & John. Me personally I don't like when my parents get lovey dovey. I sure don't want to see old people get hot for each other. But when they use the same excuse for them as they use for Neil & Victoria. I start saying people really care who John was kissing.

Daniel & Lily. That whole porn thing was stupid. I don't know why Lily didn't suggest some sexually stuff to Daniel. Oh that's right they write CKLily like she got virginal eyes or is it mind.

Cane & Lily another couple I have no problem with them breaking up. Boring, bland, & chemistry free. Cane the grown as man should be with somebody more his speed. Because eventually Lily is going to go back to her virginal ways getting set up for her next love interest.

[YRBB]

Malcolm sounds hot with any of these women.... but don't forget Malcolm and Phyllis did have this casual sex/sex buddies thing going on every now and then.

[Cheap21]

I think AMC already passed them. We see 7 black characters on a regular basis on that show (not to mention occasional recurring ones like Dre's grandfather). How many does Y&R even have featured regularly now?

[Tonksadora]

On Angie, Jesse, Franklin, Cassandra, Dre, Samuel, Samuel's father (played by the actor's own famous actor/creator+ father), ... who else am I missing? Not that the count hasn't already surpassed current Y&R with, I think, Neil, Lily, Devon, ... ?

And, personally, I just want diversity to start meaning more than just skin color.

[Cheap21]

On Angie, Jesse, Franklin, Cassandra, Dre, Samuel, Samuel's father (played by the actor's own famous actor/creator+ father), ... who else am I missing? Not that the count hasn't already surpassed current Y&R with, I think, Neil, Lily, Devon, ... ?

And, personally, I just want diversity to start meaning more than just skin color.

You're missing Randi. AMC has alot of black folk on the canvas now and last year didnt use any, except for Derek as the town cop. Livia and Dre werent used enough to make a presence

[Sedrick]

What is the bigger problem in my eye as an African-American viewer is that so rarely am I ever seeing people of color in romantic storylines with EACH OTHER. Lily for instance has never been involved with anything but white males...the possibility for Neil to be involved with a Black woman has always been limited, and Devon's 'romance' with Roxanne is at best an afterthought, and at worst a joke.