Does Diversity mean you can be racist?

[applcin]

I used to wish Jesse and Jenny had dumped, even if only temporarily, Angie and Greg and had been more than just best buddies. I remember theirs was a popular friendship and I enjoyed it very much but I used to think, wow, here were two people who were great friends, knew everything about each other, worked together, lived together (their summer in NYC), etc. I would've liked to have seen it go further. And I liked that the show had the added realistic touch of Opal (then Dorothy Lyman) having an obvious racial dislike of Jesse.

Some other soaps did a good job with interracial romances that were long-term or produced long-term effects. GH had Tom & Simone Hardy and, IIRC, they introduced an African-American male as a rival (to make Simone think about the differences between her and Tom) and I think Tom and Simone also went through some harassment as well. I thought their situation was pretty realistically handled. GH also had Edward/Mary Mae Ward--more of a flashback to the past thing than a current thing but it did create an African-American branch to the waspy Quartermaine family tree. Granted, that branch is dead now and the Hardys are long gone.

PC had a pretty popular couple in Jamal and Alison, til they broke it up and put her with Rafe, a guy who looked like he could be her brother.

Now on OLTL, there was a sort of rather interesting series of couplings. African American Hank Gannon was married to the Jewish Nora Hanen (and they had a grown daughter). Nora also had relationship with his brother RJ. RJ himself has had several relationships with white women, including Elizabeth (producing his daughter, Kerri), Tea and most recently, Lindsey. But...they weren't given frontburner status. Sometimes, they were so backburnered, you would think they fell behind the stove. OLTL also had paired Evangeline with several non-black characters, such as Cristian and John..and were apparently flirting with a potential Todd pairing before she left. They also flirted with a Vincent/Natalie pairing for a while, which I was actually disappointed at the time that they chose to re-start the Vincent/Leyla thing. I really do like Jared/Natalie now (obvious from the banner, lol) but at the time, I would have been interested to see Vincent/Natalie.

Anyway...since I'm not behind the scenes, I don't know how many relationships were cut short due to racial backlash or whether the characters were involved in other pairings for whom the fanbases were clamoring. You know, like had Todd/Evangeline gone further, would it have still amounted to just a detour to his umpteenth reunion with Blair? In other words, would the bigger backlash have been racially motivated or couple motivated in that particular case? I think the fact that Tom/Simone and Jamal/Alison hadn't really had prior popular relationships may have made it a little easier for some fans to accept them or for the show to build them up. I mean, if Jamal was brought on purposely to be with Alison, whom we never saw with anybody else either then, sure, let's go along for the ride. And by the time Tom's black rival appeared on the scene, Tom/Simone had been a couple for a while so they were the ones with the rooting value, not Simone with a new guy, even if he was black.

Sorry for rambling. Just making observations and wondering.

[anita30]

I thought Mamie and John would have been interesting because they come from two complete different backgrounds and it would have been interesting to see how the maid would handle her bosses life.

Daniel and Lily loved with Davitta was in the role. They killed this couple when CK came back and made Daniel look pathetic to prop Lily. I thought Daniel and Lily were fun and sexy when Davitta was playing Lily but was killed when CK came back.

Cane a sexy man with a boring woman being Lily never understood why on this earth he would be interested in her but there you go. They are boing and sexy and will Cane and Lily dont work for me however if they want to try Tyra with Cane I would not object to that at all. LOL

I never understood why they did not go Malcolm and Phyllis because they would have been hot. sexy and passionate or even Shamar with Heather's Victoria which would be hot.

I personally dont think the writers have the guts to write a good black and white storyline because they are scared of what people would think or judge which is stupid. With some soaps they have the actors hince Todd/Vangie on OLTL but dont want to take advantage and do the safe route or wait until its to late to try it. I will never understand why they dont like to try interracial couples because they are not new much to the writers want us to beleive.

[Cheap21]

I actually love Angie's chemistry with Jake adn wou;ldnt mind seeing them together.

Haha, and PC played with the idea that he could be her long lost brother.

[DeeeDee]

Amen!

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, Randi, yep, missed her. Probably a mental block. And, I agree that AMC has changed their racial make-up drastically, but at the same time very organically. Meanwhile, I think Livia could be used every day & it wouldn't be too much for me!!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I heard Patrick Mulcahey quit GL as HW in 1994 because P&G killed his story to pair Bridget Reardon and David Grant. For those of you who watched GL in the early 90's, you know Bridget and David were best friends, Mulcahey wanted to take them in a more romantic direction and wrote a long-term projection for the story. However P&G killed it as soon as it began because of the interracial aspect and they had Hart written back in and Bridget suddenly developed feelings for him again. It pissed Mulcahey off so bad that he quit GL and swore off HW-ing again.

I do think a lot of it has to do with network/production company interference, it also doesn't help that some viewers are ignorant to certain things.

[DeeeDee]

Worst. Decision. Ever.

David/Bridget!

[DeeeDee]

Don't forget Carmen!

[miajere]

Y&R has done this kind of storytelling ever since I can remember. Does anyone remember Mamie? Her exiting happened as soon as the prospect of her and John was brought up. They never let Dru romantically move around Genoa City, and the Lily relationship with Daniel was always abit hokey, but the other actress Devatta(?) sold this pairing-even on the backburner. Neil has always played the unpromoted right hand man to Victor Newman. Even the character of Olivia was shoved in a corner when she was beautiful and the actress was extremely talented. (She could have beent he Evangeline of Y&R-strong, independent)

Has anyone noticed how little material Neil gets ever since VR left- that's because she was sure to meet with the HW regularly with s/l ideas- a diva, but a opinionated, caring actor. the actress that portrayed Karen was beautiful, and their relationship was mature- but she was a way to get Neil back on his own island. Why couldn't Neil and Phylis be the biggest enemies of all time?Of all the shows, I think OLTL is the worse,because they've had some more character options for AA- Kerry, Rachel, Williamson family(could have done wonders for the show), Gannons(RJ is very much missed), they just don't care for the kind of audience that would be invested in these stories.

Yes, I think these shows have more problems than just investing in their black and interracial couples. They seem to have their own ideas about core. They seem to forget that when they don't invest in these characters neither will the audience. At least BB is writing their AA character as apart of their core white family- but color blind? Does anyone believe that you can respect the integrity of a character and not honor said actor's background- or the character's for that matter? I don't. No, I don't need their race brought up in every scene, but pretending like race doesn't matter- when we all know it still does- is a tough corner.

As for Cane and Lily- I think there are plenty of relationships that have been dropped past the interracial couples, and this relationship isn't as "in your face", as I believe the actress portraying Lily is of mixed race. All the young character have floated in and out of relationships- not just the interracial ones- I also think they're going to try to use this breakup to sell Cane and Lily as the couple people wish would get back together- their modern day Ryan and Victoria, Christine and Danny. Don't fret, their romance won't be dropped as it would've been on OLTL, they aren't cruel and unusual.

[Cheap21]

Carmen is a latina

[DeeeDee]

Right.

But she's diverse! lol

[lmfan]

I think in the past Y and R was effected by some of the audience unable to handle a black/white relationship as was the case with Neil and Victoria, although I found little romantic chemistry between the characters. I loved them as friends and business partners, but the only woman I ever found compelling with Neil was Dru. It was also awkward because Victoria was carrying her ex husband's baby at the time their romance happened. No doubt though Y and R backed off from that romance because of negative reaction.

I don't feel the Lily and Daniel or Lily and Cane storylines are in the same vein. The problem is that CK is not that compelling of an actress to begin with and frankly I feel like Lily and Cane are a bore but if they broke up Lily and Daniel due to race then why would they immediately pair her with another white actor? I mean she literally divorced Daniel and within a month was "in love" with Cane. I think the Cane and Lily breakup right now is just par for the course for a couple the producers are trying to prop. Why should they stay together and problem free when so many couples before them went the same route with break ups and interferences before they finally get married. I see Lily and Cane no different than what Kevin and Jana went through or what Daniel and Amber are going through. I mean Cane and Lily haven't even been a couple for a year yet.

Why does it have to be about race? What is happening with Cane and Lily is a soap staple, and I'll be honest I would love for Chloe to succeed in breaking up Lily and Cane permanently. Is that because I am racist? No, but it is because I find Lily and Cane a bore as a couple, and I don't buy their love story. Saying that I firmly belive that Lily and Cane will get back together at some point and I really think they will be the focus of the Paris shoot this fall. I am not happy about it, but I think the show is really propping Lily and Cane as a big couple.

I really would like to see Lily break up with Cane and actually have a relationship with a black man. But I don't want to see her in a serious relationship because I just don't see her ready for a husband and family. Why can't she be a young woman, getting an education and having some fun instead of being matched with a "love of her life" every other year?

[miajere]

IA. Y&R has never gone forward with any relationship they weren't willing to take to another level. I don't think the viewers would have gotten the romance that has been written if Y&R were going to just respond to racial prejudice. If it were OLTL or ATWT I would say ,maybe. But recent daytime behavior has been suspect, and so I can understand the correlation.

And I've never viewed this couple as that unbreakable pair. Their romance has been written more as caretaker and caretakee, or sugar daddy and his girl(age storyline). Cane has always been portrayed as that man who wants to make all of Lily's romantic dreams come true- not soul mates. If anything Lily and Daniel have a potential to be revisited, and they seem to be more on the same level, than Lily and cane. I think Cane should have been more apart of adult s/ls on the show.

[lmfan]

Yep, Lily's pairing with Daniel made more sense than her pairing with Cane who definitely should be playing opposite the 30 plus set of actors. The problem is that I think Daniel has more chemisty with Amber than Lily but he is a young guy so I don't know why he can't have rleationships that last a short time and then move on just like most 21 yr old men and women. I don't get why they are in such a hurry to put these young characters in to these relationships that are supposed to be so serious and leading to marriage.

[DeeeDee]

Perish the thought!

Because that would require giving them personalities.