I’m so confused about how I feel about Girls. I was ready to write off the show after the first two episodes but this I gave in and watched this past Sunday’s episode and it kind of won me over a little bit. But then I read this epic takedown of the show a couple of days ago and I went back to sort of hating it.
The backlash against the show has been mainly about the all-whiteness of the cast, the way there are no people in color in Lena Dunham’s NYC except bit-part, background workers here and there. Personally I think people of color have dodged a bullet, and should celebrate their own non-representation in this TV-mumblecore hellscape. While this show slimes along, I like to imagine the whole rest of mixed-race NYC having a terrific time everywhere that Lena Dunham and her friends are not, letting Dunhamites move around in a permanent bubble of privileged-white-girl malevolence, shunned by all decent people.
…
Dunham is already trying to shore up her voice-of-a-generation status by threatening to diversify the cast of Girls in subsequent seasons. Don’t cooperate, people of color! If she tries to cast you, punch her right in the face! Just watch the awful final scene in the first episode of Girls and you’ll see why you want nothing to do with this freak show!
But then last night I saw this and I wanted to like it again…
I’m so confused. Adding to my confusion: Lena Dunham telling Colbert last night that she’s never “done the sex.” Is Lena Dunham a virgin? I can’t tell if she’s joking or being serious. HELP!
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Where were all these people complaining about a lack of minority representations when Seinfeld and Friends were on the air? Are there tons of black characters on Two and a Half Men or Big Bang Theory? It seems a little odd that Girls takes the brunt of this criticism when it describes like 85% of shows.
I don’t understand why race has to be the reason they don’t like it. Like they spun a wheel and it landed on “kill whitey.” I think it’s acceptable to not like something without a clear cut reason. Some things just don’t click with you.
There were many complaints about this with Seinfeld and Friends, especially Friends which was much more white. Seinfeld was actually a relatively diverse show.
you’re right about those shows having all whities but those are also in a whole other category. they’re sit-coms. plus girls isn’t just comedy or drama, it’s both because it’s trying to portray the realistic life of a 20 year old (emphasis on the trying) to me it seems like they should be in Austin, tx with all the other hipster whites. they’d realistically fit in much better there.
And as a writer, Vince, wouldn’t you agree that you should write what you know? I, unfortunately, do not have many friends of various ethnicities, so I wouldn’t know the first thing a black, hispanic, or asian person would do in a given situation. I’d probably get criticized for making my characters clichés of people of color. Can’t win!
Again…. why is the show so important?
This show is getting the criticism due mainly to it being pushed out there as some sort of “voice of generation” type cultural event, rather than just as television show. If HBO had just let this show air without billing it as somehow being representative of all 20 something women, it probably wouldn’t have attracted as much hating.
Frankly, I don’t like the show that much because I have a hard time caring about the characters, but it’s certainly nowhere nearly as offensive as Two And A Half Men or any show with “Real Housewives” in the title.
I think for a show to be the voice of a generation, most of that generation has to have heard of it.
Footnote though: I love the show.
Everybody I know just goes ON about this crap like it’s some great revelation, and girls like this are FINALLY being represented and given a TV voice, and yada… and I can’t make it through 15 minutes of this garbage without wanting to cervix-punch every single one of these vapid tw@ts. So it goes. If I were a minority, I wouldn’t WANT to be represented on this show.
I love the show. The writing, acting, whole thing is terrific. Lena is one talented girl.
I liked the original show when it was about wisecracking old ladies.
Golden Girls ftw.
I just don’t really like it. Race has nothing to do with it. I think it’s just the whole “voice of a generation” thing. I don’t get it. I don’t want her representing me. I dunno. It’s weird. I watched a few episodes, but probably won’t watch any more. It’ll be nice once everyone stops talking about it though. But I totally agree with Carl Spackler.
Wait, did anyone complaining about the “voice of a generation” thing actually watch the pilot? Because it’s supposed to be a big laugh line.
I think you’re missing the point … the show isn’t trying to be the voice of a generation (at least, I don’t think so), but there has been so much written about Girls proclaiming the show to be a voice of a generation, that I think people are having a viceral negative reaction to the show because of what’s being written about it more so than reacting to the show itself.
I honestly think it’s trying to showcase the cynicism and laziness of 20 – 25 year olds.
As for people hating it cause critics hate it is bs. I dislike the show because it’s trying to hard to be original and creative and all that. Plus i the female characters are impossible to watch for any longer than 2 minutes.
TCB, it’s okay to just have your own opinion. But if nothing else, I think you do kinda have to respect Dunham for the amount of work she seems to have put into this show, and I imagine that’s a significant part of why Louis likes the show, because she controls it the same way he controls his show.
And it seemed to me that Dunham was being serious about the virginity thing.
I haven’t seen the show but it sounds like Entourage with labias… How is that “the voice of a generation?” Especially considering 20-somethings, as a “generation” don’t really need a voice because we don’t really have anything to say except “OMG remember Rugrats!?” or “I wanna fuck Rupert Grint’s freckles off with my penis! For srsly u guys!”
I guess it is Entourage with labias, or Sex and the City with younger characters. And to be fair, I don’t think the show, or anyone associated with it, has claimed that it’s “the voice of a generation.”
this show should be called Stupid Girls. i’m not trying to be funny or witty. it really is a show about stupid girls.
How about you grow an opinion of your own. You didn’t like the show because of a review and then you liked it because a celebrity said it was unique. do you ever just sit back an enjoy or does someone dictate how you feel. Like somethin becaue you enjoy it. Dislike it becaue you don’t enjoy it. Use your brain. And btw Sex and the city are all white, Tyler perry shows are all black. It’s the reality of culture. Get used to it.
I don’t get why white people care if POC aren’t going to watch a show for being too white. Not all POC are against the show and I resent people always trying to lump all non-whites into some monolith.
I, personally, am not the demo of the show and as will ignore it as long as it doesn’t try to speak for me. I’m also not compelled to watch most new shows and lack of black folks is only a part of it. Also, being an all black cast doesn’t make me enjoy a garbage show (Tyler Perry)
I like the show, that being said regarding the race issue, the majority of POC commentators I’ve read who have complained seemed to be complaining about all the co star & extras being all white rather than the main group of girls.
As some of the posts here have mentioned if your circle of friends are all one race & that’s all you know that’s fine, but if you set & film something in Brooklyn of all places & there isn’t any people of color at least walking around in the background then you are insulting people’s intelligence.
If you’ve been to Brooklyn you’ll know all white it aint.
We wouldn’t have this problem if the government would let me continue my research into creating a person of all mixed races.
My research involves beating off to Black Inches magazine.