“SNL’s” all-white, predominantly male casting call got some minor criticism, but many defended the decision by arguing that the cast of 16 performers, which currently includes three people of color (and six women), approximately reflects the demographics of a nation in which white people are the majority. (Though, according to the Census Bureau, not for much longer.) This logic is a common defense within the industry. Alexander also argues that there isn’t a large enough pool of minority comedians to pick from: “I think any producer will tell you that they would like a bigger pool to draw from. I think we’re just a reflection, so I assume that people who are producing television shows do wish there was a larger pool to draw from.” (NBC declined to comment on “SNL” for this story.) But people who complain that the pool of minority comedians in America is too small are “looking at the country club pool. They’re not going to the public pool,” said W. Kamau Bell, host of the nightly FX comedy show “Totally Biased,” which tackles politics, current events and race and is produced by “SNL” alumnus Chris Rock. The diversity problem becomes much clearer when you look at it not from an audience’s perspective, but from a comedian’s. Bell’s goal as a child was to be on “SNL,” citing Rock and Eddie Murphy as inspirations. But as his comedy developed, he started to wonder, “Huh, how come there are only ever one or two black people [on SNL]?” “If you’re a white guy, and you take classes at UCB, hang out at UCB, you know, that can be enough,” he said. But if you’re “not a white guy, [you] do not want to put all your eggs in one basket.” (In a recent Hollywood Reporter profile, “Will and Grace’s” Todd Milliner, who lost a television show host audition to Aisha Tyler, dropped a troubling but revealing joke: “When an African-American woman takes your spot and you’re a white guy, it’s time to hang it up.”) salon/2013/09/26/saturday_night_live_is_way_too_white/
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 03:45:23 +0000
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