So, is TV really showing more interracial couples? And if so, what does it mean?
Looking Back
Back in the 50s, CBS network executives argued over whether or not Desi Arnaz should play Lucille Ball's husband on the "I Love Lucy" show, even though the couple had been married for more than 10 years. Executives feared a backlash - a negative public response to an ethnically mixed couple.In 1966, NBC shocked audiences when "Star Trek" episode 67, "Plato's Stepchildren," aired. In this episode, Captain Kirk, a white man, and Lieutenant Uhura, a black woman, kissed each other, creating what now is considered to be the first interracial kiss in television history.
TV and Film Today
Should we view the rebirth of the landmark movie "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" and box office hits like "Hitch," which featured Will Smith (African-American) and Eva Mendez (Latina) as a mixed couple in the lead roles as outstanding progress?Perhaps not yet. "Guess Who?" seemed to require the calculated reversal of racial roles; in the new, decidedly less threatening version, it is the female who is the person of color.
And as for "Hitch," casting involved a great deal of controversy. A white woman, producers felt, would be too controversial, but a black woman would have rendered it automatically a "black movie" and therefore, hurt sales. In the end, Eva, a beautiful carmel-colored Latin beauty, it was determined, would be a safe choice as she would likely appeal to both whites and blacks.
On the other hand, it does seem that the frequency of mixed couple-sightings certainly has increased, regardless of context. "ER," "Grey's Anatomy," "My Name is Earl," "Lost" and "Will & Grace" have all featured mixed couples. (Visit Diversity Inc. com for a more in-depth review of interracial couples and coverage on these and other TV shows). Although it's the brunt of jokes on "My Name is Earl" other shows such as "Will & Grace" have not made it a central issue.
Maybe It's Just a Generational Thing
[link url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-02-07-colorblind_x.htm]USA today's columnist Sharon Jayson reports that Generation Y (ages 15 to 25) isn't fazed by interracial relationships and that they may be more tolerant and open-minded than previous generations. She bases this observations on an analysis of studies released last year by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement and another study by Teenage Research Unlimited in Northbrook, Ill., which found that six of 10 teens say their friends include members of diverse racial backgrounds.Jayson points out that unlike their parents and grandparents, today's teens and twentysomethings grew up with "diversity," "multicultural" and "inclusion" as buzzwords. Many were required to take college courses in cultural diversity. They've also personally encountered greater diversity and lived a more multicultural experience. Attitudes change based on demographics - about 33% of those under 18 are racial or ethnic minorities and about 20% of elementary and high school aged students are immigrants or children of immigrants (US Census Bureau). In addition to immigrant families, the number of children from other countries adopted by U.S. parents has tripled from 1990 to 2005. International adoptions made up almost 18% of the approximately 127,000 adoptions last year, according to federal data based on immigrant visas issued to orphans coming to the USA. So the media, she says, fuels a colorblindness. Movies, TV and advertising portray interracial friendship and romance more regularly.
"Race is becoming less of a deal in dating," says Kriss Turner, a television writer and producer from Los Angeles who wrote the screenplay for the movie "Something New," which features a tale of a single black woman who finds her dreams of marrying an "ideal black man" shattered by her attraction to a white guy.
Article continues...Does Increased Visibility of Interracial Couples Mean Better Race Relations and Diminished Reliance on Stereotypes?