Presented with John S. O'Connor at the 2011 CASE Conference: "What Does It Mean To Be An American?" http://www.casechicago.org/

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This is a Black Screen

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TV Tokenism
Spiro Bolos & John S. O’Connor ➔ New Trier High School ➔ CASE

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The Past
Spike Lee’s Bamboozled
Multiple examples of the
negative portrayal of African-
Americans in last 50 years
Similarities to today’s
sitcoms?

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Spike Lee’s Bamboozled

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The Present
Purpose of TV Shows
Prized Demographics
“Upfront” Presentations
Dramas vs Sitcoms/Reality TV

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“Basically, network TV goes out
and creates a bunch of pilot
shows. They’re basically
practice shows...
SOURCE: NPR’s Talk of the Nation, “After Chaotic Year, Dramas Play at
TV Upfronts”: Eric Deggans, TV/Media critic, St. Petersburg Times

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[E]ach network could create
something like 30 pilots, and
they may only pick ten. Ten is a
lot, if they pick ten.
SOURCE: NPR’s Talk of the Nation, “After Chaotic Year, Dramas Play at
TV Upfronts”: Eric Deggans, TV/Media critic, St. Petersburg Times

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So that’s a pretty low batting
average to spend an average of
a million, maybe $2 million a
pilot, and then only pick up a
fifth...that you actually produce.
SOURCE: NPR’s Talk of the Nation, “After Chaotic Year, Dramas Play at
TV Upfronts”: Eric Deggans, TV/Media critic, St. Petersburg Times

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“Come to think of
it, I saw a white
judge on Law &
Order last night!”
— Grizz
30 Rock: “Racism is Back.”

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The Future
What is TV Tokenism? Is it real?
If so, is it a problem?
If it is a problem, what, if anything, should be done?
How does it mirror the tokenism in our society?
What are some other examples you can cite?

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“Networks scrambled to create
more diverse casts after being
criticized by the NAACP three
years ago.”
SOURCE: “US Watches TV in Black and White”, Duncan Campbell in
The Guardian, 2/6/03

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Result? “TV Tokenism”
Dramas: Main Character is white or white-looking
Main Character is center of story-line (obviously)
Main Character is complex and can be morally
ambiguous (conflicted)
Main Character receives bulk of screen time

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Result? “TV Tokenism”
Dramas: Supporting Character is a “token” minority
Supporting character may be in a prestigious and/
or “buddy” position
Supporting character is rarely complicated
Supporting character receives little screen time or
relegated to subplots, only

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30 Rock: “the Diversity Guy”

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Examples...
CBS: “NCIS”

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Examples...
CBS: “NCIS”

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Examples...
FOX: “Fringe”

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Examples...
ABC: “LOST”

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Examples...
ABC: “FlashForward”

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FlashForward: “Pilot”

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“Where’s my token minority partner?”
FlashForward: “Pilot”

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1:43

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2:06

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3:46

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4:04

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5:15

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6:06

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“The Best-Dressed Man”
7:08

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“The Authority Minority”
7:08 - 7:27

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“Token Faces”

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“Token Faces”

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“Token Faces”

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“Token Faces”

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“Token Faces”

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Examples...
FOX: “House, M.D.”

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Examples...
CW: “One Tree Hill”

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Examples...
CBS: “CSI: Miami”

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CSI: Miami
“Mystical Minority”

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Examples...
FOX: “24”

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24:
“Pilot” Episode

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next appearance elapsed time
43:00 1:49
0:36
24:
Sen. David Palmer (domestic)

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elapsed time
2:57
24:
Agent Jack Bauer (domestic)

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What is the effect?
Max Weisbuch, Tufts University: “The Subtle Transmission of Race Bias
via Televised Nonverbal Behavior” (2009)

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The Experiment

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The Experiment

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The Experiment

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The Experiment

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The Experiment

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The Experiment

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“Black characters elicit
especially negative nonverbal
responses, such as facial
expressions & body language,
from other characters.”
SOURCE: Tufts Journal, “Lessons in Black and White” (January 6, 2010)

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“...and viewers exhibit more
racial bias after exposure to
such negative responses.”
SOURCE: Tufts Journal, “Lessons in Black and White” (January 6, 2010)

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“The takeaway message is that
bias can be contagious and
can be transmitted through
nonverbal behavior.”
SOURCE: Tufts Journal, “Lessons in Black and White” (January 6, 2010)

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Questions for Discussion
Is TV Tokenism real?
If so, is it a problem?
If it is a problem, what, if
anything, should be done?
What are some other
examples you can cite?
How does it mirror the
tokenism in our society?

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Thanks.
Kerry Brennan,
John S. O’Connor,
& the Bolos Girls
Songs:
Public Enemy: “Burn, Hollywood, Burn”
Wilco: “Kicking Television”

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This is a Black Screen