"This is of course the paradox of burdens of representation: we strive for a society where marginalized groups being represented isn’t a big deal, but part of achieving that society is making a big deal out of what representation those groups receive, even if some part of us knows that it shouldn’t be a big deal."
As an Indian-American, I feel this 100% and I don't even know if there's a solution to the paradox. It is just simply something we have to struggle with. But in addition to that paradox is the purity test that comes with the burden, where if any representative media breaks ground in one way, it's torn down for being flawed in other ways, and we just end up eating our own tail and I hate it. Which is not to say that you can't be critical of things, but for some reason, the Discourse ends up being "Sorry this is now trash" instead of "This is great but also here are some notes for next time, still love you."
I don't know how they cast Conrad Ricamora and then expected viewers to not immediately fall in love with him.
Given the rabid Tumblr veneration of OFMD, I kind of feel guilty for only liking it, not loving it. But since I too was spoiled for its queerness, perhaps I failed to appreciate the build-up as well.
I am a fan of voiceovers, so I liked the voiceover in Fire Island, especially as a straight dude who needed things like Fire Island and tea parties explained to him! I also felt that it brought me closer to the character, which was good because one of the things I found fascinating and refreshing about this adaptation is that it centers the Jane/Mr. Bingley relationship more than the Elizabeth/Darcy one, so the voiceover was one way to bring Noah to the fore even though he sometimes felt like the supporting character in this rom-com.
"This is of course the paradox of burdens of representation: we strive for a society where marginalized groups being represented isn’t a big deal, but part of achieving that society is making a big deal out of what representation those groups receive, even if some part of us knows that it shouldn’t be a big deal."
As an Indian-American, I feel this 100% and I don't even know if there's a solution to the paradox. It is just simply something we have to struggle with. But in addition to that paradox is the purity test that comes with the burden, where if any representative media breaks ground in one way, it's torn down for being flawed in other ways, and we just end up eating our own tail and I hate it. Which is not to say that you can't be critical of things, but for some reason, the Discourse ends up being "Sorry this is now trash" instead of "This is great but also here are some notes for next time, still love you."
I don't know how they cast Conrad Ricamora and then expected viewers to not immediately fall in love with him.
Given the rabid Tumblr veneration of OFMD, I kind of feel guilty for only liking it, not loving it. But since I too was spoiled for its queerness, perhaps I failed to appreciate the build-up as well.
I am a fan of voiceovers, so I liked the voiceover in Fire Island, especially as a straight dude who needed things like Fire Island and tea parties explained to him! I also felt that it brought me closer to the character, which was good because one of the things I found fascinating and refreshing about this adaptation is that it centers the Jane/Mr. Bingley relationship more than the Elizabeth/Darcy one, so the voiceover was one way to bring Noah to the fore even though he sometimes felt like the supporting character in this rom-com.