MANAA Asks Fox To End White Only Dating Policy on Mindy Project FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Guy Aoki guyaoki@yahoo MANAA ASKS FOX TO END THE âWHITE ONLYâ DATING POLICY OF âTHE MINDY PROJECTâ AND TO INCLUDE MORE ASIAN AMERICAN REGULARS LOS ANGELES-The Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), while thanking Fox for renewing âThe Mindy Projectâ for a third season, is asking the network to end the âwhite onlyâ dating policy of series creator/star Mindy Kaling and to add more Asian Americas to the cast. In a letter to Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly, Fox Broadcasting COO Joe Earley, and Fox Broadcasting Executive Vice President of Comedy Development and Programming Suzanna Makkos, MANAA Founding President Guy Aoki wrote: âThank you for renewing âThe Mindy Projectâ for a third season. Although it doesnât boast a large viewing audience, it has received a lot of critical support and is the only series amongst the top four networks that stars an Asian American--Mindy Kaling. âWe are concerned that in the course of two seasons, her character, Dr. Lahiri, has had a âwhite-onlyâ dating policy involving about a dozen men. And except for this seasonâs addition of African American Xosha Roquemore the cast continues to be all white. Somehow, we canât imagine the black female star of a sitcom not dating any black men and having no other black regulars in the cast. âSince Kaling is the showrunner, this obviously reflects her values. Even more troubling has been her defensive comments while asked about the lack of diversity in her characterâs romantic interests. She had a strangely defensive response to Entertainment Weekly: âDo people really wonder on other shows if female leads are dating multicultural people? Like I owe it to every race and minority and beleaguered person. I have to become the United Nations of shows?â âShe implied that minoritiesâlike herselfâare unwanted, undeserving, and untalented. âWhen asked at SXSW about the lack of diversity on her show, she began swearing saying, âI have four series regulars that are women on my show, and no one asks any of the shows I adore â and I wonât name them because theyâre my friends â why no leads on their shows are women or of color, and Iâm the one that gets lobbied about these things.â âOur response: Because youâre a minority and you know how much more difficult it is for People of Color to succeed in this business. Mindy Kaling got some big breaks because sheâs a minority--an East Asian Indian Americanâand was helped by the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition (APAMC). âAfter forming in the summer of 1999, the APAMCâof which I am a founding member--pushed the top four networks to create many programs--including for actors, writers and directors--to help give opportunities to minorities who, in the past, had not had equal access to the industry. NBCâs Diverse Staff Writers Initiative (DSWI) was one of those outcomes. âBy being accepted into the DSWI, Kaling was placed on the NBC series âThe Officeâ as a staff writer. The executive producer wasnât sure about letting her be seen on camera, but a story called for a minority to slap Michael Scott (Steve Carell), so she got the role and eventually joined the cast, became an executive producer, and directed episodes. The NBC/Universal Television Studio signed Kaling to a development deal, which led to âThe Mindy Project,â which Fox picked up as a series for the Fall of 2012. âDoes Kaling understand the concept of âgiving back?â Or having âgotten hersâ is she now content to perpetuate the same unofficial policies of exclusion of many white showrunners? Instead of being part of the solution, sheâs part of the problem. Sheâs creating the impression that by surrounding her character with mostly white people and dating only white men that Lahiriâs become more accepted by the white population. It only shows how internalized racism has affected Kalingâs own sense of self-worth to the point where she seems to be embarrassed by fellow Asian Americans. âEven more sadly, Miss Kaling refuses to be honored by Asian American organizations proud of her accomplishments in the business. Would a black performer likewise refuse to be feted by African American groups? âWe hope that going forward you can make a concerted effort to have more Asian Americans on the show including romantic interests and doctors (as you know, one out of every six doctors in this country is of Asian descent, so you would expect to see more Asian doctors in a medical practice such as Lahiriâs). We look forward to your response.â Adds Aoki: âIn 2011, as the co-chair of the APAMC, I pushed the top four networks to air a series starring (first name in the credits) an Asian American within three years. Because it wasnât happening on its own, we felt we had to give them a time table so they could concentrate on making this a reality (since the APAMC formed in 1999, the only new show which fit that description was ABCâs âCashmere Mafiaâ starring Lucy Liu). We donât think itâs a coincidence that one year later, we got âThe Mindy Projectâ on Fox.â Formed in 1992, MANAA is the only organization solely dedicated to monitoring the media and advocating balanced, sensitive, and positive depiction and coverage of Asian Americans. Last year, it asked Fox to re-shoot scenes from the racist pilot of âDads.â In 1993, it led nationwide protests against the movie âRising Sunâ and in 2001 Aoki challenged Sarah Silvermanâs use of âchinksâ in her joke on âLate Night with Conan OâBrienâ and Bill Maherâs âPolitically Incorrect.â # # #
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 22:20:27 +0000
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