Poll Disco v Lost in Space v Orville FIGHT

[rhllot]

Maybe? But it could also be indicative of a society that doesn't value certain ethnicity as highly as others. It could all be part of a bigger story that we aren't seeing yet.

It did not bother me that Don was a mechanic and a member of the working class, many Latinos who are in their vast majority are honest, hardworking people and many work as mechanics.
It bothered me that a trafficker did it,
Why could not they be an Asian to a trafficker? or a white? do not! They thought he had to be a Latino and they chose an actor born in South America to play this role.
the word racism came to my mind almost immediately

 

[BillJ]

the word racism came to my mind almost immediately

I seriously doubt it, honestly. This show has an eighteen year old black girl who while maybe not a full-fledged doctor, is as capable as one. The Asian scientist figured out they were all fucked before the white folks did.

Did you ever think that the best actor for the part they wrote was simply Hispanic? That they chose the best actor above all other considerations?

Just because the actor is Hispanic, you're going to have to do more to convince me that the writers are racist simply because the character is doing some side business while going back and forth between Earth and Alpha Centauri.

 

[eschaton]

Did people really "read" Don West as Latino? His name is Anglo as hell (I know, a holdover from the original show) and his accent was just sort of generic NYC, so I just thought of him as ambigiously brown.

Yes, I know the actor, Ignaco Serricchio, was born in Argentina. He pretty clearly has an Italian last name, however, which isn't surprising considering the huge level of Italian immigration to the country, which by some accounts makes the average Argentine have more Italian than Spanish ancestry. I don't know his actual breakdown, but he clearly looks like someone who could just be 100% descended from Italian immigrants.

 

[BillJ]

Did people really "read" Don West as Latino? His name is Anglo as hell (I know, a holdover from the original show) and his accent was just sort of generic NYC, so I just thought of him as ambigiously brown.

I didn't realize he was Hispanic until my wife told me. My eyes aren't quite what they use to be.

 

[Jadeb]

It did not bother me that Don was a mechanic and a member of the working class, many Latinos who are in their vast majority are honest, hardworking people and many work as mechanics.
It bothered me that a trafficker did it,
Why could not they be an Asian to a trafficker? or a white? do not! They thought he had to be a Latino and they chose an actor born in South America to play this role.
the word racism came to my mind almost immediately

You raise an interesting point. At the same time, I think it's clear they were trying to add diversity to the show. There are only seven main characters, and they went from an all-white family to a mixed family, made Don Latino and sex-swapped Dr. Smith. Not that that discounts your criticism, but I do think we should temper our assessment of their motivations by looking at the broader context.

I was initially cool to Don, thinking him a poor man's Han Solo, but the character grew on me as he became more rounded. He's a smuggler, yes, but he's also a fundamentally good guy who brings an outsider perspective to the flight of the privileged from Earth. Other than Don, only Smith could provide that perspective, and Smith is the villain.

Don's relationship with Debbie the chicken ended up being one of my favorite parts of the show. It's such a small detail, but it shows that he's both heroic and compassionate. I certainly didn't end up thinking of him in a negative way.

 

[Mudd]

The actor is originally from Argentina.

Is "Don West" Latino? I have no idea.

 

[rhllot]

I seriously doubt it, honestly. This show has an eighteen year old black girl who while maybe not a full-fledged doctor, is as capable as one. The Asian scientist figured out they were all fucked before the white folks did.

Did you ever think that the best actor for the part they wrote was simply Hispanic? That they chose the best actor above all other considerations?

Just because the actor is Hispanic, you're going to have to do more to convince me that the writers are racist simply because the character is doing some side business while going back and forth between Earth and Alpha Centauri.

Do you know that you can be a racist without being racist with black people, right? After all, where is Trump racism mainly aimed? Yes, against Latinos.

 

[eschaton]

The actor is originally from Argentina.

There is no reference in the show, or certainly in the character's name or other associated characteristics, that "Don West" is Latino.

This reminds me of how people claimed Culber on DIS was Latino, because he was played by a Puerto Rican actor. Despite having a Scottish last name and no signs of Latino background whatsoever.

Actors can play an ethnicity aside from their own - particularly if they are somewhat "ambiguous" looking. John Tuturro is Italian, but has often played Jewish or even Latino characters, for example.

 

[BillJ]

Do you know that you can be a racist without being racist with black people, right? After all, where is Trump racism mainly aimed? Yes, against Latinos.

You have to do better than "I think they're racist because a Hispanic actor played a character who was bootlegging some wine!"

 

[Jadeb]

As an aside, the original John Robinson, Guy Williams, retired to Argentina, where he was widely adored for playing Zorro. The new Don, Ignacio Serricchio, was honored to follow in his footsteps:

http://collider.com/lost-in-space-cast-interview-netflix/

Considering the incredible amount of nerdy detail put into this show, it wouldn't surprise me if that's where they got the idea for making Don from Argentina.

 

[rhllot]

The actor is originally from Argentina.

Is "Don West" Latino? I have no idea.

is judy robinson a black woman?
What you are asking is silly, if you choose an actor of a certain ethnicity it is obvious that his character will be of that ethnic group.
unless it's altered carbon

 

[rhllot]

You have to do better than "I think they're racist because a Hispanic actor played a character who was bootlegging some wine!"

Yes, you are right I suppose that the stereotype of the Latin trafficker does not exist. my mistake

 

[eschaton]

is judy robinson a black woman?

She clearly has a white mother. I have no idea if she self-identifies as black or biracial. It's none of our business.

What you are asking is silly, if you choose an actor of a certain ethnicity it is obvious that his character will be of that ethnic group.
unless it's altered carbon

No, that's not true at all. A character's ethnicity is determined by their backstory. Chakotay was not Mexican after all. With an absence of a backstory, the only real evidence of place of origin comes from surnames. Obviously sometimes Latinos can have "Anglo" names like West, but it's rare. Someone who looks like Don West wouldn't be out of place anywhere from Portugal to Northern India, so we absolutely can't say he's Latino.

 

[BillJ]

Yes, you are right I suppose that the stereotype of the Latin trafficker does not exist. my mistake

You've already decided they are racists, there's nothing anyone can do about it. Except the producers, who could give the job to a white actor next time to keep from offending you.

 

[eschaton]

Apropos to the thread, I recently started watching the Syfy show Defiance from a few years back. One of the families in the show (which is kinda sci-fi western) are the McCawleys, who despite their name, look "Latino." With the exception of the youngest child, who is played by a Latina, none of the rest of the family are. The father is played by a First Nations Canadian. His older son (who dies in the first episode) is half Indian, half white. His younger son is also First Nations.

In the U.S. we tend to code anyone who is somewhat "ambiguous" as being Latino, as long as they aren't too obviously of African descent. But someone with any sort of mixture of white, Asian, Native American, and some black ancestry can look just as "Latino."

 

[rhllot]

You've already decided they are racists, there's nothing anyone can do about it. Except the producers, who could give the job to a white actor next time to keep from offending you.

Yes, they could do it. or not to make a Latino actor play a stereotype racist role.

 

[Mudd]

Except that it's not that.

Next.

 

[rhllot]

Apropos to the thread, I recently started watching the Syfy show Defiance from a few years back. One of the families in the show (which is kinda sci-fi western) are the McCawleys, who despite their name, look "Latino." With the exception of the youngest child, who is played by a Latina, none of the rest of the family are. The father is played by a First Nations Canadian. His older son (who dies in the first episode) is half Indian, half white. His younger son is also First Nations.

In the U.S. we tend to code anyone who is somewhat "ambiguous" as being Latino, as long as they aren't too obviously of African descent. But someone with any sort of mixture of white, Asian, Native American, and some black ancestry can look just as "Latino."

Most people in Latin America have a Native American ancestry, if we understand Native Americans as people who crossed the Bering Strait and lived on the continent before the Europeans arrived to enslave and kill everyone.

 

[BillJ]

Yes, they could do it. or not to make a Latino actor play a stereotype racist role.

Why don't you email the actor? Maybe he agrees with you and will quit the role.

 

[eschaton]

Most people in Latin America have a Native American ancestry, if we understand Native Americans as people who crossed the Bering Strait and lived on the continent before the Europeans arrived to enslave and kill everyone.

Yes, I know that. Latino isn't a race, it's an ethnic identity related to a person (or a character) having recent ancestry from Latin America. So you could, for example, have someone who has an Italian father and a Sioux mother who - in terms of "race" would be pretty much the same as a Mexican (and would likely pass for one). That wouldn't make the Latino however, because they didn't have any ancestors from Spain and/or Latin America.

Which is why I said, unless a character has a Spanish surname, speaks with a notable Spanish accent, or talks about being born somewhere in Latin America, we shouldn't presume the character is Latino.