McCoy Haters

[The Old Mixer]

People who think of McCoy as racist don't get that his bickering with Spock went both ways. Spock gave as good as he got, and McCoy was often defending humanity against Spock's criticisms.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Yep, Spock was always slipping in anti-human barbs.

 

[Anwar]

That just means they were both racists, though. With Spock being a hypocrite on top of it because he keeps forgetting that the ancient Vulcans were worse than Humans ever were.

 

[Amaris]

Racist? Nah. More than eager to push each others' buttons? Definitely. They bickered like an old married couple.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I'd say the mutual bickering over the relative virtues of humans and Vulcans was more akin to national/cultural pride than racism.

 

[I am not Spock]

I didn't like him as a kid, because Spock was my favourite character, and McCoy was always giving him a hard time. But as I grew up, I grew to enjoy this loveable curmudgeon

 

[Runetouch]

Essentially, neither Spock nor McCoy were racists. They did engage in arguments, but that was just friendly banter.

 

[gomtuu20]

Unnatural? His were often the most natural on the show.

By far, McCoy was the most human-acting character on the show. All the comments about Kirk taking on the Id characteristics leaving McCoy nothing to do, and all the comments about the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic are spot on.
These comments reinforce my original supposition as stated in the original post.

 

[YARN]

I, uh ... I see! Well, then ... I guess TOS wasn't as progressive as it's given so much credit for. More's the pity ...

It was far more courageous for it's time than any of the other franchises. TOS was actually censored in parts of the US when Kirk kissed Uhura.

That it is a product of its time is not a fault, but a fact.

More's the pity that people judge artworks by their own chronocentric criteria instead of appreciating them as working in dialogue with their cultural context.

 

[Sindatur]

There's McCoy haters? And/or Haters of Urban's McCoy?

I mean, sure, McCoy can be an arrogant, judgemental old prick, but, that's part of his charm. That would be like Hating Kai Winn or Servalan or Ronny Cox's character on SG1.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

McCoy and Spock were teasing each other, neither considered it racist. It was just the way their rapport worked. Being considered politically incorrect in the year 1997 is not the litmus test for whether something is racist.

 

[2takesfrakes]

It was far more courageous for it's time than any of the other franchises. More's the pity that people judge artworks by their own chronocentric criteria instead of appreciating them as working in dialogue with their cultural context.

See, there, you're wrong. I do appreciate The Original Series and recognize its accomplishments, but that's all on an intellectual level that has nothing to do with how I actually relate to TOS. The show to me, is mostly so much play! And I mean that in a happy, good sense of "play."

Everything's so colourful and bright on the ship, from the costumes to the pipes. You've got a show that has the temerity to ask its audience to "imagine" along with it, and treat it like a theatre experience. Like it was a play, onstage. So that when they act like a guy in this moth-eaten gorilla suit is about kill the captain, we have to use our imaginations and see it more appropriately as something much more serious and potent. I love that aspect, to it. I truly do! This show is FUN, because of it.

I enjoy it as a sort of theatre experience on television and it's very entertaining. And as an adult, it's great to see the underlying themes, being expressed. And the sincerity of the performances, despite the obvious limitations, it's wholly remarkable and very endearing. I am quite fond of The Original Series. I do not revere it, which may annoy some. But I am thoroughly entertained by it!

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Hmmm I never really heard of McCoy haters. Guess I just never got involved in the TOS forum much. But I have been re-watching TOS rather recently and he always makes me smile. Spock is still my favorite from TOS, but I think McCoy is great too.

I love the McCoy character personally. He made some remarks about Spock, but I always viewed it as just in good fun and not disparaging.

Keep in mind as well...the remarks that humans (namely Archer and Trip) make towards T'Pol in the first few episodes of ENT are far worse than anything McCoy has said to Spock.

Besides McCoy set the standard for Trek doctors to come later. He was obviously the first one to use the famous phrase "I'm a doctor, not a____" which became used by the EMH in VOY and I believe used by other doctors on occasion.

 

[Ro_Laren]

I never realized that there were McCoy haters, but I never followed TOS / TOS history that much

 

[YARN]

It was far more courageous for it's time than any of the other franchises. More's the pity that people judge artworks by their own chronocentric criteria instead of appreciating them as working in dialogue with their cultural context.

See, there, you're wrong. I do appreciate The Original Series and recognize its accomplishments, but that's all on an intellectual level that has nothing to do with how I actually relate to TOS. The show to me, is mostly so much play! And I mean that in a happy, good sense of "play."

Everything's so colourful and bright on the ship, from the costumes to the pipes. You've got a show that has the temerity to ask its audience to "imagine" along with it, and treat it like a theatre experience. Like it was a play, onstage. So that when they act like a guy in this moth-eaten gorilla suit is about kill the captain, we have to use our imaginations and see it more appropriately as something much more serious and potent. I love that aspect, to it. I truly do! This show is FUN, because of it.

I enjoy it as a sort of theatre experience on television and it's very entertaining. And as an adult, it's great to see the underlying themes, being expressed. And the sincerity of the performances, despite the obvious limitations, it's wholly remarkable and very endearing. I am quite fond of The Original Series. I do not revere it, which may annoy some. But I am thoroughly entertained by it!

I am glad you enjoy the series, but what we're speaking of the question how progressive the show was. Without putting the show in its historical context, you can't give a fair answer to the question. Again, I think that it was the most progressive of all, relative to its time.

 

[BillJ]

Again, I think that it was the most progressive of all, relative to its time.

Of course it was. I happen to think the rest of the series weren't progressive at all and have a bit of a conservative bend to them.