um...no.
Over-representation of Americans
- Thread starter Mattadd
- Start date
As an American, I'd never go so far as to think any or every American character would be automatically relatable to anyone who's not American, simply because they are American, & thereby represent something universal, solely as such.
However, the notion that some American characters, especially including Star Trek ones, can be universally relatable to people of other cultures, maybe even a widely diverse selection of such, is not without merit. That we have successes across the globe would seem to support that. I'd suspect that assumption about a multitude of other nationalities as well. I, myself have related to many characters representing cultures other than my own.
Furthermore, & less modernly palatable, is the fact that as cultures go, no other popular culture has been more globally accepted, consumed, & even appropriated more than America's, in the past 100 years. That phenomenon, while reaping much of it's current momentum from how actively it's being marketed today, is rooted in something real, & thereby lends credence to the presumption that an American character has the potential to be universally relatable far more than any other kind.
In truth. No other culture has had anywhere near as many universally appealing characters than American culture. Our pop culture may in fact be our past century's chief export, even possibly playing a role in the subversion of the former Soviet Union.
So, to expect that an American character might have a stronger chance of universal appeal is by far not an unreliable bet, certainly not in show business, where American characters have been overtaking the globe since Charlie Chaplin, who btw wasn't American, but his character was, (While also being equally nondescript) which is why he refused to ever have his speaking voice heard aloud in a sound film.
It's not our fault you've liked us so much
However, the notion that some American characters, especially including Star Trek ones, can be universally relatable to people of other cultures, maybe even a widely diverse selection of such, is not without merit. That we have successes across the globe would seem to support that. I'd suspect that assumption about a multitude of other nationalities as well. I, myself have related to many characters representing cultures other than my own.
Furthermore, & less modernly palatable, is the fact that as cultures go, no other popular culture has been more globally accepted, consumed, & even appropriated more than America's, in the past 100 years. That phenomenon, while reaping much of it's current momentum from how actively it's being marketed today, is rooted in something real, & thereby lends credence to the presumption that an American character has the potential to be universally relatable far more than any other kind.
In truth. No other culture has had anywhere near as many universally appealing characters than American culture. Our pop culture may in fact be our past century's chief export, even possibly playing a role in the subversion of the former Soviet Union.
So, to expect that an American character might have a stronger chance of universal appeal is by far not an unreliable bet, certainly not in show business, where American characters have been overtaking the globe since Charlie Chaplin, who btw wasn't American, but his character was, (While also being equally nondescript) which is why he refused to ever have his speaking voice heard aloud in a sound film.
It's not our fault you've liked us so much
Which part was arrogant? That Americans are composed of people from all over the world? That part is true, people do come here from quite a few places and it common that they retain their culture after arriving.
Now can ANYONE relate to a American character who's played by a actor whose ancestors came from their part of the world (or plays someone who did), certainly possible although probably not everyone.
Nothing says that Crusher isn't Scottish, just because she was born on the moon. In terms of her family identity, ethnicity and the culture she was raised in.
You might be viewing the concept wrong, America has representation within our population of most every peoples in the world, from almost every nation, most cultures, most ethnic groups. Don't think of it as the American government representing everyone, it's repersentatives within the American people.
My understanding is that prior to the pilot TPTB asked Marina Sirtis to develop a unique accent for her character. When Majel Roddenberry appeared in Haven, she was asked to use the accent Sirtis developed, but she refused. Then no one told Harry Groener in Tin Man to try to do it. Most fans have noticed that over time Sirtis gradually dropped the accent.
The majority of the Dallas characters were not rich. The Ewing family were rich, but Jock Ewing came from humble beginnings and gained wealth through brains and hard work. Only three of the character (Jock's sons) were born into wealth.
Nope.
Noted but my point still stands, a show about rich or not so rich white folks in the oil business is not a complete representation of the city Dallas.
The show Star Trek about a fictional future organisation that shows mainly North Americans does not mean in universe all other nation states of Earth no longer exist in large numbers, as a few fans are speculating.
Why doesn't TOS show lots of Chinese, Indian and other Asian crew because either in universe they are serving in other parts of the ships or in universe they are on other ships or bases. Starfleet is more than just USS Enterprise, Deep Space station 9 or USS Voyager. Perhaps the new Discovery show will put the speculation to rest, since the main crew is not dominated by North American/Western European Caucasian personnel.
If Trek's ever sold to the BBC or some other non-U.S. concern, you may see less over-representation of Americans.
More importantly, in that circumstance you may see points of view that are not popular with Americans occasionally embraced at Trek's core.
As long as Trek is the product of an American corporation being created by American folks whose home base is L.A., Star Trek will be a fundamentally American show - by, for and about Americans and our take on the whole fucking universe.
(mean, protagonists on the show are allowed to have accents, be cast with non-American actors and everything and say they're from anywhere the writers can find on a map - but they talk and think like Americans. Especially the "aliens").
More importantly, in that circumstance you may see points of view that are not popular with Americans occasionally embraced at Trek's core.
As long as Trek is the product of an American corporation being created by American folks whose home base is L.A., Star Trek will be a fundamentally American show - by, for and about Americans and our take on the whole fucking universe.
(mean, protagonists on the show are allowed to have accents, be cast with non-American actors and everything and say they're from anywhere the writers can find on a map - but they talk and think like Americans. Especially the "aliens").
That, I won't argue with.
I think it would be more accurate to say they were contacted by the Vulcans (even though I'll grant the Vulcans did so after seeing that warp capable ship).
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Yep. The Vulcans landed in America.
Went a little better for the 21st-century Americans than it did for the folks living here when the first Europeans got actively interested in the continent back in the 15th century.;
No, you don't, not even remotely. Opinions about America very around the world but the perception of you representing us is a belief held pretty much exclusively by Americans, not to mention being laughably far from the truth. You have a wide ethnic pool, but so do many countries who manage to support that diversity in a much less segregated manner.
Trek has a preponderance of American actors is in real terms down to the fact it is filmed and produced in America and requires a vast array of supporting characters. Simple logistics mean a lot of those actors will be American.
In universe it could be said Americans are over represented but on the other hand the political systems and philosophies of the Federation and the US are in many ways polar opposites. The Federation can hardly be called "America in Space".
Couldn't have said it better than that, thank you.
The idea that the US is the only country with a wide diversity of ethnic and national backgrounds is completely untrue, and also irrelevant. Regardless of whether or not American immigrants have different backgrounds (as do immigrants all over western Europe, Australasia, Canada) they are still American and have a perspective that is very much at odds with the majority of us fortunate enough not to live in the US that would never choose to live there.
^Its an understandable attitude to have when one is the cultural top dog in history, before the USA it was Imperial Britain with its own brand of cultural pompousness when they were top dog. Go back in time a few millennia and the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians probably acted the same way.
If Star Trek was a French show most of the international human crew would be French, folks would be asking where are the Americans were they destroyed in the war?
If Star Trek was a French show most of the international human crew would be French, folks would be asking where are the Americans were they destroyed in the war?
Though Eddington's "Lucky Loonie" only suggests he has Canadian ancestry. It should be noted he pronounces the letter Z the American way, Zee. Canadians pronounce it Zed.
The director told the actor the American audience would not know what Zed is...lol
Exactly so.
Yup, much as Doctor Who features predominantly British actors...
Actually, it likely has more to do with the fact that the Loonie thing came up in Blaze of Glory, Eddington's last episode. Kenneth Marshall, who is American obviously had no reason to think the character was Canadian prior to that so had no reason to pronounce the letter differently than the American norm. It is ironic the character they chose to give a Canadian connection actually frequently had to speak a letter that is pronounced differently in the US and Canada (his dialogue does include many references to the DMZ).
I think French food is over-represented in far too many snooty restaurants. 
Has anyone said this? Or even implied it? I think there's a misunderstanding going on here.
And are we talking about an ethnic identity? Or national identity? Star Trek has gone out of its way since the beginning to depict a mix of both. All of the shows so far have been made primarily for an American market. If they've made an effort to show multiple ethnic groups and other nationalities, how can we point the finger at them and say "Not enough!"?
Yes, many countries are ethnically diverse, and many countries have had an inflow of immigration, especially in the last 20 years. And there are other countries like America, where basically every single person is an immigrant in one way or another. Everyone I know is Irish, Italian, Scottish, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Morrocan, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Korean, Chinese, Phillipino, English, etc, etc etc. They either came here, their parents did, their Great Grandparents did, and so on. Cities used to be divided into Parishes. If you went to Chicago in the 50's, you'd see the German Parish, Irish, Anglican, Russian, Latvian, Polish, Italian, Black, Chinatown, etc. Now they are all mixed up.
I've been to many places around the world and it's just not quite like that. Italy has a great deal of Immigration, but still has an ethnic identity and rich heritage. America has no such identity. Is it the only such country? No. No one has said that. It is the country that Star Trek was produced in.
What letter? Or what word did he pronounce differently?
Z, as I specified just a few posts above the one you quoted.
