Current Events > Friends creator donates $4,000,000 as an apology for how white the show was.

Topic List
Page List: 1
UnfairRepresent
07/01/22 10:51:01 AM
#1:


One of the creators of the hit series Friends has donated $4m to her alma mater in an apology for the embarrassing whiteness of the show.

Marta Kauffman said she once felt Friends was unfairly singled out for the absence of people of colour, but realised she had been wrong following the civil rights uproar of 2020.

It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of, Ms Kauffman told the Los Angeles Times.

That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct.

Ms Kauffmans has now made a donation to Brandeis University's African and African American studies department that will support a distinguished scholar who is concentrating on the area of peoples and cultures of Africa and the African diaspora.

Ive gotten nothing but love," she said of the reaction to her announcement. "Its been amazing. It surprised me to some extent because I didnt expect the news to go this wide.

Ive gotten a flood of emails and texts and posts that have been nothing but supportive. Ive gotten a lot of Its about time. Not in a mean way. Its just people acknowledging it was long overdue.

Ms Kauffman said the series' failure to include a more diverse cast reflected her internalisation of Americas systematic racism and now sees any criticism as fair.

Ive learned a lot in the last 20 years, she said. Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. Its painful looking at yourself in the mirror. Im embarrassed that I didnt know better 25 years ago. "

Each of the main characters in Friends Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer are white and during its ten-season run, other non-white characters were scarce and any interactions included fleeting.

At the time, producers pushed back at criticism.

But in 2020 Mr Schwimmer said it felt just wrong that there was not more diversity: I really felt like Ross should date other people, women of all races.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/4/5/AAZiH8AADZwp.jpg

Not trying to be an ass but how can George Floyd be your introduction to racism if you're over 10 years old?

Especially if you lived in New York.

Anyway yeah it always felt weird that everyone in Friends was white and super good looking.

Manhattan is literally like 51% non-Hispanic white. It's full of racial diversity at every corner. Set it in like Saskatchewan like Corner Gas if you want a full white cast.


---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
PoopPotato
07/01/22 10:52:33 AM
#2:


Yeah, they should have had a token black guy on the show

---
http://i.minus.com/i5EWBMXTN4ERv.gif
... Copied to Clipboard!
Solar_Crimson
07/01/22 10:52:49 AM
#3:


I mean, Friends literally was just a white Living Single. That's actually how Friends was pitched to NBC (and further, Living Single's working title was "Friends").

---
"To Republicans, life begins at conception and ends in elementary school." - GranolaPanic
... Copied to Clipboard!
UnfairRepresent
07/01/22 10:53:27 AM
#4:


PoopPotato posted...
Yeah, they should have had a token black guy on the show
Why do they have to be token?


---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
#5
Post #5 was unavailable or deleted.
TMOG
07/01/22 10:56:38 AM
#6:


Now do the homophobia
... Copied to Clipboard!
UnfairRepresent
07/01/22 10:58:17 AM
#7:


TMOG posted...
Now do the homophobia
I guess we have to wait for cops to kill a gay guy before she realizes homophbia exists :/

Then she'll donate it.

I feel shitty because her donating money is a cool thing. It's just a weird how she reached that conclusion.

---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
Kitt
07/01/22 10:59:18 AM
#8:


Should have donated it to the creators of In Living Single, a.k.a, Friends before Friends.

---
I'm a little teapot blowing off steam.
https://m.imgur.com/pmc9XsI https://m.imgur.com/4ihl8bE
... Copied to Clipboard!
The_Creep_2020
07/01/22 10:59:37 AM
#9:


UnfairRepresent posted...
I guess we have to wait for cops to kill a gay guy before she realizes homophbia exists :/

Then she'll donate it.

I feel shitty because her donating money is a cool thing. It's just a weird how she reached that conclusion.
Stop saying things I agree with, it's disconcerting.

---
All that I am and all I'll ever be is a brain in a body.
... Copied to Clipboard!
gikos
07/01/22 11:00:02 AM
#10:


UnfairRepresent posted...
Not trying to be an ass but how can George Floyd be your introduction to racism if you're over 10 years old?

Especially if you lived in New York.
it took his death caught on video for people to see how much the police was targeting black people and how shitty the system was on punishing them like remember who people used to talk about BLM protest on this board before 2020 i remember some users thought it was OK run them over

---
"You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty." - Sacha Guitry (1885-1957)
... Copied to Clipboard!
YourDrunkFather
07/01/22 11:00:20 AM
#11:


Should be apologizing how for how terrible the show was

---
One bourbon,one scotch,one beer
... Copied to Clipboard!
Kitt
07/01/22 11:01:32 AM
#12:


YourDrunkFather posted...
Should be apologizing how for how terrible the show was
Also, this.

---
I'm a little teapot blowing off steam.
https://m.imgur.com/pmc9XsI https://m.imgur.com/4ihl8bE
... Copied to Clipboard!
UnfairRepresent
07/01/22 11:01:48 AM
#13:


Kitt posted...
Should have donated it to the creators of In Living Colors, a.k.a, Friends before Friends.

Solar_Crimson posted...
I mean, Friends literally was just a white Living Single. That's actually how Friends was pitched to NBC (and further, Living Single's working title was "Friends").
hmmm

---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
#14
Post #14 was unavailable or deleted.
TMOG
07/01/22 11:03:42 AM
#15:


It's pretty weird when you realize Married With Children was better about its representation of gay/trans people than Friends was
... Copied to Clipboard!
lilORANG
07/01/22 11:05:53 AM
#16:


Should have donated money bc of how shitty friends was in general, but this is cool too.

---
#FeelTheBern
http://i.imgur.com/q5z4CUu.jpg http://i.imgur.com/6B9oFXh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/sy42Dlf.jpg
... Copied to Clipboard!
FelineCyborg
07/01/22 11:10:26 AM
#17:


Wait so how does this money even help the black community?

Is this just virtue signaling?

---
"well, yeah, and a lot of minorities go to see minstrel shows, too." - PyroSpoon
... Copied to Clipboard!
sabin017
07/01/22 11:15:05 AM
#18:


Why do sitcom casts tend to be either all-white or all-black? Is it a demographics thing?

---
https://i.imgur.com/oZKLfiX.jpg
... Copied to Clipboard!
Cheater87
07/01/22 11:21:02 AM
#19:


What?

---
Doom, the game with unlimited ways to play.
... Copied to Clipboard!
yusiko
07/01/22 11:23:45 AM
#20:


ross actually dated 2 women of color over the shows run
julie in season 2 and she was recurring for the first halfof that season

and charlie who i dont remember when she was introduced but she initially dates joey before dumping him for ross.
whats notable about her is that she was actually a recurring character in 2 seasons
and when friends ended there was plans for a charlie centric spin off which would have been about charlie and pheobe opening a clothing store together

both julie and charlies actresses did voice work on popular not for kids cartoons
julies actress was the voice of amy in futurama
and charlies actress was the voice of lana in archer

---
yusketeer
... Copied to Clipboard!
TMOG
07/01/22 11:24:25 AM
#21:


sabin017 posted...
Why do sitcom casts tend to be either all-white or all-black? Is it a demographics thing?
Kinda. Most sitcoms are based around a family unit, and mixed families make conservatives angry. As a result, rather than lose their conservative viewership, not a lot of networks will pick up sitcoms that have a mixed family as the focus unless it's a case of adoption. It's the same reason why you don't tend to see very many sitcoms that have a same-sex marriage as the core of their family unit.

Even The Connors, which is being very clear that they're taking a more liberal approach to social issues now that Roseanne is out of the picture, has their mixed-race couple (DJ and Geena) on screen together so rarely that I guarantee you that you didn't even remember Geena was a part of the family.

Granted things are beginning to shift and more diverse families are being shown on TV, but that's a big part of the reason.
... Copied to Clipboard!
Questionmarktarius
07/01/22 11:24:33 AM
#22:


FelineCyborg posted...
Wait so how does this money even help the black community?

this:
Ms Kauffmans has now made a donation to Brandeis University's African and African American studies department that will support a distinguished scholar who is concentrating on the area of peoples and cultures of Africa and the African diaspora.

FelineCyborg posted...
Is this just virtue signaling?
Probably.
... Copied to Clipboard!
Master Kazuya
07/01/22 11:24:40 AM
#23:


Kinda random but not bad

---
itt my post is the best
... Copied to Clipboard!
Solar_Crimson
07/01/22 11:27:43 AM
#24:


yusiko posted...
ross actually dated 2 women of color over the shows run
julie in season 2 and she was recurring for the first halfof that season

and charlie who i dont remember when she was introduced but she initially dates joey before dumping him for ross.
whats notable about her is that she was actually a recurring character in 2 seasons
and when friends ended there was plans for a charlie centric spin off which would have been about charlie and pheobe opening a clothing store together

both julie and charlies actresses did voice work on popular not for kids cartoons
julies actress was the voice of amy in futurama
and charlies actress was the voice of lana in archer
They didn't have the balls to have any of the main female characters date a Black man (or probably any POC), though.

---
"To Republicans, life begins at conception and ends in elementary school." - GranolaPanic
... Copied to Clipboard!
Raikuro
07/01/22 11:30:59 AM
#25:


At least her more recent show Grace and Frankie has a token black guy and a gay couple.
... Copied to Clipboard!
UnfairRepresent
07/01/22 11:46:15 AM
#26:


TMOG posted...
Kinda. Most sitcoms are based around a family unit, and mixed families make conservatives angry. As a result, rather than lose their conservative viewership, not a lot of networks will pick up sitcoms that have a mixed family as the focus unless it's a case of adoption. It's the same reason why you don't tend to see very many sitcoms that have a same-sex marriage as the core of their family unit.

Even The Connors, which is being very clear that they're taking a more liberal approach to social issues now that Roseanne is out of the picture, has their mixed-race couple (DJ and Geena) on screen together so rarely that I guarantee you that you didn't even remember Geena was a part of the family.

Granted things are beginning to shift and more diverse families are being shown on TV, but that's a big part of the reason.
Some break the mold

King of Queens
Scrubs
My Name Is Earl

All have interracial best friends

---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
Lebronwon
07/01/22 11:51:55 AM
#27:


Solar_Crimson posted...
I mean, Friends literally was just a white Living Single. That's actually how Friends was pitched to NBC (and further, Living Single's working title was "Friends").

That makes this comment a couple years back so hilarious

https://twitter.com/ComplexPop/status/1222237984004747264

---
Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7
... Copied to Clipboard!
Heavy_D_Forever
07/01/22 11:58:04 AM
#28:


How about you just say you cast the actors that you thought were the best to play those roles at the time? Why does the creator of the show have to apologize for anything? This shit is so dumb lol

---
E-A-G-L-E-S
EAGLES
... Copied to Clipboard!
Solar_Crimson
07/01/22 12:00:23 PM
#29:


Heavy_D_Forever posted...
How about you just say you cast the actors that you thought were the best to play those roles at the time? Why does the creator of the show have to apologize for anything? This shit is so dumb lol
Because
Solar_Crimson posted...
I mean, Friends literally was just a white Living Single. That's actually how Friends was pitched to NBC (and further, Living Single's working title was "Friends").

NBC literally wanted a White Living Single.

---
"To Republicans, life begins at conception and ends in elementary school." - GranolaPanic
... Copied to Clipboard!
EnterTheTekken
07/01/22 12:06:47 PM
#30:


https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/8/4/AAJnnQAADZxQ.png

---
https://media.giphy.com/media/a3IWyhkEC0p32/giphy.gif
... Copied to Clipboard!
party_animal07
07/01/22 12:14:59 PM
#31:


Lebronwon posted...
That makes this comment a couple years back so hilarious

https://twitter.com/ComplexPop/status/1222237984004747264
People were actually quick to point that out. As someone who grew up watching Living Single, I had a good guffaw myself.

---
https://warpzone.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GRANDIA_-696x509.jpg
... Copied to Clipboard!
UnfairRepresent
07/01/22 12:37:13 PM
#32:


Heavy_D_Forever posted...
How about you just say you cast the actors that you thought were the best to play those roles at the time? Why does the creator of the show have to apologize for anything? This shit is so dumb lol
In many situations I would agree with you

However setting your show in Manhattan, literally one of the most diverse places on Earth and then making literally 99%+ of the cast including extras hot young white people is really odd.

Imagine setting a show in Tokyo and then having an all black cast speaking Spanish. Then going "Well we can cast whoever we want!"

Well sure... you can... but it's weird. Why did you do that? Why don't you set it in Columbia or something

---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
A_Good_Boy
07/01/22 12:45:59 PM
#33:


Heavy_D_Forever posted...
How about you just say
Because this lie is no longer satisfactory to explain away racism.

---
Who is? I am!
... Copied to Clipboard!
UnfairRepresent
07/01/22 12:51:46 PM
#34:


A_Good_Boy posted...
Because this lie is no longer satisfactory to explain away racism.
Honestly I do see his point

For example I see no real reason why Apu had to leave the Simpsons and why Dr Hibbert and Karl needed new worse voice actors.

There is merit to "let people cast who they want to cast."

Just be prepared for criticism and "What happened to 49% of New York's population!?" is a pretty valid question.

---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
Solution_45
07/01/22 12:54:48 PM
#35:


so stunning and brave
... Copied to Clipboard!
CRON
07/01/22 12:55:19 PM
#36:


It's not a bad gesture by any means but it comes off as being pretty pathetic tbh.
... Copied to Clipboard!
Iodine
07/01/22 12:55:40 PM
#37:


CRON posted...
It's not a bad gesture by any means but it comes off as being pretty pathetic tbh.


---
In Belichick we Trust
... Copied to Clipboard!
RetsuZaiZen
07/01/22 1:06:35 PM
#38:


Kitt posted...
Should have donated it to the creators of Living Single, a.k.a, Friends before Friends.


---
Why do nerds always get caught up on the details?
Michael Jordan is both the greatest and most overrated basketball player of all time.
... Copied to Clipboard!
UnfairRepresent
07/02/22 4:39:28 AM
#39:


TMOG posted...
It's pretty weird when you realize Married With Children was better about its representation of gay/trans people than Friends was
Lol I remember that

Al hangs out with Homer and prefers him to Peggy.

---
^ Hey now that's completely unfair!
http://i.imgur.com/yPw05Ob.png
... Copied to Clipboard!
Topic List
Page List: 1