TV Can Be Juvenile But It Shouldn't Be Run Like Nursery School
Yes, in nursery school, I'm all for seeing that everybody gets the exact same sized cookie with the exact same number of chocolate chips, or thereabouts, but once you're a salary-earning TV presenterlady at the BBC, real life should play out like real life.
Out of the UK, it's yet another case of imposed "fairness," and surprise, surprise, it's one of my favorite people -- Mr. Bean, commonly known as Rowan Atkinson -- popping up to speak up for free expression. From the Guardian, Dan Sabbagh and John Plunkett write about a case in the UK where a BBC presenterlady successfully sued the BBC for ageism for dumping her. Rowan Atkinson, pleasingly, called this an "attack on creative free expression":
The BBC should have been free to drop Miriam O'Reilly from Countryfile without attracting any accusations of age discrimination, according to comedian Rowan Atkinson, in a controversial intervention into the debate about the lack of older women on television.The 57-year-old Blackadder, Mr Bean and Johnny English star said - in a letter to Radio 4's The Media Show - that O'Reilly's successful age discrimination case against the BBC amounted to an "attack on creative free expression" and that television was the wrong place to deal with anti-discrimination issues.
Atkinson wrote that he did not blame O'Reilly for taking legal action, but added that his argument "would be that the creative industries are completely inappropriate environments for anti-discrimination legislation and that the legal tools she used should never have been available to her".
In January 2011, O'Reilly won a landmark age discrimination case against the BBC after she was one of four women in their 40s or 50s who were dropped from a peaktime revamp of BBC1's Countryfile.
...Atkinson said O'Reily's complaint was no more sensible than "Pierce Brosnan complaining that he was sacked from the role of James Bond for being too old" and that true creative freedom for both Bond films and Countryfile could only mean that producers should have complete artistic latitude.
"If either at the outset of a TV programme, or at any time during its screen life, you want to replace an old person with a young person, or a white person with a black person, or a disabled straight with an able-bodied gay, you should have as much creative freedom to do so as you have to change the colour of John Craven's anorak," Atkinson wrote.
Presenterlady O'Reilly came back with a snivel:
"I think very few people will agree with Mr Atkinson. At one time we didn't think black people should sit next to white people on a bus but fortunately we live in a fair and civilised society."..."It was very unfortunate that I had to take legal action against the BBC for them to fairly represent women and older women."
I think it's very unfortunate she prevailed. It isn't television's job to "represent" anyone; it's an entertainment medium.
If you want to see older women on TV, get all your older women friends together and boycott any station that doesn't show them.
"I think very few people will agree with Mr. Atkinson."
Well, I do. What's next, we sue J.K. Rowling because there weren't enough black people in the books?
I am surprised this didn't happen first in America, land of the lawyers who'll sue anybody for anything.
DrCos at February 23, 2012 3:39 AM
DrCos;
Actually, something like this did happen first in the US; it happened with the State Dept for the foreign service officers exam back in the 1980s. "Not enough blacks and women were being prmoted" within the Dept so a liberal judge order the US State Dept to hire more "minorities" and women - to "look more like the US."
So, while it is still less than 10 percent of those who take the exam get into the State Dept; it is easier to pass if you are a minority or woman.
The only difference is that lesser qualified employees do have an impact on how well our State Dept functions; where as TV - who cares?
Charles at February 23, 2012 6:07 AM
Shall I be the first to say it?
Of course television prefers having younger women on shows. They are sexier, and hence attract more eyeballs. This may not be PC, but it is the plain truth.
a_random_guy at February 23, 2012 6:39 AM
Some of the most interesting people in show business seem to be those who had lots of charm when they were young and in front of the camera but also had the smarts to realize they needed to develop other skills so that as they grew older they could continue in the business on the other side of the camera.
Richard Harper at February 23, 2012 7:22 AM
How about discrimination in casting as well? It's horribly unfair that people like George Clooney and Angelina Jolie get all of these prime movie roles. It's Hollywood's job to represent America. I insist that lead roles be given out randomly. Give bag ladies and fat guys from Peoria a chance too!
dervish at February 23, 2012 7:24 AM
The underlying problem is that TV journalists are trying to protect a non-existent set of professional qualifications. It is the same reason they protested so vehemently when Leonardo diCaprio was tapped to interview Al Gore about AGW. They're not entertainers, they're highly trained news professionals, dammit!
Astra at February 23, 2012 8:56 AM
In 2008, Channel 4 replaced the 37-year-old hostess of "Ten Years Younger" with a woman seven years younger. This caused a pretty big stir and was quite ironic:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1091173/Being-replaced-younger-model-Myleene-slap-face-says-37-year-old-Nicky-Hambleton-Jones.html
To me the women appeared to be around the same age, so I'm not convinced age was the deciding factor.
O'Reilly had a 70-year-old male co-presenter whose role on the show was significantly marginalized.
Insufficient Poison at February 23, 2012 9:13 AM
Johnny English ads are now appearing in Amy's sidebar. :)
Insufficient Poison at February 23, 2012 9:14 AM
The next stop for age discrimination lawsuits will be the adult entertainment industry. Not enough senile strippers!
Martin at February 23, 2012 9:25 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/02/23/tv_can_be_juven.html#comment-2996209">comment from Insufficient PoisonI'll proudly advertise anything with Rowan Atkinson in it. Mr. Bean and PeeWee Herman are two of my loves. (I rescued a black and white TV out of the trash in New York so I could watch PeeWee's Playhouse on Saturday mornings.)
Amy Alkon
at February 23, 2012 9:29 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/02/23/tv_can_be_juven.html#comment-2996211">comment from Amy AlkonMartin, that is hilarious. And as Crid and I were batting around yesterday, the whole reason for having the weather on TV is to have two huge tits with a small head on top on screen for a few minutes. Meatierologists, I call 'em.
Amy Alkon
at February 23, 2012 9:31 AM
She shouldn't have been sacked for her age. She should have been sacked because her ratings fell, and continued falling.
That may be due to age. But you can't sue your audience into watching your show...
I R A Darth Aggie at February 23, 2012 9:47 AM
I used to love getting scared by PeeWee's door-to-door salesman. He was deliciously creepy.
Insufficient Poison at February 23, 2012 9:47 AM
There are probably good reasons for hiring and firing whoever in any industry. I don't think entertainment is any different. It's just more visible.
carol at February 23, 2012 1:12 PM
"They're not entertainers, they're highly trained news professionals, dammit!"
This would be OK if it were true. I haven't seen one of these airheads ask a decent question in ages, and I doubt that many know the issues.
The copy writers - or whoever writes the cue cards for the talking heads - seem ignorant on occasion, too.
Radwaste at February 23, 2012 3:49 PM
Quoth Amy:
If you want to see older women on TV, get all your older women friends together and boycott any station that doesn't show them.
________________________
I don't care about the characters' AGES so much as I care about the INTELLIGENCE level. Also, subtlety, wit, civilized language, etc....
I've heard that, for the past ten years or so, TV has become better than the movies, on average, but IMO, it's not much better.
lenona at February 23, 2012 4:08 PM
It's always interesting to see who in the performing community will and won't stand up for free speech in a situation where there are no political-correctness brownie points for doing so. Back in the '80s, when Tipper Gore was beating the PMRC drum, one of the PMRC's biggest opponents was Fred Rogers. Yes, that Mr. Rogers.
BTW: how many people realize that on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Cowboy Curtis was played by Laurence Fishburne?
Cousin Dave at February 23, 2012 6:05 PM
I miss Tim Russert. David Bloom was also a great loss. But I have steadily been moving away from the lame stream press as I see how liberal they are.
About the only reason I watch the morning news is to see the fairly hot female anchors.
Jim P. at February 23, 2012 8:06 PM
IMHO, Black Adder was his best roles ever.
That being said I find the situation most hilarious, since the entertainment industry is usally the lead in decrying all forms discrimination in all other jobs, they just want a waiver on their own behavior.
Personally I feel the only ones who should be unable to freely discriminate is the gov't. If I choose to discriminate, (a near impossible thing to truthfully prove or disprove) it mainly hurts me.
Joe J at February 23, 2012 10:06 PM
Hmm. Is the BBC1 taxpayer funded? Should it matter?
Insufficient Poison at February 24, 2012 5:31 AM
"About the only reason I watch the morning news is to see the fairly hot female anchors."
CNN's Lynne Russell still has her fans!
Radwaste at February 24, 2012 3:51 PM
To expand on what I said before:
"The Golden Girls" isn't terrible, as far as humorous writing goes. However, no matter how old I get, I can't see myself watching an entire episode unless I have nothing else to do - such as washing dishes.
lenona at February 25, 2012 8:27 AM
When she was a young, hot, snotty "look at me I'm on the telly" TV babeperson, did she hold the same views?
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at February 25, 2012 9:47 PM
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