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Friday, June 8, 2012

Talkin' 'Bout Community On The Internets

I had the privilege to engage in a thoughtful discussion with my blogcrush, Gabe Delahaye, on Videogum today.  It was great, and everything I love about the Internet.  Even though I had to write it three times.  Check out the original post, and then scroll down to the end to read our comments.  Or you can read the entire thread after the jump.


  1. cool.coolcoolcool.  |   Posted on Jun 6thThumb up Thumb down +1
    Look, I understand what you’re saying about pop culture mashups. I couldn’t care either way, but I get your point. But I don’t understand your need to continually piss all over those of us who are truly upset about the situation (and I’d like to point out that the only one comparing it to 9/11 is you, sir). Community stood for some amazing, positive things (diversity, uniqueness, acceptance, intelligence, hilarity, purely great fucking television) that I would love to see reflected more in pop culture and the world at large, and the people who just want to keep making Two And A Half Men Starring Ashton Kutcher took that away from us. That seemed to me like something Videogum would have a problem with, but it turns out your problem is with those of us who really care. This isn’t about coddling Dan Harmon’s ego because he’s a celebrity. It’s about the big people totally fucking over the little people…and you making fun of the little people for being sad, or for continuing to talk about the ramifications of this decision for the future of television. Which makes me even more sad. I love you guys. But I love Community more.
    Reply
    • Gabe  |   Posted on Jun 7thThumb up Thumb down +24
      I’m going to respond to you now!
      I’m sorry that you feel like YOU PERSONALLY have somehow come under attack for caring about the future of a show that you love. Honestly, that was never the intention. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and should go ahead and enjoy whatever they want to enjoy in the world of entertainment (and MARRIAGE!), which is not only an obvious truth, but is also a thing that Videogum has worked hard to state outright since its very beginnings. We support a woman’s right to choose…what she watches on TV! (Gotcha! Also: good abortion “joke”!) So, please, obviously, yes! Community! You love it! That’s great!
      But, so, what’s the problem? I’m not telling you not to love it. Love it! We shouldn’t be arguing even. I guess the thing that I am making fun of, if we need to go back to that and unpack it a little bit, is everyone’s moral outrage at a thing that is inherently built into the system to which Dan Harmon signed on for employment. Like, you can think Hollywood is weird or gross or lame or stupid because it definitely is. But Dan Harmon of ALL PEOPLE knows how that game is played. That dude has been working steadily for years and finally got his own show on network television, which is not a thing that most people get. So, he had tacitly agreed to play by the rules. And one of those rules is that if you don’t earn the network a certain amount of money by getting enough people to watch your show, they will either cancel your show or fire you. Most shows actually get canceled, as you well know. The fact the show is even going to be on still should be of some comfort to you. It’s a suggestion that the network agrees with you that there’s something good about it that’s worth working on. (You could also make the argument that the network simply sees a syndication finish-line approaching and want to cross it for purely financial reasons, which again, see above, is pretty standard and who cares. Go for it!) I don’t know Dan Harmon. I don’t care either way. I mean, it’s always sad when someone is out of work or has their feelings hurt. Those are ultimately negative things. But he’ll almost certainly be fine. He’s going to live to fight another day, I bet. But this fixation on him as The One True Person Who Ever Had Something Happen To Him In Showbusiness is ridiculous and not worth everyone’s time. There is actual stuff to talk about in the world, and someone’s TV writing job isn’t one of them.
      Moreover, the whole thing to me just reeks of this creeping sense of entitlement that fans of things have. Let’s pretend Community got canceled whole cloth: you still got three seasons of a very convoluted and relatively unpopular show that you happened to love. That’s a lot of seasons! And no one can take them away from you! You can buy the DVDs and watch them until your hover grandkids are like “what are those weird plastic things you keep watching? And why did you allow the Earth to become covered in water? And why do you smell like rotting vegetables all the time?” You don’t DESERVE more episodes of a show just because you like it. That’s just not how things work. If you take Arrested Development as the perennial example, a show that I personally LOVE much much more than I ever even liked Community (no offense, Dan Harmon), I was never surprised or sad that the show got canceled because NO ONE WATCHED IT. It has become this cult hit, but no one actually watched it when it was on, and this was in a pre-DVR world when you couldn’t even make the argument that people were just watching it on their own schedule. The fact that FOX allowed it to go on for three seasons was actually kind of INCREDIBLE and a true act of generosity towards the show’s very vocal fans. Just because you like something doesn’t mean someone else has to funnel millions of dollars into it with poor rates of return on their investment. This might sound like I am arguing in support of The Man, which I guess I kind of am. I think we should all treat each other with kindness and generosity and I think there should be more financial equity in the world, not to mention basic human rights, but when it comes to a business wanting to earn money, I think that’s just how that works and if it didn’t work that way we wouldn’t have had any episodes of Community to begin with. This is not about big people fucking over little people. This is about big people being big people. The little people don’t even come into it.
      Finally, I completely and whole-heartedly reject the dichotomy you have set up where everything is either Community or Two and a Half Men. That’s just utter bullshit. We have never in the history of television had as much good television on at one time as we do now. That’s actually WHY this Community stuff happened in the first place. The current economic structure of television and movies no longer really makes sense, or at least not the sense that it used to make, and so everyone is scrambling to figure it out. The highest rated programming among the “lucrative” 18-24 year old market is actually Adult Swim. No one knows how to make sense of the DVR ratings combined with the Hulu ratings combined with the broadcast ratings because ratings is simply a system for selling to advertisers and most people don’t watch ads on DVR so how do you figure it out? But people are trying, and they’re trying in creative ways. 10 years ago, NBC wouldn’t have bothered even trying to develop Community. And if you don’t like what they end up replacing it with, they know that you’re just going to go watch something else on FX or HBO or AMC or any of the other niche cable content providers that are cutting into their business. But you know for a FACT that there’s lots of great TV, so please don’t throw this Two and a Half Men business in my face. There is clearly room for other stuff in addition to that. And to make your own point, MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF PEOPLE genuinely ENJOY that show, and by pointing to it as the worst thing that could possibly happen, you’re basically doing the same thing that you accused me of doing, which is making people feel bad about themselves just for liking something. You shouldn’t do that.
      I hope this helps.
      Reply
  2. cool.coolcoolcool.  |   Posted on Jun 8thThumb up Thumb down +2
    Alright, here we go. Writing something three times really clarifies things!
    Ok, where do I start? I agree with much of what you’re saying (especially about Arrested Development, which is one of the best shows that has ever existed in part because it’s only three seasons and was driven creatively by constant cancellation concerns). And yes, I have felt a little personally attacked by your response to the situation, like I was stupid for caring about this thing I love, and I was also just surprised to find Videogum, which I adore to the point that it’s a joke among my friends, harping on the issue. But my outrage has never been about entitlement; I don’t think I deserve more Community. I think THE WORLD deserves more Community, or at least more Community-esque television. And it’s never been about Dan Harmon The Person. He was not very good at one important aspect of his job (admittedly, the part I would also be terrible at, the shit-taking part) and he got fired. What I’m upset about it is what this stands for in the greater picture. Community and Harmon created a show where diversity, especially when it comes to women, queers, and people of color, isn’t a hindrance to making great and hilarious television. I want to live in a world where the Danny Pudis and Donald Glovers are winning (or, you know, at least nominated for) Emmys. I was reading the oral history of The Wire that you guys linked to earlier this week, and they were joking about how they repeatedly didn’t get nominations because they were on “a black show”. That’s awful and stupid! We live in a world full of Horrible Racist Homophobic Girlfriends and Boyfriends, and when I see television shows (even and especially purportedly progressive shows like Modern Family) making “jokes” that reinforce racism, sexism, classism, gender roles, or WHATEVER, I can’t help thinking that this is BAD for our world. Like it or not, television has a pretty huge impact on American society or opinions. I write about television on my own blog (if “shouting in the void” is the same as “writing”) and am going to grad school to study television and media critically because I believe that the whole system is broken and needs to be rebuilt. I want to change advertising and figure out a way to do exactly what you’re saying and monetize the Internet and give the young people without TVs an real voice. But more importantly I believe that if we stop making television that perpetuates hate, stereotypes, and the continued domination of the white perspective, we might see some actual change reflected in the world. Maybe that’s ridiculously optimistic and naive, but I believe it’s possible.
    Reply
    • cool.coolcoolcool.  |   Posted on Jun 8thThumb up Thumb down +2
      Now, I accept that Community was not the show to create this sea change. It was too esoteric, too erudite, and too meta. But for me it was a symbol of the great places television can go when it’s not bound by the constraints of The Way Things Have Always Been Done. It symbolized a future of television where half-Arabic half-Polish weirdos with Asperger’s could overshadow the white guy to become the hero of a show; or where a pansexual imp (at first I capitalized Imp, such is the power of Game Of Thrones) with a dalmatian fetish can be endeared for his cross-dressing; or where a poor, angry, slutty atheist (like me) could go from being The Worst to being The Best. Look, I’m glad that there’s going to be a little more Community in the fall. The actors are still amazing actors (which is something that no one seems to be talking about)! But what was so upsetting about Dan Harmon’s firing wasn’t that Dan Harmon lost his job, but that he was the heart, teeth, and balls of Community and The Man just cut them right out. If they had cancelled it outright, the Internet would have gone up in riotous flames. As it was, there was mild looting, but they mostly got away with it, and THAT’S what I’m angry about. And now no one’s talking about what was truly revolutionary about Community – and it wasn’t the pop culture homages.
      And (I was going to say “sorry”, but fuck that, I’m not sorry) you SHOULD feel bad if you like Two And A Half Men. It’s a hateful, unflinchingly sexist and homophobic show that puts nothing good into the world. Maybe if the millions of people who watch it weren’t having their bigotries reinforced by Chuck Lorre, they would be better people for it. Yes, there are A LOT of great shows on television these days, but if we get rid of all the irredeemable crap like that, imagine how many more great shows could flourish. Allow me to be Don Draper for a second – you only want fifty percent of the market share? You should want a hundred percent. I want a hundred percent non-backwards, non-horrible, non-discriminatory television. It’s a dream, but it’s one that I really believe is worth being passionate about and fighting for.
      Again, I want to thank you for engaging in this conversation in such a thoughtful way, and for constantly addressing and critiquing these very topics on Videogum in an inspiring and hilarious manner. I’m not sure where else on the Internet such civil and intelligent discussions occur, but I don’t care, I’m sticking with you, Gabe. #birdie4prez
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