Discussion: Why Mindy Kaling Refuses to Talk about Race—and Why I Care So Much

TPM Article Topics
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Yes it’s bad because it involves a lie about what life in America is like for her. It’s somewhat like being gay and in the closet. There’s an aspect of her life which she has decided not to deal with in public. Yes by focusing on problems common to all of us she may advance her race but at the same time she allows Americans to pretend that all is hunky dory on the racism front when in fact it isn’t.

I feel for Kaling’s own position as far as I understand it also. I hear her as saying " Look, I’ve been dealing with racism all my life and now you want me to pick up the burden of fighting it as well? Let me get on with my job – I’m a comic – judge me on the content of my comedy!"

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This piece is just an extended more-activist-than-thou ad hominem accusing Kaling of sucking up to her oppressors because she’s not talking about race nearly enough for the author’s taste, which may be a tough standard to meet, given that the author is described elsewhere as a “feminist activist who goes around the world giving lectures about being a modern feminist” and is therefore arguably something of an outlier regarding her appetite for talk about social justice (especially, I imagine, when compared to the average sitcom viewer).

I’m stunned to see something this awful published on TPM.

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23

I can’t speak for Kaling, of course, but I think the author mostly misses important questions about process which might underlie Kaling’s choices. Simply, it’s extremely difficult to be original and funny on a professional basis. The vast majority who attempt this sort of career fail, and not for reasons of discrimination, insufficient support, or inadequate resources. They just aren’t that funny. The small minority who succeed, speaking generally, are driven individualists who chafe at authority and strive to confound.

Comparing Kaling to Haley, Jindal, etc., works superficially, because all three are, yep, South Asian, but if we’re talking about occupational types, what each require of individuals personally, and what it takes to sustain a career, you couldn’t pick two categories which are more different.

Kaling, foremost, is a comedic writer for whom career survival depends upon her ability to be funny today. Not say something insightful, represent her particular demographic category, or anything along these lines. The latter isn’t what got her to where she is now, and if she screws up the funny all of the kind words, tributes to her pioneering work, etc,. won’t save her.

So this, I suspect, is her calculus. For me race and ethnicity is the vortex which will suck in everything. There is no finite number of questions I can answer which will cause people to say “enough”. Analysis is the death of comedy, anyway. So I’ll work on the funny, duck the questions, and let the chips fall where they may. My work will be my contribution. I’ll show, not tell.

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24

And the only way we will see more and more South Asian artists is by talking about our experiences so others can learn from it. So that, sometime soon, there can be other fucking Indian woman with their own fucking network shows.

Loads of anger here and I’m not sure the author’s premise is correct: How can a publicly successful Mindy Kaling not be a boon to other South Asians?

and Why I Care So Much

Some of us identify strongly with the fight for racial justice in America and are outspoken about it. The way I see it, we should be ready to give up the fictitious veneer of privilege to acknowledge that racism has hurt all of us.

Too me it sounds as if the author is willing to rip the veneer off of others who don’t identify as strongly with the fight for racial justice as herself. Why is this a good thing - or even a progressive ideal?

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“In real life, Kaling has been reluctant to discuss race, and in some cases has become visibly frustrated by it: In an interview at the Paley Center, she remarked that she is sometimes angry her show isn’t 75 years in the future so she wouldn’t be the first South Asian female showrunner, tasked with representing all South Asians.”

I’ve never watched her show, so I cannot attest to her talents one way or another. But I would kindly suggest to Ms. Kaling that it will take a hell of a lot longer than 75 years for her dream to come true.

This is America we’re talking about after all. Race is and will always be a part of the fabric of this country. It’s too late to change. It has been tightly woven in and ain’t going anywhere. She can dream on if she wishes, but I suggest she not hold her breath while waiting.

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Race is intimately tied to economics and social class. Many of the immigrants from the past few decades come with advanced degrees or even start-up capital they brought with them. Was there another time in US history with this much ‘middle class’ immigration? Race is irrelevant to these people as it should be to us all. If you come from generations of poor in this country or from another country then race is an impediment to climbing the social and economic ladder. For people who immigrated on ‘second base’ as it were this is not the case.

PS: I don’t know Mindy’s family history and quite possibly I am engaging in stereotyping just by saying what I’ve already said.

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27

that’s not the first thing everyone notices about her

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28

uh, her dream is that by 75 years from now there would already have been at least one south asian showrunner before her. not exactly an impossible dream.

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Anyone that wants to increase ethnic diversity on television should do what they can in that regard. However, nobody else is under any obligation to participate in that effort. If you don’t like what someone else is doing, or wish they’d do something else, pull yourself together and do it yourself. Launching criticisms at artists because they don’t appear to be engaging in your social engineering efforts is a low occupation.

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Mindy Kaling knows the secret to success in America. I’m closing in on 70 years in this great land and I never “brought up race,” and everything I accomplished, I did because the opportunity was there for the taking, and I just competed for it, like everyone else. Bringing up “race” is a crutch and a non-starter.

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“She doesn’t have the luxury of just being an artist.”

And there is the core problem with this entire article.

Yes. Yes she does. She has the luxury of being whoever she wants to be. You can have an opinion that her work isn’t political enough for your tastes, but to suggest that’s she’s obligated to do otherwise is out of bounds. As the artist in question, SHE gets to decide what she wants to say and what she doesn’t. And as a comedian, and a successful one, maybe she believes going in that direction is comedy poison.

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32

Indeed, I can’t believe the audacity of that statement.

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It always astounds me when I encounter progressives who apparently cannot wrap their head around comedy. Mindy’s comedic art constantly comments on race relations, sometimes subtle, and sometimes rather stingy, but always in an entertaining form. Her TV show is much more transformational than any treatise on race relations that will only preach to the choir.

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34

People who have “brought up race” and advanced their professional prospects thereby are legion. They include everyone from Frederick Douglas to Martin Luther King, Jr. They also include anyone that ever confronted racial prejudice or bigotry in the workplace. You make (I suspect) a good and valid point, but you undercut it by negating the wholly legitimate tactics of others. Why use irony quotes around the word “race” unless you’re deliberately being disparaging? What does that even mean?

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So are you African American? Asian? Hispanic? Inuit? Indian or Pakistani?

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This is on the front page of TPM? Slow news day? I don’t even get why she is popular. She was good as a co star on the Office. Just don’t get the big thing about her.

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Maybe she wants to be known as a comedian, and not a South Asian comedian. Like most people, perhaps she prefers to simply represent herself and not all South Asians. When I was a production planner, I never aimed to be The Female Production Planner, and never felt as though I represented or owed anything to 51% of the population. I didn’t want my gender to be an issue, so why in the world would I constantly bring it up?

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39

It should be pointed out that the TMP episode Sanford did address this.

Mindy Lahiri was accepted to a surgical fellowship. She took time off from her practice to attend it. While at a orientation party, she and Danny meet Neeba, After Neeba recounts some of her difficulties (she had mistaken Mindy for a “first generation”), Danny goes off on a rant about luggage. Neeba makes a sarcastic comment (which is lost on M&D). In a later scene, Mindy is ordering fast food at the drive through and realizes that Neeba is working the window. Neeba ends up making a curt comment. Mindy complains. Neeba replies that Mindy has a sense of entitlement like all “Second generations”. Mindy predicts that Neeba’s son will grow up to be a pool-side DJ. As the story advances, Mindy develops a friendship with the Program’s director. He offers her the surgical slot in an upcoming procedure. Mindy gives the slot to Neeba because “she deserves it more”.

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40

Haven’t seen the show, so maybe this rules me out as a voice of any consequence, but maybe someone who’s funny or talented or both would rather be known for that (which she earned or learned) than her heritage? Which any progressive will tell you has no real bearing on her merits as whatever the heck she chooses to be?

Wouldn’t anyone get tired of being asked about their skin tone or last name as an oddity or issue?

Maybe I am becoming one of those “race-baiting”-baiters but I say it’s Mindy’s business what her politics are. From the quotes cited it sounds like she’s already tackling it in a glib and clever fashion.

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41

I was stunned also. And offended.

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