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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 21, 2022 1:57:36 GMT
Sad news for those of us that grew up with the "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" as kids. The news reports say it was suicide: www.tmz.com/2022/11/20/power-rangers-jason-david-frank-dead-dies-tommy-oliver-green-white/Here's a simple but heartfelt fan reaction on YouTube: Title: Goodbye Tommy Oliver, RIP Jason David Frank Channel: Ping Pong Flix Uploaded: 20 Nov 2022 To quote one of the commenters underneath: "Demons inside aren't seen outside."I'm in shock over this. The timing is certainly bizarre. I was planning to soon start up a little Power Rangers thread on the board. I don't think he'll mind me saying, but smittysgelato and I started reminiscing about the show a few weeks ago, re-watching the 1995 film and many of the original episodes. We had both committed to watching all 145 episodes of the original MMPR series. And we were having fun talking about the real-life Ranger actors, especially the original Pink Power Ranger (Amy Jo Johnson). While their characters of Kimberly and Tommy never officially got together on the show, she and JDF seem to have maintained a friendship over the years. They were a big part of the reason, I suspect, the show became as popular as it did. Many of us were rooting for them to get together as kids. To generalise only slightly, we all fancied Kimberly and we all fantasised about being Tommy. Through the years, JDF had essentially become the face of the entire Power Rangers franchise. He appeared in various iterations of the show, including all three extant Power Rangers feature films (he and AJJ had a small cameo in the 2017 reboot movie). He was handsome, incredibly positive and energetic, and very loyal toward and supportive of his fans. Many online testimonies bear out how approachable he was in-person; and many praise him for being decent and kind and always spending extra time with fans whenever he was able to. While I was a little uncertain about his exact relationship with the franchise (he wasn't above constantly hawking merchandise and sometimes charging high prices), and he could be prone to bouts of childishness (some say his long-term spat with Red Ranger actor Austin St. John made him look like the worse party), his passing is undoubtedly a sad loss and a big blow to many. Somehow, the world felt a little lighter and a little happier with the original Green and White Ranger within it. Next year happens to be the 30th anniversary of the airing of the original show. But Thuy Trang (the original Yellow Ranger) died in a car crash in 2001, JDF is now gone, and even Austin St. John is now in serious trouble with the law (he is indicted on federal fraud charges pertaining to his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to illegally obtain COVID employment relief payments totalling up to $3.5 million; which can come with a jail sentence of up to 20 years). JDF's passing is a brutal reminder that it isn't possible to completely recapture the innocence of childhood -- and another clarion call that depression and mental health need to be taken more seriously. RIP, Jason David Frank. |
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Post by Ingram on Nov 21, 2022 3:17:56 GMT
I didn't even realize Power Rangers were a thing in the UK, or anywhere outside the states come to think of it (excluding, possibly, Japan for obvious reasons). I'm both glad to see a fellow fan as yourself chiming in with condolences and, of course, considerate of the bummer that said beloved franchise took such a legacy hit. But I gotta be honest... my investment in MMPR was, like, - 4. The show was plainly ahead of my time (or past, however you look at it) as I was already a teenager upon its launch and during its heyday. With respect, I dismissed it at the time as something that was "just for little kids", especially having since recently grown out of my Ninja Turtle phase. I only remember the feature film by proxy of opting instead for Congo that summer afternoon at the movie theater back in '95, but I didn't even know there was a reboot until just now reading your post. Or, my memory of it was hyper-fleeting.
Anyway, I do now recall JD Frank, having google-imaged the name; yeah, the whole ponytail 'n' gold shoulder pads thing is definitely giving me Saturday morning flashbacks. Sad to hear that he cashed in his will. The guy still had looks and, I'm assuming, a relatively decent financial living. Mental issues are a bitch.
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Post by jppiper on Nov 21, 2022 3:31:13 GMT
I didn't even realize Power Rangers were a thing in the UK, or anywhere outside the states come to think of it (excluding, possibly, Japan for obvious reasons). I'm both glad to see a fellow fan as yourself chiming in with condolences and, of course, considerate of the bummer that said beloved franchise took such a legacy hit. But I gotta be honest... my investment in MMPR was, like, - 4. The show was plainly ahead of my time (or past, however you look at it) as I was already a teenager upon its launch and during its heyday. With respect, I dismissed it at the time as something that was "just for little kids", especially having since recently grown out of my Ninja Turtle phase. I only remember the feature film by proxy of opting instead for Congo that summer afternoon at the movie theater back in '95, but I didn't even know there was a reboot until just now reading your post. Or, my memory of it was hyper-fleeting. Anyway, I do now recall JD Frank, having google-imaged the name; yeah, the whole ponytail 'n' gold shoulder pads thing is definitely giving me Saturday morning flashbacks. Sad to hear that he cashed in his will. The guy still had looks and, I'm assuming, a relatively decent financial living. Mental issues are a bitch. And Paul Freeman (Belloq himself) played Ivan Ooze! |
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Post by smittysgelato on Nov 21, 2022 3:34:48 GMT
Correct, I don't mind at all. Although, I see you have spared our fellows the more saucy details of our Power Rangers discussion, bwahaha!
Well, I didn't fancy Kim. I was 4 years old when I watched this show the first time. I was too young for female charms. You can bet your ass I fancy her now, though!
I just finished watching The Two Parter, "The Green Candle, " in which Tommy loses his powers and leaves the group. What a hell of an episode to watch on the same day that we have learned about JDF's death. The Green Ranger will return as the White Ranger, though.
"We miss you, Tommy." - Kimberley
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 21, 2022 4:38:00 GMT
I didn't even realize Power Rangers were a thing in the UK, or anywhere outside the states come to think of it (excluding, possibly, Japan for obvious reasons). I'm both glad to see a fellow fan as yourself chiming in with condolences and, of course, considerate of the bummer that said beloved franchise took such a legacy hit. Oh, they were definitely a thing, here in the UK (and, I think, several other parts of the world). The Power Rangers craze was massive here in the early 90s. I was completely swept up in it as a young kid. But then, I was captured early on by American culture. Especially California culture. When you think about it, both Star Trek and Star Wars are Californian franchises, as is Power Rangers (yes, plenty of stock Japanese footage was used, but the human, teenager aspect of the show was very Californian; albeit campy and idealised), and even my personal preference for Elvis over The Beatles owes something to The Golden State, given that Elvis' 1960s career was defined by his immersion in Hollywood B-movies and his iconic "Comeback Special" was taped at Burbank Studios in California (60s Elvis is probably my favourite Elvis). Hell, even my contraband fascination with Elliot Rodger and his moody manifesto was likely because, in part, he lived and roamed and sulked for the greatest chunk of his life in that same sunny state. It was obviously a juvenile programme, intended to move merchandise, often playing as little more than a fancy toy commercial. Even the actors were subjected to tough working conditions and given only the most meagre of pay (which is why three of the original set swiftly departed -- they demanded better pay and conditions and were sacked for their Oliver Twist-like impertinence), but.. there was something almost immaculate about its presentation. It was colourful, fun, addictive. As I said to Smitty: It worked well then, and still works well now, as a therapeutic aid. The energetic formula, the fantastic Zords, the goofy monsters, the silly fight scenes, the simplistic plots, the camaraderie of the cast and how their characters continually work as a team. To this day, it retains a streak of non-threatening, reassuring idealism that is charming to return to. But you probably had to be at the right age. I, too, loved the Ninja Turtles first. However, in my case, I was still young enough to be snagged by PR. Well, just about. While I became close to a couple of other kids at school because of the show, I was also mocked and bullied relentlessly by other kids in my class. When the show first aired in the UK on so-called "terrestrial television" (i.e., the basic TV channels of the time that didn't require a subscription payment to view), it was 1994: the year I completed junior school and started secondary (high) school. Other kids in my class considered it childish and stupid (although I'm sure a few of them still watched it), and nobody came out and defended me. I was on my own (as I often am -- this is probably what started some of my "lone wolf" opinions and antics in latter years), except for those people I befriended in other classes. Well, those people and my own brother, who also loved the show, and who is a few years younger than I am (back then, he was the ideal age to watch the show). My brother, in fact, is presently in Hong Kong, and I'm not sure when he might learn of this news. He did, some years ago, also go through a reverted Power Rangers phase of his own, and I remember him (as an adult) having the Green Ranger's Dragon Dagger. Of course, we owned a few of the PR toys when we were kids. I did grow out of the PR at some point. I remember seeing an advert for "Power Rangers Zeo" and being keen to watch. But I don't recall watching a single episode. So when the MMPR completed its run, that was basically when I checked out of the whole thing; returning to it a couple of times as an adult in these last few years. Indeed, I was only just getting back into the whole Power Rangers thing and reliving my childhood when this announcement was suddenly flung in my face; after I signed out of an e-mail address (Hotmail) and was automatically dropped back to a news page (MSN). I really can't believe the timing. In fact, only 24 hours before learning this news, my former best friend, from those secondary school days, told me on Facebook that his mother had died. Two blows one day apart. Strangely, it's also my mom's birthday today (I'm posting this past midnight GMT time), so at least I can focus on something else and be grateful and spend time with her. Life is just too darn precious and fleeting. You see? He's pretty iconic. He was attention-grabbing from the beginning and later capitalised on that to become the brand's leading representative. There is, arguably, no more memorable Power Ranger actor than Jason David Frank. He had the good fortune of jumping into a role that had a surprisingly good storyline early in the series; and when he could no longer play the Green Ranger (he was originally only contracted for 14 episodes), because they had basically exhausted all the Green Ranger footage from the Japanese original ( Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger), they kept him on and turned him into the White Ranger. He would subsequently return to other iterations of the show and play several other Rangers. He was very quickly a fan favourite. Then, of course, there was his early and undeniable chemistry with the Pink Ranger. The connection between Tommy and Kimberly added an extra spark to the show and kept us all watching in anticipation. Of course, even fantasy life is a bitch: Kimberly left the show and dumped Tommy in a letter. But yes, he still had good looks, a ton of charisma, and a loving fanbase, eager to shower him with attention and line his pockets. I'm sure he knew he was onto a good thing. He definitely enjoyed the spotlight. But he wore it well. However, last year, his stepdaughter, aged only 26, took her life and left behind a baby boy. And in August, his second wife of 19 years filed for divorce, demanding their house in Texas and a car. He was obviously going through a tough time, but put on a brave face in public, not letting anyone see the demons that were tearing him apart inside. Whether you think the term "toxic masculinity" has any value or not, it's still the case that men are somehow frowned upon for showing weakness; and so, many continue to imply they're okay, even if their internal landscape resembles Mustafar. It's a sad outcome for such a positive and inspiring icon, and it highlights the terrible gulf that can exist between exterior and interior. |
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 21, 2022 4:49:59 GMT
Correct, I don't mind at all. Although, I see you have spared our fellows the more saucy details of our Power Rangers discussion, bwahaha! Well... I was reluctant about going too far! There has never been an R-rated version of Power Rangers, after all. Yeah, we do like our crushes and our fantasies, don't we? You're catching up with all that the younger you missed out on! I was 11 when I first saw the show and first laid eyes on Kimberly. She definitely set something aglow in the hearts and loins of millions of young boys. And since Tommy became an idealised leader to us, I think we were all rooting for them to get together. Shame they never did. Heck of a poignant episode. None of us wanted the green candle to entirely gutter. Of course, when the White Ranger was created, you could argue that Tommy was basically resurrected into Power Rangers heaven. Wow. Simple, yet moving. |
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Post by smittysgelato on Nov 21, 2022 5:05:57 GMT
In our defense, we were left unsupervised.
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Post by Seeker of the Whills on Nov 21, 2022 12:24:42 GMT
R.I.P.
Power Rangers were childhood heroes of mine. My dad brought me a Power Rangers T-shirt from the states, which I proudly wore to kindergarten. That was a big deal to me, and I have many fond memories of the show. It's always very sad when a person you looked up to as a child passes, especially if it's known that they struggled with mental health issues.
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Post by ArchdukeOfNaboo on Nov 21, 2022 21:34:10 GMT
Powwwww-eeeeeeer raaaaaaaaan-gers LOST GALAXY.
Go Power Rangers!
Go Power Rangers!
Go! Go! Go! Go!...
I haven't watched Power Rangers since the early 2000s, and yet this theme tune is still living in my head. Funny how we remember little things like this all these years later, isn't it?
There was another series called In Space that had another whacky theme tune. If I recall right, there were always 3 male heroes (red, blue, green) and 2 female heroes (pink, yellow) in a power rangers team, and the villain of the day would be beaten first in mortal form, and then as a Godzilla-esque beast, which quickly became an annoying, repetitive procedure even for a young child. To defeat the giant, the heroes would merge their forces to form a giant robot fighting machine of their own. These boss fights were filmed as the most obvious miniatures ever, but you didn't mind too much, it was all fun 
I don't believe I ever watched the original seres, even as it was showed on repeat, and repeats were a big thing back in the days of peak Cable/Satellite television (the equivalent of VOD today). Maybe I saw a few clips, I do remember noticing how the styling had changed over the years, and the video quality improved, even as the fundamentals were never changed. In any case, I'm sorry to hear of the loss of this important member of the original cast.
I used to collect the toys back in the day, particularly the robot stuff, which was among most sophisticated from any film, show or franchise. I would also re-enact the story with my friend using our imaginations (no shortage of that as a child!) and produce detailed drawings for an alterative series. If I might add for context, I did not do any of this for Star Wars.
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 22, 2022 4:36:50 GMT
Powwwww-eeeeeeer raaaaaaaaan-gers LOST GALAXY.
Go Power Rangers!
Go Power Rangers!
Go! Go! Go! Go!...
I haven't watched Power Rangers since the early 2000s, and yet this theme tune is still living in my head. Funny how we remember little things like this all these years later, isn't it? The various iterations of Power Rangers all had addictive theme tunes. But because I was swept up by the original and stopped watching thereafter, it'll always be the first theme tune for me. Here's a compilation of all the series' opening themes on the official Power Rangers YouTube channel: It's so weird. As the compilation advances, you can see the series getting glossier and much more soap-like and present-day. And yes, of course: the series was incredibly formulaic. The vast majority of the episodes tended to resolve their action dilemmas with a Godzilla-insired battle between an enlarged, skyscraper-size monster and the various Zords that would fit together into a larger robotic entity. This is because a) series creator Haim Saban wanted to sell toys, and b) he lifted the core Power Ranger concept, and most of the footage, from a long-running metaseries and media franchise in Japan called Super Sentai, part of a broader type of entertainment in Japan termed tokusatsu. This is a bit like George Lucas deriving Star Wars from the films of Akira Kurosawa and the wider jidaigeki genre of storytelling in Japan -- except on acid. Saban, after going on a business trip to Japan and seeing the original Japanese series on television in the 1980s (he would use a later series when his concept of Power Rangers took shape and was finally realised), literally bought the rights to the footage of the Japanese Super Sentai shows and shamelessly plundered and repurposed it for his rebranded Power Rangers concept for an American/European audience. Episodes of the show had to be carefully written around the existing footage, so that the producers/writers/directors could use as much of it as possible and seamlessly integrate it with the American Power Ranger characters and attendant footage shot in the States. The original Power Rangers television show was basically an amalgam of re-used Super Sentai footage (starting with the series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger for the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series), combined with new footage of the American Power Ranger characters in their non-suited appearances at the fictional Angel Grove area in California (e.g., hanging out at the juice bar, fighting Putties in the park, or speaking with Zordon at the Command Center). Sometimes, entirely new fight scenes of the American actors in the suits would be filmed. One telling difference is the Green Ranger's iconic gold shield (which the other Power Rangers didn't have). In the Japanese footage, it appears several shades darker and looks to be solid and inflexible. In the American footage, it looks more like a shiny piece of spandex. I was always confused by that as a kid! As an adult, it is a little easier to spot the different, higher-contrast look of the Japanese fight footage, as well as details that escaped me at the time, like the fact that the Power Rangers are a bit leaner in the Japanese footage, and the Yellow Ranger lacks any perceptible breasts (because, in the Japanese version, only the Pink Ranger was played by a girl). Not to mention the strange lip-synching of Rita Repulsa, because the original actress was speaking Japanese (although another actress was also cast and filmed for various episodes of the American series). To have the series match up as closely as possible with the Japanese version, Saban actually commissioned Toei Company Ltd., the production company responsible for the Japanese show, to produce new monster costumes and new battle footage using the existing suits when footage from the existing episodes of the Japanese show ran out. He really wanted to prolong the concept as much as possible and milk it for all it was worth. Although Saban is a greedy man and a staunch Zionist (our addiction to the series was basically supplying funding to the state of Israel), he should be given credit for getting the American version off the ground. He shopped it around to various networks, like Lucas did with Star Wars, and no-one was particularly interested. Even when Fox agreed to put up money and air it, based on the agreement of a single executive named Margaret Loesch (again, a lot like Star Wars and the case of Alan Ladd, Jr.), other executives went all the way to Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, in disbelief, fearing it would ruin the network. Like Lucas, Saban really clung onto his concept for a long time, determined to see it made -- apparently understanding the appeal it had for young kids, even if the adults found it ridiculous; which, again, is a very strong echo of George and his faith in Star Wars and its ability to speak to young people. Here's an extract from a book that summarises the situation: It is interesting how people respond to media and entertainment in different ways. The objections outlined above to the Power Rangers being "Americanized" anticipate more recent cries of "cultural appropriation" directed at Star Wars and other major entertainments in the West, as well as the MMPR's progressive lineup of characters occurring before George Lucas made the prequels, and much earlier than Disney's boasting that they were going to make Star Wars more diverse and inclusive. Power Rangers got there two decades earlier and with much less boasting from anyone involved.
The earlier versions of the show have 1990s stamped all over them. You're right that the styling changed. The 2017 movie, for instance, is much more contemporary in look and feel. The first few Power Rangers TV shows (I'm talking about the American version, but it also applies to the Japanese version) were shot on film, while later series were shot digitally. Here are some relevant tweets:
The photochemical process of the early shows gave them a certain magic that, in my opinion, is missing from the digitally-shot ones. Of course, back in the 1990s, the industry standard was to scan and edit camera negative for television productions on fuzzy, low-resolution video tape, making those early episodes of the show look cheap and cheerful today. No doubt, if they can locate the original camera negative, and if they are prepared to digitise it anew, the series could look substantially better. However, since it is limited to 16 mm, it is never going to appear as deep and rich as, say, "Star Trek: The Next Generation", when that was remastered from the original camera negative (35 mm) and put out on Blu-ray. It would be great to have a 2K -- or even a 4K -- release of MMPR, though. And scanning film negative at high resolution and high colour depth is cheaper than it used to be.
Yeah! Power Rangers was very cool in that regard. It taught children to use their imaginations -- like Star Wars. But you're right that there was something very immediate and accessible about Power Rangers that even Star Wars doesn't have. I, myself, having never been much of an illustrator, instead started a little Power Rangers "encyclopedia" very early into the show's run, writing about the different weapons the Power Rangers had, the Power Coins, the Morphers, etc. I'm not sure what happened to all those pages I wrote. I remember being really enthusiastic at the time about wanting to capture and index every extant trinket and detail. Somehow, that strange, autistic-like obsession for cataloguing and surveying a show I was briefly addicted to, and which defined a significant chunk of my childhood, has "morphed" into my obsession with Star Wars and desiring to talk at great length about it on message boards. I figure I'm still just a little kid at heart. My adult form is just a facade. Perhaps it was a little for JDF, too.
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Post by smittysgelato on Nov 22, 2022 5:07:26 GMT
When I was at university from 2010-16, my professors, who are obviously of an older generation than me, kept re-iterating how racist and sexist society is and that this is evident in the casting of tv shows and movies. Me, being a 90's kid, ultimately rejected this because I grew up with "diverse" casts of characters. Maybe if I was a kid in the previous decades before the 90's I would have believed them.
Back when Homsetead hosted websites were free, I had a website about Dragon Ball Z where I cataloged characters, different eras of the show, etc. I was obsessively thorough.
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Post by smittysgelato on Nov 22, 2022 5:55:04 GMT
This was a dead giveaway for sure. I'm sitting there thinking: "Yellow Ranger's body isn't as lovely as that of the glorious Trini! Clearly a Japanese dude!"
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Post by ArchdukeOfNaboo on Nov 23, 2022 0:39:09 GMT
smittysgelato You're right. I do recall the series being representative. In fact, there were a lot of programmes back in the early 2000s based on US minority groups, especially those aimed at younger audiences. Keenan and Kel, Sister Sister were really popular here, and while you had Friends that focused on bourgeois whites, you also had Fresh Prince of Bel Air with more working class blacks. Not that I sought any of this out deliberately according to some NYT instructions either, when I was a child I had zero understanding of US racial history, I would simply watch what was fun and enjoyable.
I could never empathise 100% with the Americans in these shows, however. The level of wealth on display, with these big spacious homes and all the latest consumer goods, was way beyond what we Europoors were used to (even if we were still wealthier than Russians or South Americans). I had the distinct impression that being from a millionaire family in the USA was normal, and it made me a tad envious.
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Post by Cryogenic on Nov 23, 2022 3:20:41 GMT
This was a dead giveaway for sure. I'm sitting there thinking: "Yellow Ranger's body isn't as lovely as that of the glorious Trini! Clearly a Japanese dude!" Well, it wasn't even Trini's lean figure that was lovely, per se. It was her beautiful complexion and gorgeous smile. All the Power Rangers were awesome, of course; but it's only as an adult that I realise, in a deeper way than before, just how essential those actors were to the appeal and effectiveness of the show. It was never the same once they left. smittysgelato You're right. I do recall the series being representative. In fact, there were a lot of programmes back in the early 2000s based on US minority groups, especially those aimed at younger audiences. Keenan and Kel, Sister Sister were really popular here, and while you had Friends that focused on bourgeois whites, you also had Fresh Prince of Bel Air with more working class blacks. Not that I sought any of this out deliberately according to some NYT instructions either, when I was a child I had zero understanding of US racial history, I would simply watch what was fun and enjoyable. Huh? "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air" did not follow working-class blacks. Will Smith played a somewhat fictionalised version of his younger, pre-Hollywood self, sure, but the entire premise of the show was that his character was sent to live, fish-out-of-water-style, with upper-class relatives in a warm, recondite part of the Union. They were, if you like, blacks living as well-off whites, with the sting of racism and condemnation never far away. One episode in particular had this hard-hitting coda: Title: Carlton is called a sellout Channel: ayanle.s Uploaded: 19 Dec 2011 Anyway, yes, it was a great show, and a memorable piece of many people's childhoods, including my own. Yeah, that's true -- they did sort of convey a reasonably high level of wealth as natural and obvious; when, really, that is the exception in many parts of the world, and far from the rule. Even in Power Rangers, the teens seemed to have comfortable lives, always ready to answer Zordon's calls, with little resembling real-life getting in the way. But that's also what made the show attractive. It was a fantasy situation with a small grain of reality. All the actors were physically attractive, young, adept, had no obvious health issues, and almost always got along just fine with one another all of the time. It was an idealised depiction of a world we'd probably all prefer to live in. Even with Angel Grove threatened weekly by monsters that often grew and stomped around blowing up buildings and roadways, no real damage to the infrastructure even seemed to accrue, people rarely (if ever) died, and nobody got PTSD or wanted to leave; and no national or planetary emergency in sight. Again, a perfect fantasy. Unfortunately, the colourful construction of the show concealed uglier realities. For example, David Yost, who played Blue Ranger Billy, years later claimed he left the show following a lengthy spate of homophobic bullying, while three of the original Rangers cast -- Austin St. John (Jason), Walter Jones (Zack), and Thuy Trang (Trini) -- were dismissed at the beginning of the show's second season after asking for better pay and working conditions. Indeed, Austin St. John and Walter Jones actually lived together during filming, because they were paid so little. And when they were fired, Austin St. John lived in a truck for a while. Meanwhile, show creator Haim Saban was raking it in. So much for Hollywood notions of diversity and equality. |
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Post by smittysgelato on Nov 23, 2022 5:13:12 GMT
Nailed it. The camaraderie is ace.
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Post by ArchdukeOfNaboo on Nov 23, 2022 20:29:04 GMT
You're right, Cryogenic . Truth be told, it's so long since I've last seen the show, and I wasn't fully certain when I typed in "working" (too eager for the rhetorical, so I was). I knew thatt Smith's character had moved to a snazzy part of the US, and I was trying to remember if his character might have had a tough working class background, and whether that was a theme in the programme eg a force that holds him back, when bad influences from his upbringing pop up uninvited.
There was indeed a strong degree of idealism in these shows. Though Fresh Prince may not have captured the reality of the typical African-American experience, you can hardly fault it for portraying a more affluent alternative reality. There's a time and place for brutal reality, and that's what Oscarbait is for. Perhaps if it a better future can be visualised, it can help inspire people to make it a reality, much like science fiction has often spurred on engineers.
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Post by smittysgelato on Nov 23, 2022 21:42:51 GMT
All of her was lovely.
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Post by Ingram on Nov 23, 2022 22:03:08 GMT
I could never empathise 100% with the Americans in these shows, however. The level of wealth on display, with these big spacious homes and all the latest consumer goods, was way beyond what we Europoors were used to (even if we were still wealthier than Russians or South Americans). I had the distinct impression that being from a millionaire family in the USA was normal, and it made me a tad envious.
As an American who grew up in a lower working-class family, I can assure you the sentiment wasn't any different here stateside. Easy enough to say the Huxtables had a bigger, nicer house than we did, but even the damn Connors and Bundys had bigger houses; at least theirs was two-story.
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Post by jppiper on Nov 23, 2022 22:17:58 GMT
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Post by jppiper on Nov 23, 2022 22:34:03 GMT
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