I just need to find the address, but ... yeah.

[apocalypsos]

musesfool has a great post up about SPN's current race and gender issues (spoilers for "Jus In Bello"), and my first comment was basically, "Please tell me you're printing this out and sending it to the PTB. PLEASE."

I touched on this the other day and now I'm actually getting out paper and pen myself to do it for Supernatural. I know I sound sometimes like I don't think the misogynistic and racial undertones on the show are a problem, but I think I'm really just frustrated because I'm pretty sure you and me and everybody else in fandom sitting around in a circle in the corner and expressing our concerns about it won't do anything to change it. (Well, that, and between that and the media coverage of the presidential election I have bouts of fierce agreement about how much misogyny and racism suck in between tantrums where I stick my fingers in my ears and stomp off to the corner to play with my Legos so I don't have to hear about it ALL THE TIME.) I highly doubt the PTB are taking the time out of their busy schedules to dig past the morons on the TWoP boards and the mental giants who must be all over the CW site to come over to LJ and lurk on our well-written posts on the treatment of women and African-Americans on Supernatural. Hell, if they did, things probably would have changed by now.

You've got to figure that we're at a really good point in the filming schedule right now thanks to the writers' strike, a point where we might be able to send them our complaints and be heard in time to do something about it before the season's over. I mean, hell, we can do it to send them a bunch of postcards but we can't do it to tell them we're worried about how they write their female and black characters?

So, yeah. I'm off to go find an address. And then write a letter. And then buy a stamp.

Comments

[nyoka.livejournal.com]

I've had people just say that we should just enjoy the show and stop "thinking" too much about it. But you know, the race and gender stuff really impact how I watch an episode. It does get to me. I can't ignore it. As a woman and as a minority, I can't just can't fanwank it all away ever single time.

And this is why there needs to be more gender and racial diversity in those writing rooms...to really say, hey folks, is it really cool to kill off the fifth black man we've had on this show? Or do we really have to say "slut" and "bitch" ten times in one hour?

Anyways, I totally agree. I'm gonna write a letter.

[sasha-davidovna.livejournal.com]

Maybe if enough of us got together, they'd actually act on it, and even have enough time to fix some stuff before the new episodes start filming. ~wanders off to look for a pencil~

[medie]

*nods* I don't mention it a lot either. There's only so many times you can beat your head against the wall before your skull caves in, y'know? And *nods* I think, for the first time in a while, I'm of a mind to write a letter myself. It's been a long time since I even considered it, but at this point? Why the hell not.

[telaryn.livejournal.com]

When you find the address, could you post it? I'm having the week from hell, but having made more than a few meta observations on this issue myself, I'd be in on doing the snail mail thing.

I wonder if the actual audience demographics are available for perusal -- because at least in the few places I've looked, the primary fanbase of this show does *not* seem to be male.

[lila-blue-b.livejournal.com]

Word! Maybe we should all write to TPTB... and tell Eric where he needs to spend his one-hour post-ep internet trolling...

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

A word of possible encouragement- the Doctor Who showrunners loudly proclaim that they ignore the fanbase...and heaven knows a good chunk of the fanbase is utterly insane...but since a lot of people have spoken loudly, consistently, and articulately about the problems with race and gender in the last season, deliberate steps have been taken to correct the problems with this season's Torchwood. I don't think the PTBs just came up with the corrective measures they took out of the blue. It's possible, I think, to effect some change.

-blue

[ficangel.livejournal.com]

Yes, I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. (And the part about sending candy to Jared is HYSTERICAL. "We will not cease winding up your pet giant until you bow to our demands." 'Cause you know that Jared isn't actually going to show restraint on his own.)

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Heh. I don't see why we can't have a candy drive the same way we had the postcard drive. Just send loads of Airheads and liquid lollipops and Pixie Stix to the set in Jared's name with notes attached saying, "Nice treats! Good treats! Good puppy! P.S. Tell the nice man who tells you and Jensen what to do on set that he and all his friends in charge are stupidheads."

hello!

[doctor-dorothy.livejournal.com]

Just popped in to say hi. I've loved your stories for a long time now, and just wanted to let you know that I've been inspired to send off a letter of my own on these issues. Thanks for giving me the kick in the butt I needed to complain about this somewhere beyond the lunch table at work!