Well, for the sake of the people, we watched the new Martha Stewart Apprentice Show last night. We didn't realize how directly it would mask the Donald's version, and we can say that while we dont imagine we will watch anymore episodes, it's fun to see all of the bad stereotypes of the design world prominently displayed (especially the one where there are no black people).
Martha Stewart's Apprentice: This Is What She Learned In Jail?
What there are is plenty of high-strung, ladies with high-lights and a handful of men from Will and Grace Casting fronting as design experts.
The best part of the show was the first few minutes as Martha talks without holding back about her spectacular climb to being the first woman billionaire in America, with just a few setbacks along the way.
We wish she had the guts (and the humor) to stomp the halls of her office throwing things at her employees instead of the crazy pre-planned conversations she has as she strolls about. That looks great, Beth! Lets remember to really make a strong statement with that!. Even Beth looks confused.
Remember when we hated Martha because she did do everything perfectly? And to think we missed the first half of Americas Next Top Model for this.
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Ha! Alec you nailed it. I was really hoping for something ballsier, but was disappointed. (I guess Cybill Shephard in the "Martha, Inc." TV-movie has forever ruined the real Marth for me.) Also, I saw that the hip-hop blog "Crunk and Disorderly" (no, I didn't make that up) had a one-line summation of the show... "Martha Stewart does not care about black people."
How about someone yanking Karim Rashid off of "Made in the USA" and give him an "Apprentice" show instead? That would be a hell of a show...
For the record, I tuned out after the first 15 minutes and switched over to America's Next Top Model. Because THAT is a show that's devoid of stereotypes. (Kidding.)
OMG I totally forgot about next top model. I wasted my whole damn night watching that 'Will and Grace' creative director be a freak? I'm in lala land my creative dir is brilliant and kind...imagine that!
I find the protestation about the lack of black faces on Stewart's 'Apprentice' to be a bit thick. I am black and I do regularly visit AT but this is not a site that anyone could point to as a hub of diversity, racial or economic. Scoff at the show, fine, but please don't use diversity as some sort of cause celebre when it clearly isn't cared about here.
Grey--It was an observation. Nothing more, nothing less. E.
Enrique,
It wasn't just an observation; it was the byline to the post "...it's fun to see all of the bad stereotypes of the design world prominently displayed (especially the one where there are no black people)". I just find it unlikely that AT is *especially* concerned about black people in design. And I personally dislike the way certain self-styled progressive sophisticates trot out allegations of others' racism (or racial insensitivity) in order to malign them, when they in fact do the same thing--today's photos of the LA party aside, of course.
First of all, I don't know why you think this site doesn't portray diversity. I have no idea who is posting on this site or what race/ethnicity they are. I don't know how you would. And the design itself reflects the tastes of the host's business so there's no reason for diversity (of design style-in case you were looking for design that reflected some ethnicity or something) there. This is his show. I think there's a big difference between what you portray on network television and representing a big corporation and what is on the little guy's blog. I work in advertising and we always make sure to have diversity in our commercials because big corporations have a responsibility to do that, but on my personal blog it reflects my real world.
"I don't know why you think this site doesn't portray diversity. I have no idea who is posting on this site or what race/ethnicity they are."
If the diversity isn't visible then how can you argue that it "portrayed" here? I'm not talking about the commentators; I am speaking about the posts and the content.
"And the design itself reflects the tastes of the host's business so there's no reason for diversity"
I never said that diversity should be important here. I said that since it is not, the indignation was somewhat disingenous and self-serving.
"I think there's a big difference between what you portray on network television and representing a big corporation and what is on the little guy's blog. I work in advertising and we always make sure to have diversity in our commercials because big corporations have a responsibility to do that, but on my personal blog it reflects my real world."
I agree that there is a corporate responsibility to reach out to a diverse audience and to portray a diversity. But I don't believe that values are just for 'other people'. If your 'real world', --despite the fact that you live in a diverse city, mind you-- only encompasses a tiny swath of society, you don't have the moral high ground to criticize corporate culture since you and the way you choose to live your life are a part of the problem. The problems of exclusion and marginalization are grassroots problems that evolve to manifest themselves in institutional behaviors. If many people didn't *happily* find their self-created 'real worlds' reflected in lily-white mass-media, then the media wouldn't look that way in the first place.