Jackie Chan?


I'm a fan of this show and I'm so happy it's on HBO. But Molly's comment about Justin, "Jackie Chan too thirsty" was not at all cool. I understand being rude was precisely the point, but the racism was uncalled for. Issa checked her on the fact that she was rude, but not that the comment was racist. Given that the show explores African-American life in LA, including Issa's sometimes (unintentionally) racist colleagues the comment was tone deaf. If you're going to point out the cluelessness of other people's racism, don't participate in the same thing. And given Molly's level of education and the fact that she has an Asian co-worker, she should know better. I hope that in next season none of the characters I love will make that kind of offensive remark. It's really disappointing to love a show and then feel slapped in the face while watching it.

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This show is racist against African Americans done by the only people who can get away with it, other African Americans.

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I see what you're saying and understand where you're coming from as far as finding Molly's comment distasteful and offensive. However, black people aren't perfect or incapable of making remarks like that. These characters are flawed, which makes them interesting, and a lot of times they aren't very self-aware so the show exploring Issa navigating an all-white workplace and also having Molly say that doesn't seem mutually exclusive to me. And I don't think it comes down to whether or not Molly should "know better" because she was in a sour mood during the whole event and oftentimes when people are salty they'll say things they wouldn't normally say regardless of education level.

However, I do see your point that it wasn't given as much focus/backlash as Issa's coworkers and their micro aggressions in the workplace. It does seem like the show skewered those characters and just let Molly slide. I think that's because, like you mentioned, the takeaway was supposed just be that Molly's comment was rude, nothing more.

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Exactly. I think one of the differences is that Molly knows better. Issa's coworkers don't know any better but really think they do. They blueberry they have their finger on the pulse but are clueless and still looks at Issa line she has 3 heads when she tells them about their comments/suggestions.

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The comment was definitely distasteful and offensive but I don't think it quite fits racist.

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@taj728

Before you and everyone else here go off claiming a particular term is racist, you should try to find out what it actually means first,instead of just assuming that it is. The term "thirsty" is a current AA slang term that simply means someone is too eager or desperate to get something or someone. Here's an example:


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Thirsty


So all the character meant was that Jackie Chan was being too eager to get something or someone,lol. Nope, no racism there. I've been familiar with the term for a while, so I already knew what it meant. Like,for example, if you're being described as being thirsty for a work promotion or a pay raise, that just means you want it real bad. That's all that's about. I would suggest that white folks (and other non-white folks) watching this show (I haven't seen it yet,because I don't have cable) brush up on current African-American slang, or ask any black friends who like the show what certain slang terms you're not familiar with mean. Since the show is written by an AA from an AA's perspective,of course certain things are going to go over some non-AA's heads. So just ask questions if you don't understand something that's said on the show,because the more you understand,the more fun it becomes to watch.


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They meant the term, Jackie Chan was racist not "thirsty".

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I think you missed the point. It wasn't about the "thirsty" part of the comment, it was about calling out the fact that Molly referred to an Asian guy, Justin, as "Jackie Chan," which is clearly racist. Molly probably would not have thrown out the name "Jackie Chan" if Justin was not Asian.

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