Almost humane... but we're not quite there

While watching the World Series, you would think the strongest racial remarks would come from the broadcasting booth.

This year, it turns out the culprit was a commercial.

“Almost Human” is a new show Fox has promoted enthusiastically.

The concept for the television series is that, in a futuristic society, police officers are “issued” partners, robots made to look like real people, rather than getting paired with actual humans.

The protagonist, a young, good-looking white guy played by Karl Urban, is issued his partner, who is played by Michael Ealy and was created black.

If that was the end of the racial connection, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

It could have been a casting decision or a coincidence.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the problem for “Almost Human.”

In the 30-second ad spot, the black robot offers his white master total submission, is used as a body shield to protect the real human and is even given the task of making his human’s coffee.

Nowhere is there any actual statement of race or racial significance.

But that’s also part of the problem.

Though some blatant racists do exist, the far more realistic perspective is that racial stereotypes are a subconscious response to information we receive.

In fact, it’s the lack of conscious thought that perpetuates these racial
judgments.

This new show’s title is the icing on the racist cake.

To use the expression “Almost Human” to describe this robot is pleasant and clever, but when that robot is to be made so blatantly African American, it creates an uncomfortable connection that is all-too reminiscent of the 1960s, or worse, the 1860s.

The racial messages our media producers send have a profound effect on other facets of our entertainment consumption.

In 2012, when “The Hunger Games” movie was released, a large group of viewers took to Twitter in order to complain about the depiction of two of the movie’s characters as black.

They were upset by the liberties the producers took in casting these characters.
The problem was the depictions were perfect in terms of the book.

The book specifically gave a racial depiction, which was then mirrored in the film.

The Twittersphere was responding outwardly to an internal discomfort rather than a logical argument.

These racial issues manifest themselves in our sports as well.

During the World Series only one player on either of the two teams was African American.

Though unrepresentative of the racial proportions of Major League Baseball, it is a statistic that has drawn significant attention.

From the sports we watch to the movies we see, race remains a salient and volatile issue.

When we view these issues thoughtfully and rationally we can understand where each portrayal comes from.

It is subconscious and subtle portrayals of racial tensions that perpetuate the stereotypes we so frequently encounter.

­— azoot@indiana.edu
Follow columnistAustin Zoot on Twitter @austinzoot12.