Comments on: "Speechless" Episode #1: Holly Hunter

By: Jay

Jay — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:18:26 +0000

I’ve never understood that maxim: have your cake/eat it/don’t eat it. Surely you must have it in order to eat it, and surely it makes sense to eat it once you have it, or else you’re walking around with cake that goes bad and it’s a waste. Can someone explain that? And especially how it relates to this video? Because as far as I can see, the point is that without writers in Hollywood, actors and industry professionals might be subjected to the same frustrations the rest of us have when we call up tech support… It’s a very weak joke - but I don’t think it is entirely ‘bashing’ indians since they are the business savvy ones here, not americans. The offensive bit is this woman’s acting: blind person? stumbling around like that? talking crap about what she’s missed out on? Made me cringe.

By: charlotte

charlotte — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:51:51 +0000

I have now watched 1-15. This first one is outright offensive.

I can’t tell anybody to watch any of them for fear they will see this.

By: Saddened

Saddened — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:34:08 +0000

If writers are trying to show that they are a pivotal group, starting off in this vein makes them their own worst advocates. I support the strike, but it’s been awfully, awfully tarnished by this kind of stupidity.

Why don’t they follow up with some performers in blackface, doing some of those great minstrel numbers? Great job, folks. When you employ strategies like this, it undermines the validity of your position. It’s not necessary to be particularly thin-skinned to be offended by this: it’s both racist and puerile.

By: Lakshmee Singh

Lakshmee Singh — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:30:54 +0000

Too Funny! Too True!! Thanks for sharing! Goodluck Shivraj!

By: anon

anon — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 07:24:23 +0000

yeah - let’s start the campaign off with a dumb, racist video. that’ll get support. maybe Faux News will pick it up.

By: poojadist

poojadist — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:04:51 +0000

WTF….maybe cinema is better served by these writers being on strike….why bash Indian tech support???!!!!!

By: mike

mike — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:20:40 +0000

I have to agree with the other posts here…not the best way to start out with a tired cliché and a fairly racist one to boot. Is this the best they could come up with? If they’re going for intentionally bad, this doesn’t come off that way, just pretty bad and insensitive.

By: Ali

Ali — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:54:13 +0000

Perhaps they’re trying to be meta here. If the writer’s weren’t on strike, this clip wouldn’t have been mildly offensive and unfunny.

By: Anonymous Hollywood blacklist dodger

Anonymous Hollywood blacklist dodger — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:51:58 +0000

I love how there’s an Indian who thinks it’s not OK to use an outsourced Indian national in this clip, but it’s perfectly OK to bash the average American’s command of the English language..!

You can have your cake, or you can eat it… Not both!

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:21:02 +0000

It’s nice to see the writers in their “pencils down” mode.
I guess it’s OK to conceptualize just as long as there are no words, right?

By: kathy o'brien

kathy o'brien — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:58:58 +0000

Stale as 10 year old ham.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:02:17 +0000

Maybe they should have brought in an A-List writer to make this funny. If people wanted to see actors not being able to be funny, they could just go to most any mainstream movie.

And seriously, the first episode starts with racial humor? They couldn’t have found a way to get their point across without mocking people?

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:44:26 +0000

Bashing Indians and connecting the strike to outsourcing ? I think the others are fantastic, and loved Andre’s clip but this one is a slap in the face of the Indian community. Outsourcing has been going on for the last ten years to countries like Ireland, and other Eastern European countries. Does the WGA have any clips making fun of other ethnic communities ?

By: Mallika Chopra

Mallika Chopra — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:43:55 +0000

As an Indian American who is supportive of the WGA efforts, I was disappointed to see this video mock the intelligence and hard work of Indian laborers. It is a disappointment to see creative people, who are fighting for their own respect and rewards for their work, use their power to demean and generalize another community. Likewise, unfortunate to see an esteemed actor like Holly Hunter participate in such a mockery…

For those who know anything about Bangalore, most workers in the outsourcing business likely have better writing and grammar skills than most Americans.

By: MRT

MRT — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:07:41 +0000

I support the strike. I admire writers. But I’m tired of seeing Indians, Asians and other minorities portrayed in stereotypes (Chinese maids, Japanese nerds, Filipino nurses, Indians answering customer complaint calls, etc.). Hollywood is a lot more creative than that. Right?