Token Flamboyance

In those high school dramas there was always the Token Black Guy. He didn't have much dialogue, but his presence broke up the monotony of white on the eyes. The concept of the Token Black Guy is spoofed in comedies. In horror flicks, he's usually the first one to die, or he's the smart one who doesn't go towards the noise or out into the woods to investigate... but dies anyway.

So apparently Hollywood has done the Token Black Guy thing to death and maybe now they've moved on to the Token Black Gay Guy. Token characters portray stereotypes or are caricatures of the group they represent. What made me want to attempt to put this unstructured observation into words was The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, namely BK. He's described as "flamboyant" - a euphemism for "gay". He's a hairdresser as well. The only other Black gay character that sticks out in my mind is Carter on Spin City. Please let me know of others.

 

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency is based in Africa. Homophobia exists heavily in Black American culture. Same goes for African culture (re: continental Africa) and derivatives, to the extent that gang rapes are committed against lesbians to "correct" them and gay men are jailed and killed. I want to look at the positive of this situation. A token character is an admission of existence. They are willing to show that gays are born, raised, live, exist in Africa. Yeah, it is a stereotypical character (hopefully one day we'll move past the neck-rolling, hand-on-the-hip gay characters who are hairdressers, waiters or fashion designers) and it's only one show but it's a start - No? 

By The Skin Of Your Teeth

Those 1-800-DENTIST commercials are so annoying. I can’t stand that woman who rides in the elevator and just antagonizes that man. The next commercial they air should show her teeth falling out of her mouth. The reason I bring this up is because I watched an episode of Spin City. Remember that show? They don’t make shows like that anymore; intelligent, well written, with a great cast and the characters they portray. Anyway, in my fatigue haze on Saturday morning, I watched the episode where Charlie tried to convince the Mayor to go to the dentist to get his chipped tooth fixed. But his tooth wasn’t chipped before he went to his 90-year old dentist, who later dropped dead during the visit. The ticking clock was the Mayor was scheduled to participate in a new tourism campaign for New York – Smile New York – and would have to smile proudly at the press conference. Charlie saves the day by bringing in a hockey team to smile alongside the Mayor, with their missing teeth and all to showcase smiles, like New York City, with its imperfections.


I think teeth are very important. It’s unfortunate that many people simply can’t afford dental care. I hope affordable dental insurance falls under the health care reform we’re after. By 2010, more cities in the US will have fluoridated water. On the level of vanity, do a person’s teeth make or break it for you? What imperfections do you find kinda cute? What are you willing to tolerate? Just like personality quirks slight dental imperfections make each of us individual. That one tooth that grew in front of all the others an overbite or the more famous gap can be very endearing and character defining. I notice teeth when I meet a person. If they’re amazingly straight and white, I stare. If they’re all pointing in different directions, an unusual color or not all there, I stare. You know you’ve met that person who could kill you with their smile…