Politically Correct Means It Bothers Someone Else, Not Me

Belinda, Belinda, Belinda. Give up the politically correct BS. I agreed completely with your column ["TV Eye," Screens, Jan. 4] until the Top 10 Disappointments' No. 7. You just don't get it. Poor Mexicans are not the ongoing butt of the jokes on Arrested Development. Yeah, they make fun of reality, like maids who don't speak English, or the fact that some people are heartless but leave your bleeding heart in a box while you watch the show. The ongoing butt of all of the jokes on Arrested Development is the Bluthe family and they all happen to be white. (OK, there's a Jewish faction they've mentioned but never expounded on that I know of.) But I guess that's OK, as it's always politically correct to bash white people, especially if they are male. It's all about stupidity, greed, avarice, and selfishness as epitomized by a white family. You don't have a problem with that? And Alias as the "tightest hour on TV"? Come on. Yeah, there are some good episodes, but as a whole it sounds like you've jumped on the "I Love Jennifer Garner" bandwagon. The only thing good about the show is that it doesn't try to act like it's a reality show. As for Sex and the City, don't get me started. I've never seen anything as agonizing as the relationship of Carrie and Berger unless of course it's the relationship of Miranda and Steve, Samantha and Smith, or Charlotte and Harry. She got off easy with a Post-it note. Uggghhh. It's time for it to end – it should have ended season before last. And back to the minority issue. Why is it that there was nothing mentioned about good shows that predominately feature minorities? You find nothing really good about any show in which the starring roles are black? Mexican? Interesting.

   [Belinda Acosta responds: Hi Jake, First, the easy stuff. Yes, I do love Jennifer Garner. I loved her before it was fashionable. I make no bones about it. And I still love Alias. Why yes, I am a bleeding-heart liberal. I was a liberal before it was made into a dirty word. I have a love/hate relationship with Sex and the City. Right now, I'm loving it, so I'm sure you will retch over my next column, which pretty much waxes nostalgic about it. As for the race issue ... that's a more complicated thing. I think it's interesting you mention item No. 7, because I myself was wondering if I really wanted to put that in print. I finally did, I guess, because I had such a strong reaction to it. I probably wouldn't have as strong a reaction if there were more representations – smart, poor, dumb, rich, Mexicans, blacks, etc. When there are more people of color, I think those "bleeding heart" responses will fade away. Can you imagine television with nothing other than Homer Simpson types? What "minority"-themed/cast shows do you think I should be extolling? Well, there is no end to this conversation. Thanks for writing and thanks for reading "TV Eye."]