Hi guys. I did realize that I did say Americans a lot when speaking about Canadian experiences specifically, and I admit I should have specified that more clearly. I'm sorry to those who felt alienated by that. I also realize there were a few things you all said that would have added to the discussion. I should have done some more research on some of the other characters that were canonically white, but their actor/actress was a different ethnicity. I learned the actress for Grace was indigenous and I wish I said more about that and Degrassi failing to include her perspective as well. Indigenous people are left out of media quite abit like many other races, ethnicities and cultures, and thats why all these points are so valid to me. I like learning more from different perspectives. That's why I love and appreciate reading your comments for feedback, and I like hearing what others have to say because you all bring a unique point of view to the conversation. Thanks again!
The actress who played Grace's mom is also Indigenous herself too so it's a shame they never delved much into that especially the intersection of Grace being a Indigenous disabled teen
That executive should be ashamed of that response. They literally said Darcy was given more for saying ONE LINE. Many people wanted more Hazel. We didn’t get to see any growth in TWO YEARS of dating Jimmy. Not one date night, parents meeting, NOTHING. It’s crazy how rude and disrespectful that executive is.
It's crazy how the executive wants to say the actress for Hazel was being a 'diva'. Something black women are called CONSTANTLY when they're calling out bs. If she was being such a diva and untalented..why would keep her for mutiple seasons? Being a diva is 'okay' when you're white is what they meant to say. They just showed their passive aggressive racist and stereotype-filled mind and that her experience is valid.
The biggest gripe about Libertys' pregnancy is that the focus wasn't on her at all. Her pregnancy was more focused on JT and how it affects him. And to feel sympathy for him and not the girl that's pregnant. The fact her giving birth was in a b plot to Craig's music career and it was in a montage. Compared to Jenna's pregnancy it's obvious the writers don't know how to write black people in general.
Agreed. It wasn’t about her during or after. As a character that was there since the beginning the way Liberty’s character was treated was egregious. She’s clearly supposed to be sort of the Lucy of their generation. Edit: I think Jimmy is more like the Lucy character from the OG series.
Right?! Y'all noticed how mean they made Liberty too when she was pregnant?? Like, yeah, hormones and stuff, but they didn't do this with Jenna or villainize her like how they did with Liberty.
That executive is an idiot and crazy disrespectful. And comparing her career to Drake is just the nail in the coffin. Where are ANY of the actors from the show now??? None of them get work except for Sav and like one person from next class. That was a hit piece and clearly he felt hit because he was the executive she was talking about from that time.
An honorable mention! One of the poc characters that was done so dirty is Kendra, Spinners adoptive Chinese sister. The last story arc I can remember about her is when she was in a relationship with Toby, and the last episode I think she was in is when Spinner was trying to play sick and she told him to get ready for school. She never appeared anymore after that. She went into the degrassi black hole. There’s been speculations as to why she left the show (focusing on school, her parents didn’t like her next storyline), but they should’ve tied her in more. Spinner got expelled, had cancer, got shot, his job was blown up and then got married, and she was nowhere to be found. It was sooo weird. The least they could do is say how she’s doing off screen
Yeah some people tried to claim that that wasn't the case because her brother had a role on the show years later however I don't think that rules it out because 1. Her brother's character has a extremely minor role and only appeared in a couple episodes 2. We all know how sexism and misogyny plays into how boys and girls are treated differently especially in regards to sexuality
Peter was a horrible character idk anyone who likes him but yet they kept giving him stories so that whole fan favorite story line thing the producer was trying to say is 🧢
@@destinyn63tbf no one on Degrassi were great actors, which is what made it amazing. Like as a teen you can see yourself as both the character and the actor. I think we need more TV shows that don't expect all acting be Emmy worthy.
@pickneykids9107 manny the character is a monoracial character however the actress who plays her Cassie Steele is half white and that was very evident despite the fact that the actors playing her parents are both monoracial
That executives response to Andrea Lewis is literally disgusting and immature. Then they throw out a bunch of stereotypes about black women. Someone needs to name names.
We all know the writer’s favorite characters were Claire, Dru, Craig, and Emma. And for some reason they couldn’t let go of Spinner so they had him dating high schoolers and hanging with them a lot.
One thing I've noticed outside of your discussion points is how characters on the show who have confirmed nationalities and ethnicities like Zig, Paige, and Zoe tend to be coded as Caucasian American. Even Grace, whose actor is Aboriginal is coded that way. Her character could have been a commentary on barriers to health care based off race, since her defining characteristic is her CF
The guy who played zig, was actually Ecuadorian and that was like far from what his character was. I just feel like they didn’t know how to place them in their background. And their nationality. That’s the problem with TV shows and movies that do bug me. They want somebody else to play another nationality than they are. And that’s not OK.
@@shawanaeunice3911very true. I recall his character speaking Russian at some point in scenes with his mother, but that aspect of his character was dropped in next class
that executive saying andrea’s performance was “””flat””” as if they didnt have riley as a main lead for years when he respectfully could not act for shit
RIGHT?? quite literally the definition of white privilege - the countless POC actors who had no story yet we had to suffer through riley's boring, insufferable storyline and terrible acting for god knows how many episodes. i continue to be baffled that they even let him be on the show for that long
@@riplimewireit was interesting for maybe an episode or 2, but after that it’s like get on with it bro. Either let him come out and live happily ever after or make him stay in the closet make up ur mind! It was so frustrating to watch cuz I was rooting so hard for them they were cute when Riley wasn’t being so indecisive
It always bothered me that Hazel’s best friend (Terri) was put in coma and her boyfriend was shot and paralyzed in a school shooting, and we didn’t get to see any of that from point of view or Jimmy’s. The only time we saw Jimmy in the hospital was when somebody visited him
The thing thats awkward about the Dallas/Conner bit being profiled and harassed as black men is blurry considering they're both clearly biracial and depicted as monoracially Black, altho I get what they're trying to say. A lot of the "black" characters are mixed on here but played as monoracial.
I think Degrassi could’ve benefited from having black writers (in general) for next class, when they were discussing white privilege and blm in the second season. As diverse as degrassi is it’s still a pwi (prominently white institution) and they could’ve done so many stories with Shay and Tiny. The writers addressed white privilege and blm horribly
That executive is unprofessional and cringe. Referring to children as “awesome” and “lame” is diabolical. Those statements were made during Season 13. Most of the acting in those first seasons was rough, so to single her out is wild and reeks of misogynoir. None of the actors they named were strong except for a select few. And abandoning the four alleged Season 1 MC’s was an issue with the writing, not the acting, because again the acting wasn’t that strong across the whole cast. It’s easier to view that response in hindsight for the defensive load of crap it is, but at the time most fans agreed with the executive, because the show was still on the air and Andrea’s performance wasn’t viewed as “good.” There was more evidence in favor of “she sucks” than “DeGrassi is racist.” But the other actors were given more grace with their poor performances, so…
Thank you for touching on the Asian characters. I rewatched the show recently and just realized how they were all troublemakers or liars or manipulators, which is horrible.
Apparently with Kiesha's character she was supposed to either be a childhood friend to Zoe or Frankie but I forgot who she said specifically (I think Frankie) but... look where THAT headed... They just forgot about her, which says a lot.
I think tiny always has liked science in like 13/14 he does an animal show voiceovers for Maya and zigs relationship. And after Vince went back to jail, he embraced the science part of him more since.
I’m half Hispanic and I always noticed there wasn’t really any Hispanic characters? Not a single one that actually was stated as Hispanic, some had last names like Torres or Nunez. It was bizzare
Yeah, Alex was supposed to be Latina, but her actress is Italian. I also think the actress who played her mom is First Nations. Then, if my memory serves, Drew was the only Torres who was even brown in the slightest.
@@frankieseward8667 was Zig the character Latino at all, though? I feel like he was presented as Slavic in some way. I could be wrong, though. It's been a while since I've watched any Degrassi.
I do think what happened with Dallas and Connor was a well written episode. The fact that Connor as Asperger’s gave them the ability to deliver the message they wanted to say without beating around the bush. Especially with Mr. Bandari sharing his own experiences with Dallas. Personally, I’m mixed, but I fully identify as black as my experiences in life haven’t been altered just because one of my parents is white. I’ve still fully been discriminated against, called the hard r, and been criminally profiled by the police for literally no reason. So “mixed” just describes my DNA, not my experiences. Anyways I think the inclusion of Connor kinda not realizing what was going on was smart, because internalized racism is a real thing. I think it was important to include a second black character in that plot, who didn’t have that same rage as Dallas. It’s nuanced, and I liked that. It was their best attempt at covering racism, in my opinion
Thank you for sharing your story. As a mixed person as well I felt the plot was handled very well, because biracial people or lighter skinned black people still get profiled. It's happened to me and my siblings before. My brother was told one time when he entered a store to leave his bag at the front of the store. Absolutely wild that shit is happening. I feel your experience very personally
@@briannawilliams97 my heart goes out to your brother, as I’m a private chef. I was literally just stopped (in uniform!) for bringing my own shopping bags into the store. The store knows my company intimately, yet I was hassled for not checking my bags at the door as they were trying to prevent theft. As if I would have chosen to commit a crime while wearing the mandatory uniform. I don’t feel mixed when I’m discriminated against. Like, bc I’m half black, I’m supposed to be half offended?! No.
This is why black writers are needed and I also feel like the writers and producers had obvious favoritism going on with certain characters. Ex. Clare, Eli,Craig, Darcy, Holly J, Maya and many more. While some of these actors are talented their storylines could’ve gone to other undeveloped characters. Chante may not have been popular but she was on the show since season 4 and had two storylines. Some of those storylines could’ve gone to her or other characters that were undeveloped.
i think it's absolutely insane that throughout the entire series run, as a canadian show, there wasn't a single explicitly indigenous character. i use the term explicitly because grace's actress is indigenous, but they didn't use this aspect in her character (from what i remember, correct me if i'm wrong). at the same time, it doesn't surprise me considering that we've established that the writers were very white-focused and prejudiced, but also because of the systematic oppression of indigenous people in this country that is still going on to this day. it's honestly just another blatant example of how canada treats indigenous people
grace’s last name is cardinal, one of the most common fn last names, so she is an indigenous character. i liked that grace’s personality wasn’t centred around being native, and that she was allowed to be goth. i do wish they talked about colonization in canada, or the racism that indigenous canadians experience.
@@igottaberpyeah and just like every other main white character, her race doesn’t have to be her entire personality, but she could’ve been shown to face issues because of it. She has CF ffs they could’ve easily used that to highlight indigenous peoples lack of healthcare access
The actress who played Grace's mom is also Indigenous though what tribe Grace is was never stated but due to her last name being Cardinal it's likely she is Cree or Metis or even both
Imagine being an aspiring actor/actress and getting the news you are going to be a main character on one of the most popular shows of its time just for you to be sidelined and kicked to the curb
I love that you shows how kind Liberty was with the MIA thing. I always felt like their relationship could have been fostered better. Also, the actor who played Dave passed away, that’s why they just wrote him off, I think they should have given him a send off to memorialize him.
@@LifewithAlelee exactly. A lot of the characters of that class, including Dave, were prematurely written out of the show until it basically revolved around Claire with a dash of Alli.
@@jessinthecomments OMFG the Claire and Eli of it all. Lolol that Claire got pregnant and cancer storyline, it was so miserable to watch, I tried to rewatch it as an adult and I cried of embarrassment lol
I love your comment on the trope of casting Indian actors as Muslim who aren’t Muslims in reality because you really can see the disconnect in their acting and how their characters are portrayed something they definitely improved on with goldie and her storyline but it’s still something that affects Hollywood for example, the Aladdin movie and more recently with the one piece live action casting Indian actors instead of Arab when the characters from the manga are inspired by Arab nations and Islam. I think a big part of it is producers don’t want to make the effort to respect the actors and actresses real life culture when writing storylines like as a Muslim myself I don’t think I would want teenage promiscuity something I would personally want to depict on tv but doesn’t mean Muslim actors are incapable of depicting other serious topics if that makes sense? So instead they just typecast and stereotype what they think a modern Muslim is.
I disagree with your interpretation of the scene where Frankie is approached by a Black man to help with her car issue. I don’t think this moment was an effective way to show her confronting her biases. In my view, it was actually smart of her to lock her car and decline help from a man, regardless of his race. This is something I believe all women should do, wait in the car until they can get help from someone they actually know. There could have been a better way to depict her facing her biases.
What are your thoughts about Grace? She’s the only Indigenous Canadian character in the series. As a Native, it always bothered me they waited so long into the series to introduce a Native character.
And they did NOTHING with her regarding it. Her last name is a very common fn last name so I claim her character as indigenous even if the show never said she was. She has a chronic illness they could’ve easily used that to highlight how hard it is to get quality healthcare as an indigenous person. It’s more prominent on the rez, but even when she’s living in Toronto she’s gonna face racism in healthcare
I didn't know that the actress for Grace was indigenous but clearly coded on the show as white. Now that I've found that out, I'm kicking myself more, because I've learned alot of about how fucked over indigenous people were by white people enough to be know as the "invisible people" and now I feel I might have contributed to that to not shine a light on Grace. Someone made a great point about her being indigenous and how that could have affected her receiving treatment for her CF. Intersectionality is a huge thing that is ignored from Degrassi and I'm so sorry. I should have included the white coded characters that actually were of different races and ethnicities because they did that soooooo much
On the Connor angle, yes he was diagnosed with Asperger’s but I don’t see that diagnosis as a negative. He was introduced as a gifted student with Alli, Clare & KC. I feel it would be more of a stereotype if they placed him in remedial classes
I don't either. I actually appreciated Connors character for it, but I hated the lack of focus on him toward the end, especially with that sex issue between him and Jenna that could have been explored alot more
@@briannawilliams97I really hate how they never focused on his journey to learning how to understand social cues, if he even had that journey. As an autistic person, we don’t completely lack the ability to understand social cues or sarcasm, it just doesn’t come naturally to us. A lot of us don’t even have a problem with this, or at least we understand them to a high degree. It’s a learned skill for us, and I wish more autistic characters were used to explore this because I honestly feel weird having to tell people that I don’t really struggle with sarcasm or social cues because media never told them thats even possibel
When discussing race in Degrassi, I think it is important to note how the racial makeup of Canada is different from that of the US. There’s 3 big differences. Canada has much larger Asian and Indigenous populations, and a much smaller Hispanic population. If we zoom in on Toronto specifically, we can see the top ethnic groups as European (44%) South Asian (14%) Chinese (11%) Black (10%) and Filipino (6%). These so statistics come from Toronto’s 2021 census, so they are likely different from whenever Degrassi was airing. This is not to disqualify the larger points about the subpar treatment of people of color, it’s just to note how an American perspective may warp a viewpoint as compared to a Canadian one.
You should make a video about the representation of disability in media because wow its bad, even in Degrassi no good representation about disability so disappointing
They completely retconned Tiny’s character in next class. In seasons 13 & 14 he was in a gang and the last time we saw him he was going to jail. In next class he was a completely different character. There was no mention of him being arrested or the time where he was going to stab Zig. Don’t get me wrong I liked the retconned and actually preferred the next class version of the character, but it felt like the writers saw the push they got because of the stereotypes they wrote for Tiny, so instead of giving an apology to their black fans; they just rewrote his character like nothing ever happened
This producer is sick. What a very white cis man response lol. The episode was great, especially considering it was about Islamophobia. I’m so upset by this response, this is disgusting…also mentioning jimmy does nothing considering he’s a light skin biracial man, and hazel is played by a dark skinned woman. They gave Nina Dobrev on the show and she’s very flat in a lot of ways. This is very upsetting man, ofc he tried to say she played the race card. Also ever think maybe why fans don’t like her? It could be bc she’s black…
I was typing this as I was listening to the producers response. I was heated but you mentioned everything I did sorry lol. I jumped the gun without fully watching before commenting
I also think they should've been writers but also hairstylist, costume fitters, camera crew should've been diverse also it clear when they do certain stroylines they are mainly white writers which should not be and I hate how they treat black and brown characters not just on the show but the fandom and as a white European woman I can acknowledge that and know yes there's a problem even if Degrassi pride themselves as being the show that deals with real everyday subjects they still so much they could've done better and better treatment I'll always be heartbroken how Andrea did talk to the writers she deserves better Edit: I hope I'm saying this correctly I always worry I may not explain things properly
I actually forgot to bring up hair as well, great point. If you've heard from other black women and their experiences like Monique Coleman from High school musical and how Disney didn't hire hair stylists for black people so most of the time their hair is usually straight or wavy, but there are never any stylists for kinkier hair types
Yes Indian isn't a race but a nationality but as someone who is Black and Indian, not many Americans or Canadians say South Asian (trust me), I can could say I'm Black and South Asian and they'll ask me where and I'll have to say Pakistan-India just for them to go oh 'dot' Indian.
I'm puzzled by the characters who have Spanish last names, but they never said that they were Hispanic/Latine. Alex Nunez, Zoe Rivas, Drew Torres (not sure about Adam), and there was no mention of their heritage, culture, language. I know Lola Pacini was of Argentine heritage, but she's the only one who had any connection to Latine culture and spoke Spanish. (Just as a side note: Pacini is an Italian name, but maybe her ancestors emigrated from Italy to Argentina? I dunno.) And if we go back to Degrassi High, there was Lucy Fernandez, who I suspected was Afro Latina, but I don't recall anyone talking about her heritage.
That Drake comment is hilarious, given now. They were right, he was a good actor. The way you actually discussed Saad. Is just beautiful!! Thank you!! I try to explain this to people and they Dont get it. They Dont see their privelage.
Algorithm has been feeding me your content and after watching a couple videos I’m sold and subbing. I grew up with Degrassi and love the thought out long form content about the show.
The truth is, black girls on Degrassi are only there to fill a quota, not for any actual representation! Trying to pass Liberty off as full black was almost laughable! Chantay should have become a main character along with Darcey! Degrassi seemed to love black men but they truly had something against black women, and I just don't know what it is!
To my recollection Jimmy was biracial in earlier seasons, I believe you see his mother crying in the hospital after he gets shot as for Hazel, I routinely forget that she appeared in season 1 and consistently believe that she was introduced in season 2 given how little of a character she was.
the thing about the creators they wanted the cast to be there as for Aubrey(Drake) he distanced himself from the show to focus on his music career and the creators asked him to make a choice either acting or music as they didn't the young cast to be overwhelmed because they had other plans for the Jimmy character but Aubrey wanted to do music
Normalize differentiating Canada from the US…Yes the western world overall is heavily influenced by the US but it feels like Canada and other Western countries get no blame or share no responsibility when it comes to western culture containing racism and cultural ignorance. It all falls on the US when people discuss media or pop culture. Not justifying any of the bad behavior, but this is a very Canadian show so the decisions need to be questioning Canadian perceptions of Islam and other cultures, not just the US’s.
This is just agret depiction of how we are treated in media by the world. and I’m starting to give up and think that we just need to make our own stuff . Not BET but real stuff like Issa Rae did with insecure.
(6:42) i loved this point about how the black characters would only come from wealthier backgrounds and i think it adds an asterisk on any point that the show was trying to make about class/poverty with other characters like sean, alex, k.c., holly j, or fiona. since all the characters are white, they often found themselves in that state of life due to circumstance or choices made instead of systematic oppression. sean lived with a single income from his brother because he had to move schools, alex’s mom was stuck in the cycle of abuse, k.c’s family dealt with addiction, and holly j and fiona’s parents had business/job issues. of course the show was touching on other important topics within these characters’ stories, but it would’ve been important to see what the show did with a character that dealt with the hardships of systematic oppression.
I wondered if Zoe was Latina, but there was never any mention of her race, culture, language, anything. She was whitewashed, right along with Drew and Alex--two other characters who I suspected were Latine
good points. i never realized so many of the main POC actors (liberty, jimmy, manny, ali, etc.,) are multiracial or biracial but playing full African or full Filipino or full Indian for example
I kind of liked that they didn’t centre her personality as Native and let her be herself, but at the same time I wish they touched on the racism that Indigenous Canadians experience. Like maybe just a one-off episode
@@siddaye they could’ve even included her health problems and made an episode about medical racism that aboriginals experience. so many missed opportunities.
I NEVER thought about the complete lack of Latinx characters. Lola is Argentinian AND white-passing. Why they couldn’t hire a Latinx actor with a darker complexion I’ll never understand. Love Degrassi, hate the executives and writers.
OK but this is different because they were being microaggressive to her. They were being racist and perpetuating misogynoir. They decided to talk all of this shit because she talked about her very real experience. Drake also had bad experiences on the show.
Also i wish they hired or watch UA-cam videos on how to style the hijabis. I grew up with Indian muslims in my family and and they have the most stylish modest fashion. Hijab needs some shaping because it look like they were in a rush.
Fans online kill me for this opinion but them shooting Jimmy the way they did was racist writing think about it Rick shoots Jimmy with his eyes closed shaking the gun the writers wrote Jimmy to run the very next scene Sean a white character that is not black wrestles the gun out the shooters hand what sense does that make they were both athletic teenagers so one wouldn’t be more likely to fight back … I hear all type of justification like oh Jimmy was rich and Sean was poor like come on Jimmy was tough enough to fight Sean and multiple other characters even in the chair he fought characters but runs away from a shooter with his eyes closed like come on Rick was shaking the gun with his eyes if he just slapped his hand the gun woulda went flying smh they make the only black male character Jimmy a crippled virgin when all the white characters is fucking all the bad bitches that’s racist writing idc I love Degrassi it’s my childhood but y’all can’t convince me shooting Jimmy wasn’t racist writing 😂😂
I do appreciate your videos. And I mean this with the most respect. 🤝🏼 However just like Bianca. Lola isn't Hispanic/Latina she's Italian I'm full Hispanic ( Not Mexican. grew up in Texas ) Lola isn't a representation of us Hispanics. That's just my perspective. 💚
No, you're absolutely right. I was not aware that she was Italian and that contributes to the problem. Look at how many people thought Ariana Grande was Latina. If anything, it makes it worse that Degrassi had no hispanic/Latina representation at all. I'm learning so many new things. Thanks so much for letting me know!
That executive is corny and a liar! Main characters at first were def Emma, Spinner, JT, Paige, Ashley, and Sean! Terri, Manny, Toby, Hazel, Ellie, and Jimmy were def posed as sidekicks! Liberty was literally set up to be the unattractive geeky girl (which is an entirely separate issue but still an issue.) I love Shenae, and as a black woman, Darcey was actually my favorite character out of the entire series, but that one line of hers proved she was more of a "star" than Hazel or Chantay (who literally appeared on the show the same time as her.) That exec basically said that they found/find black girls lame, which is disappointing to hear as a black woman and huge fan of the show!
I’ve always wondered what the fucking demographic was for Degrassi you could be in your mid-50s and you’d still be too young to watch Degrassi. Come on, I’m 23 years old high school wasn’t that bad!
My challenge for you is to ask yourself how would you do it? How would you go about doing representation properly? At this point, I don’t think it would be wise to just expect these companies, the studios to get it right. Their only purpose for being is to profit. That’s it. I think it’s time for any and all minorities who feel a certain way about this to step up, to create their own content, create their own shows, and to have complete ownership of it. I agree with you, in terms of many of the points stated. But remember, who owns the network? Who is the one who has final say? Hence, I think it’s time for people of color, minorities to take it upon themselves to have complete control of the narrative .
@@adannacamacho southern Italy and Sicily. The KKK wouldn’t consider him white American Police wouldn’t consider him white The Irish aren’t even considered white and they are legit whiter than everyone else. Do some research before you respond lol
@localapache Italy is lirtally in Europe we're do you think white people come from? Italians are legally WHITE unless their Latino, Asian, Black, Native (which are actually people of color), and Marco isn't either of them he's just Canadian with Italian decent. Not every racists are in the kkk? Why u even talking about them? this is a video about Degrassi😅.
I think your isreal-palastine comment is quite untrue and i dont really know how you got that because more people are deferentially standing with palastine (as they should)
I stumbled upon your video (big Degrassi TNG fan) and it is just so good. Thank you for highlighting these very real, very nuanced issues regarding race and characters of color throughout the series. I appreciated your take on all of these characters. Justice for Hazel and Andrea Lewis. Always. 🤎 The way I see it is, we’re all gathered here because we love this show. But it’s entirely ok for us to critique and discuss the parts of this show that simply could have been handled better, or differently. So, well done. And thank you.
Hi guys. I did realize that I did say Americans a lot when speaking about Canadian experiences specifically, and I admit I should have specified that more clearly. I'm sorry to those who felt alienated by that. I also realize there were a few things you all said that would have added to the discussion. I should have done some more research on some of the other characters that were canonically white, but their actor/actress was a different ethnicity. I learned the actress for Grace was indigenous and I wish I said more about that and Degrassi failing to include her perspective as well. Indigenous people are left out of media quite abit like many other races, ethnicities and cultures, and thats why all these points are so valid to me. I like learning more from different perspectives. That's why I love and appreciate reading your comments for feedback, and I like hearing what others have to say because you all bring a unique point of view to the conversation. Thanks again!
The actress who played Grace's mom is also Indigenous herself too so it's a shame they never delved much into that especially the intersection of Grace being a Indigenous disabled teen
That executive should be ashamed of that response. They literally said Darcy was given more for saying ONE LINE. Many people wanted more Hazel. We didn’t get to see any growth in TWO YEARS of dating Jimmy. Not one date night, parents meeting, NOTHING. It’s crazy how rude and disrespectful that executive is.
It's crazy how the executive wants to say the actress for Hazel was being a 'diva'. Something black women are called CONSTANTLY when they're calling out bs. If she was being such a diva and untalented..why would keep her for mutiple seasons? Being a diva is 'okay' when you're white is what they meant to say. They just showed their passive aggressive racist and stereotype-filled mind and that her experience is valid.
The biggest gripe about Libertys' pregnancy is that the focus wasn't on her at all.
Her pregnancy was more focused on JT and how it affects him. And to feel sympathy for him and not the girl that's pregnant.
The fact her giving birth was in a b plot to Craig's music career and it was in a montage.
Compared to Jenna's pregnancy it's obvious the writers don't know how to write black people in general.
100 percent. She was glossed over. It was horrible. Although it was helpful to see that she was able to get over it.
Agreed. It wasn’t about her during or after. As a character that was there since the beginning the way Liberty’s character was treated was egregious. She’s clearly supposed to be sort of the Lucy of their generation.
Edit: I think Jimmy is more like the Lucy character from the OG series.
And Craig is the worst! Zero redeeming qualities
Right?! Y'all noticed how mean they made Liberty too when she was pregnant?? Like, yeah, hormones and stuff, but they didn't do this with Jenna or villainize her like how they did with Liberty.
Cause they was trying to push in the single mama nina
That executive is an idiot and crazy disrespectful. And comparing her career to Drake is just the nail in the coffin. Where are ANY of the actors from the show now??? None of them get work except for Sav and like one person from next class. That was a hit piece and clearly he felt hit because he was the executive she was talking about from that time.
An honorable mention!
One of the poc characters that was done so dirty is Kendra, Spinners adoptive Chinese sister. The last story arc I can remember about her is when she was in a relationship with Toby, and the last episode I think she was in is when Spinner was trying to play sick and she told him to get ready for school. She never appeared anymore after that. She went into the degrassi black hole.
There’s been speculations as to why she left the show (focusing on school, her parents didn’t like her next storyline), but they should’ve tied her in more. Spinner got expelled, had cancer, got shot, his job was blown up and then got married, and she was nowhere to be found. It was sooo weird. The least they could do is say how she’s doing off screen
Yeah some people tried to claim that that wasn't the case because her brother had a role on the show years later however I don't think that rules it out because
1. Her brother's character has a extremely minor role and only appeared in a couple episodes
2. We all know how sexism and misogyny plays into how boys and girls are treated differently especially in regards to sexuality
Peter was a horrible character idk anyone who likes him but yet they kept giving him stories so that whole fan favorite story line thing the producer was trying to say is 🧢
Why PETER over Hazel?!?! 😭😭😭
@@PGOuma exactly
And he wasn’t even that good of an actor . 😒
@@destinyn63tbf no one on Degrassi were great actors, which is what made it amazing. Like as a teen you can see yourself as both the character and the actor. I think we need more TV shows that don't expect all acting be Emmy worthy.
@@fabdragon2071Craig and Eli were pretty good actors
These arent lighter skinned black actors they are mixed actors playing black characters thats very evident
Even Manny is half white liberty is Jimmy Connor and Dallas and also Lucy and Susie from degrassi Jr high
@pickneykids9107 manny the character is a monoracial character however the actress who plays her Cassie Steele is half white and that was very evident despite the fact that the actors playing her parents are both monoracial
Yup.. just said this
Just because their biracial doesn't mean they aren't light skin.
@@adannacamacho reread what I wrote
Also DARCY WAS NOT A STAR OFF THAT ONE LINE. I don’t remember anyone caring about Darcy until they gave her extensions and a main role.
How could you even manage to “star off” that line, even the most amazing actor in the world can’t make a big impression off of one line 😭
That executives response to Andrea Lewis is literally disgusting and immature. Then they throw out a bunch of stereotypes about black women. Someone needs to name names.
What about the other black actors.You are using her as an accuse.
They always see black women a diva when they speak out.
We all know the writer’s favorite characters were Claire, Dru, Craig, and Emma. And for some reason they couldn’t let go of Spinner so they had him dating high schoolers and hanging with them a lot.
13:20 Rasha is an LGBT character of color but similar to what u were saying about Zane she doesn’t have any solo storylines either.
You're totally right lol
One thing I've noticed outside of your discussion points is how characters on the show who have confirmed nationalities and ethnicities like Zig, Paige, and Zoe tend to be coded as Caucasian American. Even Grace, whose actor is Aboriginal is coded that way. Her character could have been a commentary on barriers to health care based off race, since her defining characteristic is her CF
That's true, very good point about the characters that were white passing, but coded as Caucasian
The guy who played zig, was actually Ecuadorian and that was like far from what his character was. I just feel like they didn’t know how to place them in their background. And their nationality. That’s the problem with TV shows and movies that do bug me. They want somebody else to play another nationality than they are. And that’s not OK.
@@shawanaeunice3911very true. I recall his character speaking Russian at some point in scenes with his mother, but that aspect of his character was dropped in next class
that executive saying andrea’s performance was “””flat””” as if they didnt have riley as a main lead for years when he respectfully could not act for shit
RIGHT?? quite literally the definition of white privilege - the countless POC actors who had no story yet we had to suffer through riley's boring, insufferable storyline and terrible acting for god knows how many episodes. i continue to be baffled that they even let him be on the show for that long
@@riplimewireit was interesting for maybe an episode or 2, but after that it’s like get on with it bro. Either let him come out and live happily ever after or make him stay in the closet make up ur mind! It was so frustrating to watch cuz I was rooting so hard for them they were cute when Riley wasn’t being so indecisive
And we saw her amazing acting like when Jimmy got 🔫 and the teacher told her and she broke down crying
@@PGOuma the way she kept repeating no in disbelief while slowly breaking into tears was so painful to watch. she is seriously so talented
Exactly! It’s so obvious the writers showed favoritism especially with Claire and Eli. 😒
It always bothered me that Hazel’s best friend (Terri) was put in coma and her boyfriend was shot and paralyzed in a school shooting, and we didn’t get to see any of that from point of view or Jimmy’s. The only time we saw Jimmy in the hospital was when somebody visited him
The thing thats awkward about the Dallas/Conner bit being profiled and harassed as black men is blurry considering they're both clearly biracial and depicted as monoracially Black, altho I get what they're trying to say. A lot of the "black" characters are mixed on here but played as monoracial.
I think Degrassi could’ve benefited from having black writers (in general) for next class, when they were discussing white privilege and blm in the second season. As diverse as degrassi is it’s still a pwi (prominently white institution) and they could’ve done so many stories with Shay and Tiny. The writers addressed white privilege and blm horribly
I can't watch those episodes. It makes me cringe each time I do so I skip over them entirely
for Chante to be the longest running Black character she was done so BAD! she deserved many proper story lines
That executive is unprofessional and cringe. Referring to children as “awesome” and “lame” is diabolical. Those statements were made during Season 13. Most of the acting in those first seasons was rough, so to single her out is wild and reeks of misogynoir. None of the actors they named were strong except for a select few. And abandoning the four alleged Season 1 MC’s was an issue with the writing, not the acting, because again the acting wasn’t that strong across the whole cast. It’s easier to view that response in hindsight for the defensive load of crap it is, but at the time most fans agreed with the executive, because the show was still on the air and Andrea’s performance wasn’t viewed as “good.” There was more evidence in favor of “she sucks” than “DeGrassi is racist.” But the other actors were given more grace with their poor performances, so…
Yeah Degrassi from the beginning never had great acting for most of the time
Thank you for touching on the Asian characters. I rewatched the show recently and just realized how they were all troublemakers or liars or manipulators, which is horrible.
Apparently with Kiesha's character she was supposed to either be a childhood friend to Zoe or Frankie but I forgot who she said specifically (I think Frankie) but... look where THAT headed... They just forgot about her, which says a lot.
I think tiny always has liked science in like 13/14 he does an animal show voiceovers for Maya and zigs relationship. And after Vince went back to jail, he embraced the science part of him more since.
I’m half Hispanic and I always noticed there wasn’t really any Hispanic characters? Not a single one that actually was stated as Hispanic, some had last names like Torres or Nunez. It was bizzare
Yeah, Alex was supposed to be Latina, but her actress is Italian. I also think the actress who played her mom is First Nations. Then, if my memory serves, Drew was the only Torres who was even brown in the slightest.
Lola was Hispanic but we didnt really get to see much of her culture really besides her working in her Cantina
@@erycnelson329there was Zig who was partially latino.
@@frankieseward8667I thought he was Russian?
@@frankieseward8667 was Zig the character Latino at all, though? I feel like he was presented as Slavic in some way. I could be wrong, though. It's been a while since I've watched any Degrassi.
That “executive director” letter/comment screams fake. It sounds like it was written by a racist fan honestly
I do think what happened with Dallas and Connor was a well written episode. The fact that Connor as Asperger’s gave them the ability to deliver the message they wanted to say without beating around the bush. Especially with Mr. Bandari sharing his own experiences with Dallas. Personally, I’m mixed, but I fully identify as black as my experiences in life haven’t been altered just because one of my parents is white. I’ve still fully been discriminated against, called the hard r, and been criminally profiled by the police for literally no reason. So “mixed” just describes my DNA, not my experiences. Anyways I think the inclusion of Connor kinda not realizing what was going on was smart, because internalized racism is a real thing. I think it was important to include a second black character in that plot, who didn’t have that same rage as Dallas. It’s nuanced, and I liked that. It was their best attempt at covering racism, in my opinion
Thank you for sharing your story. As a mixed person as well I felt the plot was handled very well, because biracial people or lighter skinned black people still get profiled. It's happened to me and my siblings before. My brother was told one time when he entered a store to leave his bag at the front of the store. Absolutely wild that shit is happening. I feel your experience very personally
@@briannawilliams97 my heart goes out to your brother, as I’m a private chef. I was literally just stopped (in uniform!) for bringing my own shopping bags into the store. The store knows my company intimately, yet I was hassled for not checking my bags at the door as they were trying to prevent theft. As if I would have chosen to commit a crime while wearing the mandatory uniform. I don’t feel mixed when I’m discriminated against. Like, bc I’m half black, I’m supposed to be half offended?! No.
Im not surprised of how they dealt with liberty's pregnancy considering her personality and environment she didnt have time for that
This is why black writers are needed and I also feel like the writers and producers had obvious favoritism going on with certain characters. Ex. Clare, Eli,Craig, Darcy, Holly J, Maya and many more. While some of these actors are talented their storylines could’ve gone to other undeveloped characters. Chante may not have been popular but she was on the show since season 4 and had two storylines. Some of those storylines could’ve gone to her or other characters that were undeveloped.
i think it's absolutely insane that throughout the entire series run, as a canadian show, there wasn't a single explicitly indigenous character. i use the term explicitly because grace's actress is indigenous, but they didn't use this aspect in her character (from what i remember, correct me if i'm wrong). at the same time, it doesn't surprise me considering that we've established that the writers were very white-focused and prejudiced, but also because of the systematic oppression of indigenous people in this country that is still going on to this day. it's honestly just another blatant example of how canada treats indigenous people
grace’s last name is cardinal, one of the most common fn last names, so she is an indigenous character. i liked that grace’s personality wasn’t centred around being native, and that she was allowed to be goth. i do wish they talked about colonization in canada, or the racism that indigenous canadians experience.
@@igottaberpyeah and just like every other main white character, her race doesn’t have to be her entire personality, but she could’ve been shown to face issues because of it. She has CF ffs they could’ve easily used that to highlight indigenous peoples lack of healthcare access
The actress who played Grace's mom is also Indigenous though what tribe Grace is was never stated but due to her last name being Cardinal it's likely she is Cree or Metis or even both
Imagine being an aspiring actor/actress and getting the news you are going to be a main character on one of the most popular shows of its time just for you to be sidelined and kicked to the curb
Baz was a piece of shit to Sa’ad, he essentially did what Hazel did but no one called his ass out.
Kinda ironic seeing as he supposed to be muslim himself lol
@@jamalmgambo8065 he is on that DJ Khaled/sellout in the military pack.
Well done. I remember I used to chat with Andrea "Hazel" Lewis about this exact same thing when she had her blog years ago.
I love that you shows how kind Liberty was with the MIA thing. I always felt like their relationship could have been fostered better.
Also, the actor who played Dave passed away, that’s why they just wrote him off, I think they should have given him a send off to memorialize him.
He wasn’t on the show anymore before he passed
@@jessinthecomments I stand corrected, I didn’t realize that they started writing him off before, that is even more sad! He was pretty talented.
@@LifewithAlelee exactly. A lot of the characters of that class, including Dave, were prematurely written out of the show until it basically revolved around Claire with a dash of Alli.
@@jessinthecomments OMFG the Claire and Eli of it all. Lolol that Claire got pregnant and cancer storyline, it was so miserable to watch, I tried to rewatch it as an adult and I cried of embarrassment lol
He died way after the show
I love your comment on the trope of casting Indian actors as Muslim who aren’t Muslims in reality because you really can see the disconnect in their acting and how their characters are portrayed something they definitely improved on with goldie and her storyline but it’s still something that affects Hollywood for example, the Aladdin movie and more recently with the one piece live action casting Indian actors instead of Arab when the characters from the manga are inspired by Arab nations and Islam. I think a big part of it is producers don’t want to make the effort to respect the actors and actresses real life culture when writing storylines like as a Muslim myself I don’t think I would want teenage promiscuity something I would personally want to depict on tv but doesn’t mean Muslim actors are incapable of depicting other serious topics if that makes sense? So instead they just typecast and stereotype what they think a modern Muslim is.
Absolutley! Well said
I disagree with your interpretation of the scene where Frankie is approached by a Black man to help with her car issue. I don’t think this moment was an effective way to show her confronting her biases. In my view, it was actually smart of her to lock her car and decline help from a man, regardless of his race. This is something I believe all women should do, wait in the car until they can get help from someone they actually know. There could have been a better way to depict her facing her biases.
I still say that Frankie racist storyline was incredibly stupid.
Omg it annoyed me so much when she wouldn't understand why that was not ok 😭😭😭 like girl put two and two together
@kingozymandiass oh you misunderstood me. I'm on no one's side. Frankie was stupid but everyone else was extremely stupid too.
What are your thoughts about Grace? She’s the only Indigenous Canadian character in the series. As a Native, it always bothered me they waited so long into the series to introduce a Native character.
And they did NOTHING with her regarding it. Her last name is a very common fn last name so I claim her character as indigenous even if the show never said she was. She has a chronic illness they could’ve easily used that to highlight how hard it is to get quality healthcare as an indigenous person. It’s more prominent on the rez, but even when she’s living in Toronto she’s gonna face racism in healthcare
I didn't know that the actress for Grace was indigenous but clearly coded on the show as white. Now that I've found that out, I'm kicking myself more, because I've learned alot of about how fucked over indigenous people were by white people enough to be know as the "invisible people" and now I feel I might have contributed to that to not shine a light on Grace. Someone made a great point about her being indigenous and how that could have affected her receiving treatment for her CF. Intersectionality is a huge thing that is ignored from Degrassi and I'm so sorry. I should have included the white coded characters that actually were of different races and ethnicities because they did that soooooo much
Technically Miss Avery from Degrassi OG could be seen as the first Indigenous character because the actress is but it was never explicitly stated
On the Connor angle, yes he was diagnosed with Asperger’s but I don’t see that diagnosis as a negative. He was introduced as a gifted student with Alli, Clare & KC. I feel it would be more of a stereotype if they placed him in remedial classes
I don't either. I actually appreciated Connors character for it, but I hated the lack of focus on him toward the end, especially with that sex issue between him and Jenna that could have been explored alot more
@@briannawilliams97I really hate how they never focused on his journey to learning how to understand social cues, if he even had that journey. As an autistic person, we don’t completely lack the ability to understand social cues or sarcasm, it just doesn’t come naturally to us. A lot of us don’t even have a problem with this, or at least we understand them to a high degree. It’s a learned skill for us, and I wish more autistic characters were used to explore this because I honestly feel weird having to tell people that I don’t really struggle with sarcasm or social cues because media never told them thats even possibel
When discussing race in Degrassi, I think it is important to note how the racial makeup of Canada is different from that of the US. There’s 3 big differences. Canada has much larger Asian and Indigenous populations, and a much smaller Hispanic population. If we zoom in on Toronto specifically, we can see the top ethnic groups as European (44%) South Asian (14%) Chinese (11%) Black (10%) and Filipino (6%). These so statistics come from Toronto’s 2021 census, so they are likely different from whenever Degrassi was airing.
This is not to disqualify the larger points about the subpar treatment of people of color, it’s just to note how an American perspective may warp a viewpoint as compared to a Canadian one.
You should make a video about the representation of disability in media because wow its bad, even in Degrassi no good representation about disability so disappointing
Every day I think about how weird it is that Mike Dallas's actor is a trump supporter despite living in Canada
Not literally everyday but yk
They completely retconned Tiny’s character in next class. In seasons 13 & 14 he was in a gang and the last time we saw him he was going to jail.
In next class he was a completely different character. There was no mention of him being arrested or the time where he was going to stab Zig.
Don’t get me wrong I liked the retconned and actually preferred the next class version of the character, but it felt like the writers saw the push they got because of the stereotypes they wrote for Tiny, so instead of giving an apology to their black fans; they just rewrote his character like nothing ever happened
This producer is sick. What a very white cis man response lol. The episode was great, especially considering it was about Islamophobia. I’m so upset by this response, this is disgusting…also mentioning jimmy does nothing considering he’s a light skin biracial man, and hazel is played by a dark skinned woman. They gave Nina Dobrev on the show and she’s very flat in a lot of ways. This is very upsetting man, ofc he tried to say she played the race card. Also ever think maybe why fans don’t like her? It could be bc she’s black…
ALSO, other than Drake, no other actor has really been in anything major. Lots of lifetime movies lol.
I was typing this as I was listening to the producers response. I was heated but you mentioned everything I did sorry lol. I jumped the gun without fully watching before commenting
I also think they should've been writers but also hairstylist, costume fitters, camera crew should've been diverse also it clear when they do certain stroylines they are mainly white writers which should not be and I hate how they treat black and brown characters not just on the show but the fandom and as a white European woman I can acknowledge that and know yes there's a problem even if Degrassi pride themselves as being the show that deals with real everyday subjects they still so much they could've done better and better treatment I'll always be heartbroken how Andrea did talk to the writers she deserves better
Edit: I hope I'm saying this correctly I always worry I may not explain things properly
I actually forgot to bring up hair as well, great point. If you've heard from other black women and their experiences like Monique Coleman from High school musical and how Disney didn't hire hair stylists for black people so most of the time their hair is usually straight or wavy, but there are never any stylists for kinkier hair types
@@briannawilliams97 Yes! Agreed behind the scenes as just important on sceen I remember that but yes they should hire hairstylist for black women
hell yeah an almost hour long video!!
Indian is not a race and all the actors portraying the bendari family are south asian 🙄
You know what she mean.. so people from india cant say they are indian
@khasualentertainment6734 nope you gotta be specific and detailed when reviewing things
@@siddaye why theyre indian.. regardless. And i will call them that..
Yes Indian isn't a race but a nationality but as someone who is Black and Indian, not many Americans or Canadians say South Asian (trust me), I can could say I'm Black and South Asian and they'll ask me where and I'll have to say Pakistan-India just for them to go oh 'dot' Indian.
I'm puzzled by the characters who have Spanish last names, but they never said that they were Hispanic/Latine. Alex Nunez, Zoe Rivas, Drew Torres (not sure about Adam), and there was no mention of their heritage, culture, language. I know Lola Pacini was of Argentine heritage, but she's the only one who had any connection to Latine culture and spoke Spanish. (Just as a side note: Pacini is an Italian name, but maybe her ancestors emigrated from Italy to Argentina? I dunno.) And if we go back to Degrassi High, there was Lucy Fernandez, who I suspected was Afro Latina, but I don't recall anyone talking about her heritage.
That Drake comment is hilarious, given now. They were right, he was a good actor.
The way you actually discussed Saad. Is just beautiful!! Thank you!! I try to explain this to people and they Dont get it. They Dont see their privelage.
He’s a better actor than rapper imo
Algorithm has been feeding me your content and after watching a couple videos I’m sold and subbing. I grew up with Degrassi and love the thought out long form content about the show.
It would’ve been so interesting to see and learn more about hazel character her being Somalian her insecurities about being Muslim
The truth is, black girls on Degrassi are only there to fill a quota, not for any actual representation! Trying to pass Liberty off as full black was almost laughable! Chantay should have become a main character along with Darcey! Degrassi seemed to love black men but they truly had something against black women, and I just don't know what it is!
I watch that episode with dallas and connor differently now knowing the actor who plays Dallas is a trump supporter
No, don't tell me that. Oh, god
@@briannawilliams97 yup I found out from him tweeting the pic of trump with his fist raised and his tik tok reposts
Yikes forever. Even more yikes since isn’t he Canadian??
To my recollection Jimmy was biracial in earlier seasons, I believe you see his mother crying in the hospital after he gets shot as for Hazel, I routinely forget that she appeared in season 1 and consistently believe that she was introduced in season 2 given how little of a character she was.
the thing about the creators they wanted the cast to be there as for Aubrey(Drake) he distanced himself from the show to focus on his music career and the creators asked him to make a choice either acting or music as they didn't the young cast to be overwhelmed because they had other plans for the Jimmy character but Aubrey wanted to do music
Normalize differentiating Canada from the US…Yes the western world overall is heavily influenced by the US but it feels like Canada and other Western countries get no blame or share no responsibility when it comes to western culture containing racism and cultural ignorance. It all falls on the US when people discuss media or pop culture. Not justifying any of the bad behavior, but this is a very Canadian show so the decisions need to be questioning Canadian perceptions of Islam and other cultures, not just the US’s.
💯
*Canadians
Sav reminds me of Nev from Catfish.
Omg lol
How?
This is just agret depiction of how we are treated in media by the world.
and I’m starting to give up and think that we just need to make our own stuff . Not BET but real stuff like Issa Rae did with insecure.
(6:42) i loved this point about how the black characters would only come from wealthier backgrounds and i think it adds an asterisk on any point that the show was trying to make about class/poverty with other characters like sean, alex, k.c., holly j, or fiona. since all the characters are white, they often found themselves in that state of life due to circumstance or choices made instead of systematic oppression.
sean lived with a single income from his brother because he had to move schools, alex’s mom was stuck in the cycle of abuse, k.c’s family dealt with addiction, and holly j and fiona’s parents had business/job issues.
of course the show was touching on other important topics within these characters’ stories, but it would’ve been important to see what the show did with a character that dealt with the hardships of systematic oppression.
Loved this. I was shocked kinda when you said you were mixed. This is such a well done race topic video. If this makes sense 😂. Love it
13:20 what about Zoey and Rasha?
I wondered if Zoe was Latina, but there was never any mention of her race, culture, language, anything. She was whitewashed, right along with Drew and Alex--two other characters who I suspected were Latine
good points. i never realized so many of the main POC actors (liberty, jimmy, manny, ali, etc.,) are multiracial or biracial but playing full African or full Filipino or full Indian for example
Danny and Hazel had racism storylines.
You mentioned there being no Indigenous Canadian (Aboriginals) actors on the show but both Ms. Avery and Grace are!
I didn't know that about Ms. Avery, they never said anything about her being Indigenous.
Im glad you touched on this, maybe im bias but its weird to not see ONE Blasian. Where i grew up it was not uncommon to meet Black Indians in Canada
That actress is stunning 45:00 wow. I wasn't watching Degrassi anymore by that point so I didn't know who that was
There was only one aboriginal chatacter on the show and how was she pertrayed it was as a goth girl crazy dyed hair tattoos and piercings
who?
I kind of liked that they didn’t centre her personality as Native and let her be herself, but at the same time I wish they touched on the racism that Indigenous Canadians experience. Like maybe just a one-off episode
@igottaberp they could have done that but they didn't but what they did do was focus on her personal health issues like cystic fibrosis
@@siddaye they could’ve even included her health problems and made an episode about medical racism that aboriginals experience. so many missed opportunities.
@igottaberp they did include it in I believe a few episodes but it wasn't spoken about in detail nor have an episode focusing on it
This is just agret depiction of how we are treated in media by the world.
I NEVER thought about the complete lack of Latinx characters. Lola is Argentinian AND white-passing. Why they couldn’t hire a Latinx actor with a darker complexion I’ll never understand. Love Degrassi, hate the executives and writers.
I've noticed people saying "Latine" recently, since the "X" is hard to conjugate in Spanish.
Great video. Great voice.
Guess kendrick was right lol
cringe
good video, yup I noticed all the things you mentioned that degrassi did when it came to minorities.
Amazing video, thank you!!
The same thing they said about Andrea is the same thing they said about Nicole from Zoey 101 and look how that turned out.
OK but this is different because they were being microaggressive to her. They were being racist and perpetuating misogynoir. They decided to talk all of this shit because she talked about her very real experience. Drake also had bad experiences on the show.
But drake wasn’t a diva when he literally wrote a letter complaining about Jimmy being in a wheelchair 🙄oh please
Also i wish they hired or watch UA-cam videos on how to style the hijabis. I grew up with Indian muslims in my family and and they have the most stylish modest fashion. Hijab needs some shaping because it look like they were in a rush.
Fans online kill me for this opinion but them shooting Jimmy the way they did was racist writing think about it Rick shoots Jimmy with his eyes closed shaking the gun the writers wrote Jimmy to run the very next scene Sean a white character that is not black wrestles the gun out the shooters hand what sense does that make they were both athletic teenagers so one wouldn’t be more likely to fight back … I hear all type of justification like oh Jimmy was rich and Sean was poor like come on Jimmy was tough enough to fight Sean and multiple other characters even in the chair he fought characters but runs away from a shooter with his eyes closed like come on Rick was shaking the gun with his eyes if he just slapped his hand the gun woulda went flying smh they make the only black male character Jimmy a crippled virgin when all the white characters is fucking all the bad bitches that’s racist writing idc I love Degrassi it’s my childhood but y’all can’t convince me shooting Jimmy wasn’t racist writing 😂😂
I do appreciate your videos. And I mean this with the most respect. 🤝🏼
However just like Bianca.
Lola isn't Hispanic/Latina
she's Italian
I'm full Hispanic ( Not Mexican. grew up in Texas )
Lola isn't a representation of us Hispanics. That's just my perspective. 💚
No, you're absolutely right. I was not aware that she was Italian and that contributes to the problem. Look at how many people thought Ariana Grande was Latina. If anything, it makes it worse that Degrassi had no hispanic/Latina representation at all. I'm learning so many new things. Thanks so much for letting me know!
@midnightbluesstar Lola actress Amanda also half Argentine, which is Hispanic and Latino. She isn't just Italian🥱
@@briannawilliams97Lola actress Amanda also half Argentine, which is Hispanic and Latino. She isn't just Italian🥱
@@adannacamachoexactly, i guess they’re think Lola is Italian bc of her last name? but they never mentioned that in the show 😭
Yes, Hazel's ONE plot line came when she was still a recurring, not even a cast member yet.
Omg that executive was so hateful!
This vídeo is perfect
That executive is corny and a liar! Main characters at first were def Emma, Spinner, JT, Paige, Ashley, and Sean! Terri, Manny, Toby, Hazel, Ellie, and Jimmy were def posed as sidekicks! Liberty was literally set up to be the unattractive geeky girl (which is an entirely separate issue but still an issue.) I love Shenae, and as a black woman, Darcey was actually my favorite character out of the entire series, but that one line of hers proved she was more of a "star" than Hazel or Chantay (who literally appeared on the show the same time as her.) That exec basically said that they found/find black girls lame, which is disappointing to hear as a black woman and huge fan of the show!
You say there are no People of Color other than Zane who are LGTBQ but what about Marco?
You're right about that too, lol. At least Marco got a decent amount of focus
Marco is white
@@khasualentertainment6734I believe he's italian
@@briannawilliams97Italians are white, It's lirtally in Europe.
Marco is Italian which is white.
I’ve always wondered what the fucking demographic was for Degrassi you could be in your mid-50s and you’d still be too young to watch Degrassi. Come on, I’m 23 years old high school wasn’t that bad!
My challenge for you is to ask yourself how would you do it? How would you go about doing representation properly? At this point, I don’t think it would be wise to just expect these companies, the studios to get it right.
Their only purpose for being is to profit. That’s it. I think it’s time for any and all minorities who feel a certain way about this to step up, to create their own content, create their own shows, and to have complete ownership of it.
I agree with you, in terms of many of the points stated. But remember, who owns the network? Who is the one who has final say? Hence, I think it’s time for people of color, minorities to take it upon themselves to have complete control of the narrative .
Why do you keep talking about the American experience and American points of view? The show is Canadian.
Its so fn annoying!!!
Because racism in America is pretty similar to that in Canada.
Do you think racism doesn’t exist in Canada?
The way that y'all are pretending that racism doesn't exist in Canada is actually wild.
I know yall love to believe you’re above Americans in social justice, but you’re very far from it
I disagree w hazel. She had plenty of plots. Like where shes a homophobe saying alex turned page gay. And page doesnt stand up for alex.
That letter from an executive sounds like a fan. Andrea Lewis has done more than a lot of the others. So what is that person talking about?
Looking at liberty lol umm they shouldve used someone else. Like chantay
I really didn’t care for this show except for a few episodes
Marco
Marco is Italian, not a person of color.
@@adannacamacho southern Italy and Sicily.
The KKK wouldn’t consider him white
American Police wouldn’t consider him white
The Irish aren’t even considered white and they are legit whiter than everyone else. Do some research before you respond lol
@@adannacamacho I bet the triple k would beg to differ
@localapache Italy is lirtally in Europe we're do you think white people come from? Italians are legally WHITE unless their Latino, Asian, Black, Native (which are actually people of color), and Marco isn't either of them he's just Canadian with Italian decent. Not every racists are in the kkk? Why u even talking about them? this is a video about Degrassi😅.
@@adannacamacho op just say your uneducated. Cause the triple k is in Canada too. Some quick research will tell you. Stop spouting ignorance.
I think your isreal-palastine comment is quite untrue and i dont really know how you got that because more people are deferentially standing with palastine (as they should)
I stumbled upon your video (big Degrassi TNG fan) and it is just so good. Thank you for highlighting these very real, very nuanced issues regarding race and characters of color throughout the series. I appreciated your take on all of these characters. Justice for Hazel and Andrea Lewis. Always. 🤎 The way I see it is, we’re all gathered here because we love this show. But it’s entirely ok for us to critique and discuss the parts of this show that simply could have been handled better, or differently. So, well done. And thank you.