Journal Article Analysis

 

The article I chose is called Diagnosing Drama: Grey’s Anatomy, Blind Casting, and the Politics of Respresentation by Amy Long.  This article is about how the storyline and characters of the show Grey’s Anatomy fails to show the ways it maintains inequalities through the reproductions of the gender binaries and racial hierarchies.  The show tries to work to uphold the concerns of race and gender at the same time as if seeks and some succeeds at challenging these discourses.  The article is based on the pilot episode and the fairy tale romance that is revealed in the shows.  The show and the producers both contest and concur with the traditions that they would prefer to always encounter throughout the show.

            The article I believe is about how the show Grey’s Anatomy characters are mainly very sexy white females and males.  This is the first season that they are analyzing and in that season there is a lot of young modeling looking doctors.  If you look at the season that is on T.V now, there are more African Americans in the show.  The article also says that there are stereotypes in the T.V show for example “interns Meredith Grey, ChristinaYang and George O’Malley learn that their resident (the more experienced surgeon under whom they will work)

will be Dr. Bailey who has earned the nickname ‘‘the Nazi.’’ When another doctor points them toward her, they (as well as the viewing audience) are surprised to discover that ‘‘the Nazi’’ is

neither ‘‘a guy’’ nor ‘‘a Nazi’’ (as George and Meredith respectively expected), but a short, somewhat heavyset African American woman.  As George, Meredith, and Christina hesitantly approach Dr. Bailey, fellow intern Isobel ‘‘Izzie’’ Stevens—who, it is frequently noted, grew up in a trailer park and worked as an underwear model to put herself through medical school—posits that perhaps Bailey’s ‘‘Nazi’’ persona derives from ‘‘professional jealousy. Maybe she’s

brilliant and they call her a Nazi because they’re jealous. Maybe she’s nice.’’ Christina rolls her eyes and quips that Izzie is most likely the model she and Meredith had heard was part of the program. In this way, the show sets up a connection between Izzie and Bailey predicated

on their experiences with ‘‘professional jealousy’’ and name-calling” (Long 2011, pg. 1070-1071).

            I do agree with what the author is saying but never really thought about it.  The show is good and I don’t think people watch the show and say this producer is a racist.  The producer has to do what she has to do in order to make this show a good show and she does that.  Many many people watch Grey’s Anatomy and love it!  Amy Long does make some good points about how this is affecting some people in life and that it does cause some problems.

            Is this article important or not?  I say no, some may say yes!  I don’t feel that is.  Everyone has their own opinion and we are allowed to have our own opinions but I don’t feel that this article is important at all.  The producer chose the actors and actresses because they are the ones that fit the characters that she made up.  All of her characters are so good and the whole show fits with everything that she has going on in the show.

            Many people may say yes this article is so important because this producer is being a racist and she is stereotyping on different people but that is what happens when you are making T.V shows and you can’t make everyone happy.  It happens all the time but it this was a huge issue then no one would watch Grey’s Anatomy but just like Amy Longs opening says “

On February 5, 2006 nearly thirty-eight million viewer chose to forego post-Super Bowl celebrations in favor of tuning in to a much-hyped episode of ABC’s hit medical melodrama Grey’s Anatomy” (Long 2011, pg. 1067).

            In conclusion, Grey’s Anatomy is a good show and the producers should not change anything about the show because what they are doing is working very well for them.

 

Reference

Long, A. (2011). Diagnosing drama: Grey’s anatomy, blind casting, and the politics of representation. The Journal of Popular Culture, 44(5), 1067-1084. Retrieved from http://0journals.ohiolink.edu.olinkserver.franklin.edu/ejc/article.cgi?issn=00223840&issue=v44i0005&article=1067_ddgabcatpor