The outcome is only uncertain for those who disbelieve.

#i’m both of them

broad city ⇢ abbi & ilana in season finales

Ok, is Ilana Latina though?? Because otherwise, like why. She wears these earrings during a scene where she is prepping herself to masturbate - which is a pretty complex system with mirrors rigged up and soft music playing and shit..

I don’t know how I feel about this scene. I thought that maybe she was wearing the earrings to make a joke about the character she’s playing. Obviously the scene was intended to be ridiculous.. is she trying to paint Latina women’s fashion accessories as ridiculous? 

It’s pretty dangerous territory to make jokes about race and ethnicity when you’re white…

What do you all think?

I think this was already a sign that Ilana’s background gives her an unspoken foyer/sense of privilege to branch into other ethnicities without immediately being called into question. Cause now that her saying ‘I want a crack at every race’ S1 comes to mind, it seems like Ilana operates on a level of comfort with POC that implies authority.

She’s a mix of whatever’s ‘hip’-and that just happens to be Latina hoop earrings and Fort Greene slang, more 212-347 than Long Island middle-class white Jewish. Just like George Gershwin was considered an aficionado on Black folk opera and compositions! And Sidney Lumet is considered a screenwriter with expertise in social justice…but also someone who serves as a consultant for people of color re: their specific culture(s)/experience. The gentrification happens in art and expressed self just like neighborhoods.

So at first you want to believe Ilana realizes how hypocritical speaking FOR other races is, the history behind that, but that moment’s null. I wanna say in terms of that, y'know, American Jewish communities aligning with white culture but also sharing space with oppressed groups…oftentimes the sympathy becomes imitation, and appropriation of other identities. And the power dynamics definitely have a connection to how ‘Jewish’ you’re perceived as by society. Then we get a problem in cognitive dissonance.

This is not completely separate from the humor of folks like Sacha Baron Cohen, Jerry Seinfeld, Kat Dennings, Ari Schiffer, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, etc. when they’re questioned for making fun of or using racial stereotypes, what has the response been? Understanding and redirection? Or anger and gaslighting? Guess that’s where the dangerous part comes in. It’s fucked to see that as many Jewish artists + comedians understand co optation and racist ‘satire’ (not actually) as a fundamentally painful thing, others don’t. What do you think?

Ah thanks for your response! :)

“..It seems like Ilana operates on a level of comfort with POC that implies authority.” I agree completely! She’s also made statements about loving black folks so much that “it’s almost racist”. And I mean, the fetishization of black folks is pretty universally understood as super racist. 

I think this kind of connects back to her relationship with Lincoln, and while she maintains a friendship with him, it kind of bothers me that Lincoln is the only black reoccurring character on the show, and he is coincidentally the one character she has (relatively) casual, hollow sex with. Granted, later in the series he finally has sex with someone else and she is really supportive.. but still. I just feel like his feelings aren’t really accounted for in the relationship prior. He wants a relationship with her, and she just wants casual sex. I think her fetishization of black folks could even contribute to why she wants to have sex with him in the first place.  

I think the absolute absence of Latina characters on the show bothers me… I think Ilana is kind of.. intentionally outlandish and she makes poor decisions on the regular, and it wouldn’t exactly be super consistent with her character if she was 100% on board and informed on cultural appropriation (maybe.. idk). I just wish that there was a Latina character who was just like “hey, wtf are those? Am I a joke to you?” I don’t know if they could (or should) make a snappy joke about it, but yeah. Then they’d at least be able to have a consistent character. Then again, I make pretty poor decisions on the regular, but I’m not about to sport some “Latina” hoops (or dreads, or a bindi, ect.) as a joke.. 

I’m reminded of Yasmine Nair’s analysis of Orange is the New Black.. Broad City gets an A in queer, and I’d say a D at best in race..

Broad City S03E03

Favorite Ilana Wexler outfits

LEAK THIS GYM’S ADDRESS IMMEDIATELY

I would work out every day if he were my instructor tbh

I’ve reblogged this six million times, and I’ll reblog it seven million more times

A #Moment