G-Chattin’ Modern Family: “Two Monkeys and a Panda” [TV Correspondent Tryout]
By Guest Contributors Amber Jones and Elizabeth Lowry
Episode Recap: Cameron writes a book entitled “Two Monkeys and a Panda” about Lily’s adoption (to dispel any possible stigma) and learns that Mitchell purposefully did not hyphenate Lily’s last name on the adoption papers. Jay and Gloria argue over where their remains will go once they have died. Phil spends the day at a spa while Claire tries to keep peace between her daughters over a shared sweater.
Liz: Ok Amber… a Panda? Really? I know Modern Family likes to make a joke of the ignorance of Cameron and Mitchell when it comes to their transnational adoption, but I had to roll my eyes.
Amber: Girl, I was rolling mine too. I cringe often when Cam and Mitchell talk about Lily. The writers do attempt to make a joke of the ignorance, but I think when it comes to Lily, it gets really hard for me to just laugh it off. For one, Cam and Mitchell seem to be completely OK with exoticizing Lily most of the time. What is that about? Modern Family is so interesting because even though it does show different familial structures, most of the characters are white and upper middle class. :-/
Liz: Yeah, I’m always amused that this show is called Modern Family, as if it’s the “new” family. I’m usually thinking, “whose family is that?” As far as the jokes, I find myself sometimes laughing at the ignorance (cuz the reality is there are ignorant parents) and sometimes cringing when the joke is played less as criticism and more as “awwww look how silly but really cute they are…she’s a panda!” Because you’re right, the jokes exoticize Lily.
Amber: I actually appreciate that the show is called Modern Family, because it does challenge the traditional “nuclear family” ideal. Having two gay dads with an adopted daughter doesn’t fit into that model, and I definitely appreciate having that image (a reality for many people) on screen. And I agree with you, the jokes are executed very well. I often find myself doing the uncomfortable “oh man did they have to go there?” laugh. But I think the “panda” thing kinda turned me off because there isn’t much context for it other than Lily’s “Asian-ness.” Acknowledging that Lily is “Asian,” Vietnamese specifically, is a good thing and extremely important, but I don’t think that Cam and Mitchell explore enough what it means to be two white male parents raising a Vietnamese daughter. I think instead they tend to place the weight of difference on Lily, i.e. in the story Lily is a panda because she’s “Asian” (and they think it’s so clever) while they are monkeys because Cam can draw monkeys (they can choose to be whatever animal they want, with no added connotation or underlying meaning). *Rolls eyes* It just seems as if they fail to see that their whiteness shapes their familial structure just as much as Lily’s “Asian-ness” does.
Liz: You’re right about Modern Family challenging traditional ideals (justly chastened). What makes me pause, however, is that it’s still primarily white families – with a few people of color sprinkled into their world and thus not challenging other representations of “normal” families. And you’re so right about Cam and Mitchell, which is what makes transnational adoption so layered – how do you navigate the terrain of race and culture? In this episode, Cam works hard to take away the stigma of “adoption” (b/c of Oprah lol) and I’d like to see them put the same effort into exploring how they parent as two white male parents of a Vietnamese girl. (Although let me give them kudos for the adoption angle.) At the end they want to write their own parenting book (because they’ve achieved the pinnacle? mmmhmmm), only to discover so many have been written. How about they read those! Lol. Assuming that they’re any good though…cuz I’m sure there are some bogus ones.
Page 1 of 3 | Next page