A Look Inside ABC's Welcome to the Neighborhood
The un-aired ABC reality show Welcome to the Neighborhood featured three conservative Christian families choosing a family from an "alternative" pool of contestants (African-American, Hispanic, Korean, Wiccan, tattooed, gay, and a strip-tease artist) in order to find a new neighbor for an Austin, Texas cul-de-sac. The Chicago Tribune takes a look at the entire series and reports that the taping exposed that city's ugly discriminatory underbelly.
Writer Howard Witt reports that the show itself actually revealed some softening of prejudicial attitudes after the damning first two episodes which most critics of the series saw. The finalists came down to the black couple and the gay couple, and the resident who declared he would never tolerate homosexuals said "You forget about the gay issue and realize they are just people" while another resident declared "what nice, pleasant and even well-versed people" he found in the black family.
In real life, however, an entirely different story was playing out. When the gay couple won the house, the neighbors behind them put theirs up for sale, saying they couldn't live near homosexuals. And recently, another black family bought a house on the cul-de-sac, prompting one of the more tolerant residents on the street to comment, "I'm feeling a little uncomfortable for them, not really knowing what they were getting into. I hope they'll like it here."
Welcome to the Neighborhood: Roll Out the Unwelcome Wagon
[chicago tribune]
(thanks Brian)
UPDATE: Reality blurred reports that FOX Reality Channel has made ABC an offer for the series but ABC refuses to let it go. ABC Entertainment President McPherson: "If I don’t think something should be aired, why would I sell it to somebody else? For financial gain or just to get it out there? That doesn’t make any (sense). If you don’t think something is responsible to be broadcast, why would you encourage it to be broadcast elsewhere?"
Posted Aug. 3,2005 at 10:45 AM EST by Andy Towle in Film and TV | Permalink
OK. I'm convinced now. It's clear that Austin is the most diverse and accepting place on earth. Why fight it any longer?
With the exception of the only three allegedly bigoted families in Austin, who allegedly lived on the same block and allegedly happened to appear on a television show (that none of us has ever seen), everyone there (who Wayne knows) loves the gays and the blacks and the presumably the Wiggles. In fact, they are so tolerant and accepting, that they accept and tolerate the alleged bigots. I heart Austin.
Screw closed-minded NYC, I'm moving to Texas!
Posted by: Drew | Aug 3, 2005 5:25:14 PM
I'll second what both Wayne and Craig have said. I'm a fourth generation Texan who has lived all over the state. Born and raised in a deeply conservative, rural family, I have never encountered anything even remotely resembling Leland others perverse view of Texas.
I've had two gay "bashing" experiences in my life and both of them took place in Miami. Intolerance exists everywhere and you guys must take great comfort pointing at another place other than your gay ghetto and believing that the hate is only there. Get real!
And seriously Leland, you need some help. I would imagine the police detained you because it would be hard not to see all that festering anger and hatred inside you and they probably wanted to err on the side of safety and make sure they didn't have psychopath on their hands.
Posted by: Mitch | Aug 3, 2005 5:28:47 PM
Why are Texans so defensive about Texas? I don't know of people from any other states so defensive about where they come from? Are we not all Americans first? I just got back from Hawaii and they were a sovereign people for centuries and they love their culture but they are not nearly as stridently defensive as Texans.
Lighten up, crack open a Lone Star and kiss you man.
Posted by: Donald | Aug 3, 2005 6:08:04 PM
I would answer that Donald by saying why do people so viscerally dislike Texas? No state, except maybe New Jersey, which, completely deserves it ;-), gets as much bashing as Texas does. Much of it from people that the limits of their experience in the state is a connecting flight at DF/W.
Posted by: Mitch | Aug 3, 2005 6:27:53 PM
Lone Star beer is ________.
(Delicious, if a watery and acquired taste.)
Posted by: david | Aug 3, 2005 6:30:49 PM
Don't mess with Texas!
Posted by: Wayne | Aug 3, 2005 7:02:52 PM
Oh come on people, get a grip!
This is a "reality" TV show; hence it is inherently fake. The initial redneck hick comments, down to the so-called "epiphanies" of the later episodes... no doubt brought on by careful scripting, editing and off-camera cajolery by the producers, for maximum dramatic and ratings purposes.
Trying to draw any deep social science conclusions from a show like this, cancelled or not, is utter nonsense.
Posted by: Cassius | Aug 3, 2005 11:20:50 PM
You're right Cassius. All the more reason that ABC should never air it since the producers are probably complicit in fueling the bigotry in order to make the show "entertaining."
Posted by: Mitch | Aug 4, 2005 1:44:49 PM
"And seriously Leland, you need some help. I would imagine the police detained you because it would be hard not to see all that festering anger and hatred inside you and they probably wanted to err on the side of safety and make sure they didn't have psychopath on their hands. - Mitch"
How dare you, you inbred ton of TexASS trailer trash. Please let us know when your statue unveiling is scheduled.
Posted by: Leland | Aug 5, 2005 1:43:21 PM
I'm not from Texas but have lived in Austin for 11 years. Circle C is not really considered true Austin. That said, the perception of Austin doesn't live up to the reality.
The tech boom really changed the face of the city from a cool, hip, hippie college town to a more typical American city.
But there are still many pockets of the cool Austin that remain, and Travis County did go for Kerry in '04. Probably the only one in Texas.
Bigots exist eveywhere. It's just not as open in many parts of the country as it is in the South, but it's equally dangerous.
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