[Kaze404]

I watched a video recently that touched on this subject when talking about the TV show House. If you read the script for a regular House episode, there's no conclusion to be had besides House being an insufferable, racist prick. Instead, Hugh Laurie delivers the obviously racist lines so sarcastically that it makes them work very well (which is obviously what the writers were going on).

[learnstats2]

I've recently watched House and I found this more uncomfy than I did the first time.

House (the character) is often being plainly racist and sexist. The fact that he presents it as sarcasm is a vehicle for him, used to make his racism more difficult to challenge.

[matt-attack]

But can’t shows be about racist people? I mean there’s shows about murderers all day. Do people critique shows (think Dexter) as “uncomfy”? You can laugh at, and even find endearing, racists characters. It’s part of being a grown up I believe.

[learnstats2]

If there are more shows with racist people as the endearing title character than there are with black people as the endearing title character, is that not a problem?

[Kaze404]

For sure. The way it's delivered doesn't excuse the content in the slightest, but it still plays off the tone the show is going for.