All of my thoughts are in response to the article "The bar for TV diversity is way too low" by Roxane Gay from http://www.salon.com/2013/08/22/the_bar_for_tv_diversity_is_way_too_low/.
Roxane Gay went on a tangent about how racial minority stereotypes are displayed in Orange is the New Black. This is accurate, but I think Gay is looking at with with a narrow lens as she herself is a racial minority. Sure, racial minorities definitely have stereotypes demonstrated on the show. But what about the white people? Gay neglected to discuss the negative stereotypes of white characters in OITNB. So let's point out some of the negative stereotypes associated with specific characters:
Tiffany 'Pennsatucky' Doggett: methed out crazy Jesus freak
Galina 'Red' Reznikov: crazy mean Russian
Tricia Miler: white trash, drugs
Yoga Jones: pot smoking hippie
Other stereotypes for multiple characters: all of the white lesbians
It's fair to argue that OINTB only addresses surface level diversity. However, it's not fair to use the argument of racial minority diversity falling short in a world of white privilege, when clearly there are negative white stereotypes presented, too.
What about the representation of men on the show too? In general, the men are pigs. We get our hero in John Bennett, who actually cares about developing a genuine relationship with an inmate, but otherwise the security men of the jail are sex-driven pigs. Even Piper's husband, who generally would be perceived as a good guy, falls short and uses his selfishness to pursue his writing career at the expense of spilling Piper's secrets of the inmates in the jail.
There's a lot of bad stereotypes fulfilled in Orange is the New Black. But let's not forget how much progress has been made with this show. People wouldn't have even considered such minorities before had it not been presented in the show. It's a start. And a darn good start at that. But you should watch the show for yourself and make your own judgment.
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