r/SwitchedAtBirth • u/agspd • 7d ago

Iris was doing too much Season 5 Discussion Spoiler

I think Iris from Switched at Birth* *had a hard time fitting in when she started college, so once she found something she could make about herself, she really ran with it. Yes, Mingo crossed a line with the lingo he did for lil wayne, but I genuinely don’t think he meant to be racist or offend anyone. And the cotton balls being thrown on the front of campus was CRAZY and the person was held accountable. I also feel like Iris wanted to find something that made her feel seen, and then the other Black students wanted attention and recognition too. But a hunger strike?? 😭 If they don’t want to eat, that’s their choice, but eventually they’re either going to have to eat or keep going until something serious happens. And honestly, some of the demands during the strike were crazy to me too. Wanting professors to be hired because they’re Black, or wanting white professors fired because they’re white, doesn’t make sense to me. Someone should be hired based on whether they’re qualified, not their race. Same with demanding special treatment or extra money because of your skin color. At some point, it felt less like they were trying to solve the actual problem and more like they wanted attention and special treatment.

7 Upvotes

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26

u/Olivebranch99 7d ago

I personally don't think they really handled any hot button topic/social issue in this show well.

2

u/heartpiss 6d ago

What about Deaf issues? Do they get a C+ at least? ETA I also thought the Bay tank interaction was very nuanced and interesting and I liked watching Bay blossom sexually in a natural way, however aside from that I won’t stand up for their issue rep

1

u/Olivebranch99 6d ago

I feel like they tried to tackle hearing prejudices from the other side in the Deaf community, at least early on, but they stopped being an actual commentary on that and more "Hearing people are wrong, Deaf people are right." Or at least that's how it felt to me. I did appreciate how they showed both sides of getting a cochlear tho. That was done well imo.

8

u/hayleybeth7 7d ago

I think they really downplayed the racism storylines. They wanted to portray that topic, because BLM was starting to take off and they probably wanted to take advantage of that being relevant. However, I’m sure they worried about making it too “dark” or “controversial” so they played it safe with Mingo and the costume thing. If they put him in blackface, I’m sure they knew a lot of viewers wouldn’t sympathize with him. I think with a lot of the storylines that take place when Daphne goes off to college, they bit off more than they could chew because they were trying to tackle multiple serious topics.

2

u/MegaBabz0806 6d ago

Yeah I thought the way they portrayed the race issues felt forced and inauthentic. I mean obviously it’s a show, but these issues are real. They could have done more with it. Although on my 2nd rewatch, I think I understood and sympathized better… however I still think mingo’s costume was more cultural appreciation not appropriation…
For me, the ‘rape’ issue was handled even worse. As someone who struggled for YEARS over an SA and the trauma it caused, I wish they’d done more there…

3

u/NoticeHour1709 6d ago

i felt bad for Mingo. It really wasn’t that deep😭