Awesome scenes and lines from tv on race

[Delta4Embassy]

Am a huge fan of Aaron Sorkin and especially his "The West Wing." Own the dvd set and have watched it beginning to end so many times the dvds are beginning to skip and get old. One of the best bits is pasted below and is about the hiring of Dule' Hill's character Charles Young.

"JOSH
Hey Leo, can I ask you a question?

LEO
What?

JOSH
I'm interviewing this kid for Ted Miller's job, and he's a real special
kid. He's
applied himself in school, I'm sure he'd be articulate if he wasn't
terrified. He's
postponing college until his sister gets out of high school.

LEO
Where are the parents?

JOSH
Father's long gone. His mother was a uniformed cop here in D.C.

LEO
Was?

JOSH
She was shot and killed in the line five months ago. [beat] I really like
him Leo.
I want to hire him.

LEO
What's the problem?

JOSH
He's black.

LEO
So's the Attorney General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs?

JOSH
They don't hold the door open for the President.

LEO
What are you worried...?

JOSH
I'm not wild about the visual. A young black man holding his overnight bag?

LEO
Josh, I hold the door open for the President, it's an honor. This is serious
business
Josh. This isn't casting. We get the guy for the job and we take it from
there.

JOSH
Good.

LEO
And I'm fairly sure I'm right about this."

later in the episode LEO above asks Admiral Fitwallace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about it,

"LEO
Yeah. [beat] Uh, hey Fitz?

FITZWALLACE
Yeah?

LEO
The President's personal aide, they're looking at a kid. Do you have any
problem
with a young black man waiting on the President?

FITZWALLACE
I'm an old black man and I wait on the President.

LEO
The kid's gotta carry his bags...

FITZWALLACE
You gonna pay him a decent wage?

LEO
Yeah.

FITZWALLACE
You gonna treat him with respect in the workplace?

LEO
Yeah.

FITZWALLACE
Then why the hell should I care?

LEO
That's what I thought.

FITZWALLACE
I've got some real honest to God battles to fight Leo. I don't have time
for the
cosmetic ones.

LEO
Thanks Admiral. Good luck.

FITZWALLACE
See you later."

Search or Browse The West Wing Transcripts -- View or Search transcripts and summaries

Full episode here,

 

[blastoff]

An interesting portrayal of how some idiots are scared to death at the prospect of ending up on the wrong side of the PC gestapo.

 

[William Joyce]

Yes, on TV, race and race relations look great.

But the truth is that Bill Cosby is a rapist and OJ Simpson is a murderer.