Whiting Wongs

An honest conversation about race and writing between two people who think very highly of themselves. Dan Harmon and Jessica Gao know they won’t solve racism in Hollywood, but they still like to talk about it. Sometimes with guests!

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1 – Default People
The origin story of this very podcast is revealed (hint/spoiler: it all started with Pickle Rick). Jessica talks about being a writer of color and the Meritocracy Myth. Dan talks about being a white showrunner. We both wonder who is going to listen to this podcast. thank for watching !
2 – Nazis, Trolls, and Dan’s Racist Simulator
We mention and offer no real insight into the Charlottesville Nazi rally, debate how to handle online trolls, and discuss how TV hiring practices affect writing staff diversity. Dan gets preemptively angry at future critics of the podcast.
3 – I Don’t Care If I’m White Or Wong
We discuss the yet-to-be-made HBO show Confederate and the hiring process for Rick & Morty Season 3. Dan attempts and semi-succeeds in creating a Whiting Wongs theme song.
4 – They Invented Those Finger Traps
We take a look at online reactions to the show before discussing racism as a spectrum, how funny a racist joke needs to be in order to be told, and Jessica’s first ever (and life altering) experience eating White food: a bologna and cheese sandwich.
5 – Previous Woke Excavations
This week, we read a listener email and discuss how whitewashing is less of an issue in Asian countries as it is in the U.S. Dan gives insight on the casting choices for the Community pilot, and we talk about the decisions and arguments that lead to a diverse cast.
6 – Asian Detecting Spears
We start by discussing the bottlenecks for hiring a diverse staff and debate how struggling white writers can respond to and recognize privilege. Also, Dan and Jessica teeter on the brink of fighting but are saved by an insane Great Wall metaphor.
7 – Thanksgiving Special: You Can’t Buy Height
Jessica’s mom has discovered the podcast, and Jessica’s horror leads to a discussion about American families vs. Chinese-American families. Jessica reveals her family’s experience during the Mao regime. After some interrogation, Dan’s opinion of Chinese food is revealed, and it is shocking.

 

8 – This Some White Nonsense with Brittani Nichols
Our first ever guest, writer and actor Brittani Nichols (Transparent, Suicide Kale) joins us to talk about her experiences being the only POC in writers’ rooms. Plus, we revisit Confederate and answer listener emails.
9 – Chinese Questions, Uber Rides, and Sharks
This week, Dan asks Jessica a Chinese question, how race played into a risky Uber ride, and a long discussion about sharks that we struggle to relate to race. Also, we discuss POC writers facing harsher scrutiny and the positives and negatives that come with diversity programs.

 

10 – Iranian Gangster in a Zoot Suit
From the Ethnically Ambiguous podcast, Anna Hossnieh & Shereen Lani Younes join us to discuss being Middle Eastern in America, the cultural effects of crying, and the different ways their families dealt with the travel ban. Plus, we learn from a listener email why Middle Easterners are “legally white”.