Why Mindy Kaling's Velma Is An Insult To Scooby-Doo Hardcore Fans
There have been several generations who have enjoyed Scooby-Doo. Due to its straightforward comedy and inventive plotlines, The Beloved Great Dane and His Detective Squad became a huge success. The animation effortlessly captures viewers' attention despite not making a lot of effort. One important factor in their ability to amass a sizable fan base is the distinct characteristics of each character. Furthermore, the show doesn't concentrate on any one character in particular.
The focus of Mindy Kaling's most recent effort, Velma, is on Velma Dinkley, who is the most intelligent member of the group and maybe the group's brain. While Velma has proved to be a huge failure, Kaling is one strong woman who is prospering in Hollywood. It is clear that one cannot anticipate the original Scooby-Doo enthusiasm from this series given that it is recognized as the worst animated program on IMDb with a rating of 1.3 out of 10.
The "insulting" of Scooby Doo by Velma garnered a lot of backlash on social media right from the first episode. Despite the fact that the show made an effort to go in a constructive direction by switching out the original white-only heroes for a diverse cast, it was all in vain because of the serious issues the program had. There are various reasons why the program has drawn such unfavorable criticism, from poor comedy to excessive sexualization.
Even though Velma is classified as a comedy series, it is undoubtedly more uncomfortable than funny. It's true that the show made an effort to be humorous and make viewers laugh, but both the strategy and the gags themselves fell flat. The show makes fun of Hollywood clichés by making allusions to them in an effort to evoke amusement. By doing this, the original series' comedy is removed and replaced with clumsy attempts at sarcasm and ridicule. The little comedy the program has is diminished by the recurrence of this tactic. Ironically, the characters themselves embody these cliches, despite the series' attempts to parody them. Except for Fred, the sole distinction is that they are not all white.
Velma's dark skin color is unquestionably a good alteration. She doesn't see the value of her own culture, though. In various episodes of the program, Velma has made fun of her South Asian culture. This feeds South Asian prejudices, which harms these varied depictions. Moreover, Velma's persona can seem quite similar to those who have seen Kaling's earlier programs. This character arc was first seen in Devi's character in Never Have I Ever and is now shown in Velma. Devi is a brown girl who always gets into trouble, obsesses over white males, and is occasionally insensitive. It could work for Devi's character, but Velma cannot use it. This is so because Velma in Velma is a character that has previously been created in a different way.
Due to its capacity to emphasize comedy and mystery, Scooby-Doo was ideal for all audiences, regardless of age. Velma, on the other hand, appears to be making a concerted effort to be "woke," which oversexualizes the show. Although it is much appreciated when sex-positive content is included, exploiting sex or nudity to grab viewers' attention is never a smart idea. Velma may have even gone too far since, at one point, we catch her making fun of the #MeToo movement. There is unmistakable insensitivity when such a potent movement, which has a significant place in female history, is made fun of. Velma is also seen pole dancing in order to catch her father's eye. For some viewers, the continuous sexual jokes seem to be too much. Given that the protagonists are high school students, such representations become quite problematic.
One Twitter user, as quoted by DailyMail, said that "shower runner basically just slapped down Scooby Doo names but none of them are genuinely their characters," which, regrettably, sums up what every Velma watcher has been saying. Velma appears to be in no way connected to the original Scooby-Doo, as seen by the glaring absence of everyone's beloved Great Dane, Scooby, and the extremely regrettable modifications made to each and every member of the fabled Mystery gang. Fred is characterized as a clueless white child who can't even chop his own food, while Daphne is shown as a bully. Amazingly, Shaggy is more intelligent than Velma. It doesn't get any better when Shaggy's crush on Velma is mentioned. Unfortunately, this iteration of the mystery group fails to evoke nostalgia or do the original characters credit.
The focus of Mindy Kaling's most recent effort, Velma, is on Velma Dinkley, who is the most intelligent member of the group and maybe the group's brain. While Velma has proved to be a huge failure, Kaling is one strong woman who is prospering in Hollywood. It is clear that one cannot anticipate the original Scooby-Doo enthusiasm from this series given that it is recognized as the worst animated program on IMDb with a rating of 1.3 out of 10.
The "insulting" of Scooby Doo by Velma garnered a lot of backlash on social media right from the first episode. Despite the fact that the show made an effort to go in a constructive direction by switching out the original white-only heroes for a diverse cast, it was all in vain because of the serious issues the program had. There are various reasons why the program has drawn such unfavorable criticism, from poor comedy to excessive sexualization.
It's Not Even funny Like A Scooby-Doo Movie
Even though Velma is classified as a comedy series, it is undoubtedly more uncomfortable than funny. It's true that the show made an effort to be humorous and make viewers laugh, but both the strategy and the gags themselves fell flat. The show makes fun of Hollywood clichés by making allusions to them in an effort to evoke amusement. By doing this, the original series' comedy is removed and replaced with clumsy attempts at sarcasm and ridicule. The little comedy the program has is diminished by the recurrence of this tactic. Ironically, the characters themselves embody these cliches, despite the series' attempts to parody them. Except for Fred, the sole distinction is that they are not all white.
Stereotypes of South Asians Are Cringeworthy
Velma's dark skin color is unquestionably a good alteration. She doesn't see the value of her own culture, though. In various episodes of the program, Velma has made fun of her South Asian culture. This feeds South Asian prejudices, which harms these varied depictions. Moreover, Velma's persona can seem quite similar to those who have seen Kaling's earlier programs. This character arc was first seen in Devi's character in Never Have I Ever and is now shown in Velma. Devi is a brown girl who always gets into trouble, obsesses over white males, and is occasionally insensitive. It could work for Devi's character, but Velma cannot use it. This is so because Velma in Velma is a character that has previously been created in a different way.
Over-Sexualization
Due to its capacity to emphasize comedy and mystery, Scooby-Doo was ideal for all audiences, regardless of age. Velma, on the other hand, appears to be making a concerted effort to be "woke," which oversexualizes the show. Although it is much appreciated when sex-positive content is included, exploiting sex or nudity to grab viewers' attention is never a smart idea. Velma may have even gone too far since, at one point, we catch her making fun of the #MeToo movement. There is unmistakable insensitivity when such a potent movement, which has a significant place in female history, is made fun of. Velma is also seen pole dancing in order to catch her father's eye. For some viewers, the continuous sexual jokes seem to be too much. Given that the protagonists are high school students, such representations become quite problematic.
None of the Characters Respect Their Original Counterparts
One Twitter user, as quoted by DailyMail, said that "shower runner basically just slapped down Scooby Doo names but none of them are genuinely their characters," which, regrettably, sums up what every Velma watcher has been saying. Velma appears to be in no way connected to the original Scooby-Doo, as seen by the glaring absence of everyone's beloved Great Dane, Scooby, and the extremely regrettable modifications made to each and every member of the fabled Mystery gang. Fred is characterized as a clueless white child who can't even chop his own food, while Daphne is shown as a bully. Amazingly, Shaggy is more intelligent than Velma. It doesn't get any better when Shaggy's crush on Velma is mentioned. Unfortunately, this iteration of the mystery group fails to evoke nostalgia or do the original characters credit.
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