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NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Turns TV Critic and Blasts HBO’s ‘Girls’ for Being ‘too self-conscious, too cutesy, and not that funny.’ And Then There’s All That Sex. Bottom Line, Though, He Says Why We Should Pay Attention to the Series

Jan 31, 2013  •  Post A Comment

NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes in a blog entry at The Huffington Post that HBO’s "Girls" should be watched "because the show obviously is struggling to be a voice of its generation. … ‘Girls’ wants to tell us something important about twentysomething females of the 21st Century. And, as the elders of our society, we should always be listening to those new voices crying out. But what are they telling us?"

Here is what Abdul-Jabbar says "Girls" is telling us:

1) Their world is mostly white.

2) They like to talk about (and sometimes engage in) sex.

3) They’re too self-conscious, too cutesy, and not that funny,

4) The guys are more interesting than the girls.

Abdul-Jabbar’s comments under each of these headings are more insightful than some who write regularly about TV. For example, under "Their world is mostly white" he writes, in part, "I don’t believe that people of color, sexual preference, or gender need to be shaken indiscriminately into every series like some sort of exotic seasoning. If the story calls for a black character, great. A story about a black neighborhood doesn’t necessarily need white characters just to balance the racial profile. But this [season’s introduction of a black character on ‘Girls’] really seemed like an effort was made to add some color — and it came across as forced."

Under the heading "They like to talk about (and sometimes engage in) sex," Abdul-Jabbar writes, in part, "It’s like a checklist of being naughty: masturbation (check), sex during period (check), oral sex (check), anal sex (check), virginity (check), etc. The show is actually at its most engaging during these awkward, fumbling, and mostly embarrassing (for the characters) scenes."

Abdul-Jabbar concludes, " ‘Girls’ ‘ heart and mind is in the right place. It wants to be more than the sum of its familiar parts. And sometimes it is. Maybe this season its voice will be louder and clearer and have more to say. It’s worth listening for."

We urge you to click on the link above and read all of Abdul-Jabbar’s comments about "Girls."

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