The 'T-dog' syndrome....

Was this written by a 1st grader? Spelling and sentence formation are horrible.

@screenwriter
i haven't seen the show nor have i read the graphic novel from which it is based on. so i cannot be deemed an expert of The Walking Dead.
but i consider an expert when it comes to TV and movies.

every film and TV series have what i call throw away characters. these are the guys who are not central in the general plot, but add another level to any project. now these characters can and usually are extraordinarily simple: T-Dog for instance. from your description, he is simple in concept and in nature. there have been many characters like him over the years and there will doubtlessly be more. Astinos from 300, Agent Clay from Hellboy, Phil from Ghost Rider, Happy from Iron Man (although i hope his character is properly developed in Iron Man 3!), etc.
and then there are the deeper characters that may start small but grow into something larger. did you know that John Constantine first had a meager cameo appearance in an issue of Swamp Thing? and i hope that you know that the Punisher's first appearance was as the villain of a one maybe two issue Spider-man arc.

granted, some writers do exploit sterotypes, but to do so, they may actually have good reason. just because you haven't met someone named T-Dog or something similar doesn't mean that the writers have not. most writers work out of their bedrooms or home offices. only the lucky few score it big.

so isn't it a distinct possibility that there was no malice intended by introducing a sterotypical character into a TV series where the very premise is unbelievable?

Freakin spell check!!!! I meant Cracker ass.

Im over 30 yrs.. Ive heard white, black, purple, yellow give themselves the craziest name's like a "T-DOG" you haven't seen it or heard it all yet... I would of left the racist man up there personally...

T-BAG!!! : P

I watched the new episode this morning. This whole redneck-on-the-roof thing kinda reminds me of the old Sgt Rock story "Color of His Blood". Jackie Johnson saved the life of a racist G.I. by giving him a transfusion on the battlefield. At the end, the racist repents his evil ways. He says, as medics carry him away on a stretcher, "His blood is red...."(or words to that effect)

Anyway, my point is, I'm waiting to see if this racist will see the error of his ways, or will he become zombie chow?

@ screenwriter, noble effort and I see your point but seriously don't harp on everything that happens to a black person just because you are black. The world/"Man" is not out to get you. Character development is completely necessary in order to produce a good piece of literature of film. Always remember that the knife cuts both ways. Have you ever wondered why there is a BET channel or why black people in general are referred to as African Americans instead of just Americans? Why there is an African American section in the bookstore housing only black authors? White people didn't do this. At some point one or many black people got together and said "why isn't there a section with stuff for just my people?" It's all misguided nonsense.