When we were talking about racism in class I remember the point that racism "is still there, but more hidden" sticking out to me the most. The next day I came across an article talking about the "whitewashing" of the movie industry. In this case the whitewashing is the selection of white actors to fill the main hero roles instead of the people of color the source material requires. This week the movie Prince of Persia came out starring not a Persian, nor even close to a Persian, actor Jake Gyllenhaal. And in the coming weeks the movie Avatar: The Last Airbender based on a kids TV show that stars characters of many races and cultures will be released staring 3 white actors and 1 minority actor. This is definitely not the first time something like this has happened in Hollywood. I remember when the movie 21 came out and there were several people who felt it was wrong to turn a true story base book focused on Asian-Americans to a movie full of a white cast. Why does Hollywood need to bend the source material of these intellectual properties when making a movie? Does a movie need to star a white cast for these films to be successful?
Personally I think it's wrong and shouldn't still be happening. I don't think it would be hard to get the right actors of the right race and ethnicity to fill these casting rolls. And I also don't think that I need to see a cast of white heroes every time I go see a movie. In fact I feel that Hollywood is telling me I can't enjoy the movie unless I see a white person on the big screen. If a film was more culturally diverse wouldn't you be reaching out to more of the worldwide audience? For fans of the source material, the ones who would most likely go see the movie in the first place, this is hurting them the most. In the article a mother of a young Asian-American boy says that the movie studios "seem to have no clue that there's this huge fan base of young Asian-Americans who were delighted to see themselves" on screen," and also that "It could have really been groundbreaking. That's what is so sad about this." I feel that there really is a lack of minorities given big roles in movies, and now when there was a chance the studios take away all the interest of these families. Hollywood has a history of stereotyping races and pushing minorities to the secondary roles and when big money is on the line I don't see this trend of hidden racism stopping.
(http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/critics-airbender-prince-were-whitewashed-ap)
-Zachary Lewkowicz
-post 2 Apr26-
It is safe to say that racism is definitely around still even though it may have died down a little. America has lost the identity of being a racist country over the years but it has found ways to keep it's old negative ways around still. I am sure that there are many racist incidents that happen every day and continue to happen to this day. Most people don't want a reputation of being blatantly racist, instead they find ways to hide it. America has changed dramatically about racism compared to the years long ago.
ReplyDeleteI encountered what I believe a racist act not too long ago. I was eating a restaurant as I got up to leave my wallet fell. I walked off about 10 feet not knowing that my wallet has fell out of my pocket. The restaurant that I was eating at had predominately white people eating there. I am sure that most of them were quite aware that my wallet had dropped and none of them took the time to let me know. A black men and his family had walked in and handed me my wallet. Is this a situation of racism?
Zach: Really interesting examples from popular culture. The trend you identify within the film industry seems quite predominate and troubling. Can you relate this example to any of our readings on racism?
ReplyDeleteJerry: You present an interesting example to consider of "new racism." I think your experience gives credit to Omi and Winant's assertion that all of our actions with other people are shaped, in part, by societal ideas of "proper" racial etiquette.
Jeff: I was mainly relating this example to what Tatum says in the first paragraph of her Defining Racism article. She says something to the effect that if you think racism has disappeared from society, that your not looking close enough or in the right places. And one of these places would be looking at the media, or in this case the behind the scenes system of Hollywood movies.
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