The Perpetuating Whiteness in Today's Films

I am constantly baffled at the still perpetuating amount of Caucasian actors and the lack of diversity in today’s film industry. This can range anywhere from the newest comedies, like "The Intern," to action movies like "Jurassic World," to superhero movies like "The Avengers." There may be one or two characters of another ethnicity, such as one African-American or one Indian, but the majority of the characters, especially the main characters, remain to be white.

Why do you think that is? In the 21st century world that we are supposed to be living in, where racism and discrimination are frowned upon, why is there still a permanence, a continuity, and a focus on almost all Caucasian casts in the film industry? What is it about Hollywood that still lacks diversity? Is it the still perpetuating white privilege of society that elevates Caucasian opportunities, but diminishes that of other ethnicities?

  • I think some reasons might include the following. 1. Minorities are.... minorities because there are less of them. So just that fact alone would mean that I would expect to see more white actors than other cultures. 2. People like to watch characters they relate to. So a white girl living in the suburbs probably wants to watch some white girl living in the suburbs. And so Hollywood gives us some white girl in the suburbs part 2. But maybe the article could comment on this. Is it really true? Or does Hollywood just assume that of us? And if it is true, how can we change the way people think so that they can relate to actors of all ethnicities and not have it detract from the way they view a film? – Tatijana 5 years ago
  • I like that last point, about whether or not it's really true or if it's just the way Hollywood sees society. This could make for a very interesting article if delved in deep enough. – selysrivera 5 years ago
  • I don't read comics but "The Avengers" is based on a source material and Sgt. Fury is Samuel L Jackson. I think you need to differentiate films that are original versus films based off another work. Otherwise, this topic seems like it brings up good points! – Connor 5 years ago
  • Also, keep in mind that a lot of film ideas are taken from previous sources and the film industry consciously makes the decision to grossly misrepresent characters that are already POC in their original works. A good example of this would be Tiger Lily from the movie "Pan". – Rachel 5 years ago
  • Money, honey! At the end of the day, producers feel they will get top dollar because people will pay to see White actors. – Munjeera 5 years ago
  • There is at least one article currently pending which talks about diversity (or a lack thereof in films) and several articles on this site which talk about whiteness in different media already published. How is this topic any different? – Christen Mandracchia 5 years ago

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