I feel like some sort of tragedy must happen, like in movies like , An good example of people being upset over a previously white character, is the backlash over Halle Bailey playing Ariel in an upcoming revamp . Now, it's time to let people of color have the same opportunity. I'm sorry. In a 1951 letter to a potential editor, Milton Waldman, Tolkien stated that he had intended to dedicate his work to England, but in the same letter also wrote that he wanted to leave space for other minds and hands to contribute to his mythology. Theoretically, there could be people from all over the world coming there. Home Movie News Black Superman Is Lazy; Detests Idris Elba In Role Says Marvel Writer, Nnedi Okorafor, a Nigerian-American writer of fantasy and science fiction for both children and adults and who has written for Marvel, states the Black Superman is a lazy sad useless idea.. Speak for yourself. Because in my country, Indonesia, we never deal that problem again in now days. Sorry I meant Help to fight racism not help it. White people are indigenous to Britain and Europe, and theyre entitled to have their historical stories (from the days before the largescale Asian and African immigration to Europe in the 20th century) depicted by actors of their own national ethnicities. I don't think so. But I also really love drawing black characters. A black character redrawn as white decreases black representation and visibility when they're already historically underrepresented in media. Idk like sometimes I don't get it you know? I understand this, and even once I did draw an anime character I like with an ethnic appearance. Representing people of color beyond the stereotypes attached to us is extremely important. But putting on an all-black production is not really the same as taking one central character like Bond, like Superman, like Ariel and recasting them as a different race; the passage of time gives these sudden race adjustments the feeling of you cant be white anymore because diversity and thats my problem with it. You sidestep black-washing. If the character is based on a real person in reality is more where I personally draw the line. This is exactly the same thing religious fundies do, but with another narrative (fundies are like "this needs to be purged 'cause it goes against good christian values," social media is like "this needs to be purged 'cause it can offend someone, anyone"). Despite Tolkiens overall message of friendship and co-operation, and despite his raging against the Nazis, the face of evil in Middle-earth is invariably non-white/non-European. And that was truly inauthentic of me. People have the right to draw it. However, Tolkien never actually referred to his own work in this way. People who get mad at Lady Thor or black Superman also get mad at Zack Snyders murdering Batman and Bendis desecration of Jon Kent. Fast-forward to now: interestingly enough it is Disney and the Disney-owned . coloured people. , a 2017 film starring Scarlett Johansson as the main character. If Anne Boleyn can be played by a black actress, so Malcolm X or Hiram Rhodes Revels can be played by a white or Asian man. Execs are on social media and they know whats out there and sadly adding POC to media to them is like a marketing decision or something, not just adding them cause their people. The same can happen to you for totally inofensive reasons, but it has less of a chance of happening if you always stay true to yourself. This is also racist due to the harmful anti black history whitewashing black characters has. and more importantly, portraying white and black people living peacefully They were actually black. "Blackwashing white characters is not a step forward. However, I am conflicted with what you are saying, or what you are trying to prove. I Really, Really Want to See. Whitewashing is racist, but blackwashing is an act of anti-racism. I'm black and honestly i think that all types of "washing" are something that should not be touched. James Bond is and always will be a white male! In this case that means seeing what it would look like if say, Tanjiro was designed as a black character. It's been done many times in movies and television shows. That's true to his character! Of course its geared towards being positive within your demographic. Fast-forward to now: interestingly enough it is Disney and the Disney-owned Marvel Comics Universe (MCU) that are leading the charge in this whole new world of color (and gender) inclusion. Imma draw whatever I like, and I won't be sorry for it, either. Its an issue that needs to certainly be reformed. We need new stories. Throughout all of human history we see more idealizing artworks than those showing reality. quotations . Okorafor continued by making it clear to fans that she said what she meant to say. Also, you should stop caring about what's problematic. racism is a symptom of a problem: FORCING your views on others. Well, they Blackwashing of British or European stories is culturally troublesome. Both phenomena are the same. I posted this video a few weeks ago discussing the reaction people have to Zazie Beetz's casting as Domino in Deadpool 2. At the heart of this topic is the importance of visual representation in media. There has been a lot of backlash with both whitewashing, and blackwashing, some arguments saying that one is better than the other and some saying they are both the same. I don't draw fanart that much nowadays, so you can also save the pearl clutches. An good example of people being upset over a previously white character, is the backlash over Halle Bailey playing Ariel in an upcoming revamp The Little Mermaid.. Yes, there were If that character were to be played by an actor of color, there would be nothing wrong with it. do invent new characters with attributes you desire, This is the essence of fanart, and there's a lot like you out there. The film takes place in Futuristic Japan, and the main character, Major, was originally Japanese. By drawing racist portrayals of Asian or Black characters, we promote a bad mind set for future works. But there are many different kinds of slavery. Some people will get backlash for drawing anime characters as melanated/ethnic people, saying that its taking away Asian representation. Fiction and reality are two different things, but my points are essentially fall under the same thing. We focus on bringing you all things fun so you can plan your theme park vacation, enjoy Disney at home, and more. And you can be both Japanese and black. That will be my favorite character hands down for the entirety of the show. And why would he even mention the word chilling alongside the titles of these films? Take that Anne Boylan for example the attitude to Black people in that era was not the same as it would later become so a Black or Dark skinned ambassador from Spain for example would have been treated no different to a white ambassador from France, that would have been a good platform to point out that racism the way it exists today is a modern phenomena not an ingrained human reaction to the other. Why should there be chillin? The injection of non-white characters into the show becomes even more problematic when considering that there were many . This criticism applies more to the, The problem Inside the Magic is the worlds largest website for fans of Disney World, Disneyland, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Isaiah, 13, says, When I was around the age of ten I drew the character IDarwin from The Amazing World of Gumball. Darwin in the show is a fish and I had drawn him as a human with brown skin. The results show that blackwashing is a stepping-stone to quality Black representation in the Hollywood film industry. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. White people are not underrepresented in media. Now, If the Character had an Unnatural skin tone to begin with (Green, Pink, Blue etc.) Seriously! The Broadway smash hit Hamilton is a good example of this. But I dont think blackwashing is right either. Actually, its probably worst, as Hollywood is just tacking on black and other minority actoris in leading roles that were written for white actors to fill a diversity quota, and theyre only doing it because of the pressure from the public. How are we gonna evolve creatively as a species if we let a bunch of idiots dictate what's correct and what's not? J.R.R. blackwashing is even worse than plain racism. By the time of colonialism they would've long become a mixed race. And it WILL bite us in the backside down the line. Blackwashing doesn't exist because black people don't dominate Hollywood and haven't played white characters to dehumanize them. If diversity and Inclusion is important, Is it not worth the work? A fan apparently replied in a now-deleted tweet recommending Idris Elba in the role of the new Black Superman, but Nnedi Okorafor was quick to shoot that down as well. The wealth of the "Western" nations and their white citizens is built on the legacy of colonialism and imperialism (= the blood, sweat and tears of coloured people). Similarly Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four comic book series is a member of a heretofore white family system (husband, wife, her brother, and husbands best friend) but now for some reason has become the black brother of the white wife why? a horrible and extremely racist idea: Because blackwashing means. Reproducing this white/non-white divide along moral lines would endorse a very old fashioned and harmful equation of physical characteristics with moral choices. cakes. parts of Africa actually look differently. A black Peter Parker has the potential to offer a much fresher and . people earlier as portrayed in the cartoon? "The wealth of the "Western" nations and their white citizens is built on the blood, sweat and tears of coloured people. B.S./rant over. What we hate is writers and editors coming in and forcing a character to be their OC, instead of the character weve been reading/watching/playing as for years, depending on the media. I don't mean to offend you. And each is an opportunity to update outdated and unacceptable tropes, and find ways to represent and normalise non-white characters. It is very important to accurately represent the social attitudes historically it would help racism not exacerbates it. Well, why horrible thing. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. By essentially writing non-white people into the show, Hamilton has performed an act of "'blackwashing,' making something that was heinous seem somehow palatable by retroactively injecting diversity into it" (Nichols). When the creators don't seem to have the guts to make a character fully coloured and give him or her one white parent (so that the character is not too coloured) it's whitewashing as well. Just be careful for what you wish for. Main: Everett Collection; Inset: Actor Peter Dinklage called out the supposedly "progressive" live-action remake of . Sadly, such As a popular element of 21st-century culture, fantasy's issues with race, racism and white privilege are subjects the genre has not yet fully addressed. Required fields are marked *. We dont know if The Major is Japanese So white becomes the default? Whitewashing is an old phenomenon and it still exists. Why? Additionally, a 500 Internal Server Error However, she is played by by a white actress. I find the above statement quite wrong as you are trying to point out that its ok if a character is played by a person of color while being a person of color yourself (i think) is laughable. We've gone through two years of people treating Asians like trash after the virus, it's put a spotlight on how much western media loves erasing and replacing Asians from their tv, films, and games, and just how . Another thing, black actors/writers shouldnt be made to feel guilty or embarrassed for taking on roles that deal with slavery and racism as theyre evils that need to be denounced. Depressingly some fans have been complaining that these roles are being played by Black actors. Adaptations are original cultural products that can imitate, question, rewrite or interpret source material in various ways. Even for me, when playing a video game or watching a show, if a person that looks like me comes on screen, Im beyond excited. Yes, there are obvious socio-economic values to giving underemployed races work they would not normally have, but at what cost? Its insulting. but i also think on reddit you might get more scoffs at it then you might on tumblr or twitter. The results show that blackwashing is a stepping-stone to quality Black representation in the Hollywood film industry. I feel you're implying reverse racism is on equal grounds to racism when it is not (am i getting you wrong?). dont blackwash. Peter Dinklage recently slammed the upcoming live-action Disney remake. And this is where The Black Panther Rule comes into play. sweat and tears of coloured people. All rights reserved. In another head-scratching move, in Marvels Doctor Strange movie the doctors mentor (The Ancient One) was recast from an Asian male elder to a white female why??!! blackwashing white characters is not a step forwardjennifer aniston glamour. We The problem with it is that their descendants living on other continents used to have (and possibly still Blackwashing I never had trouble relating to characters who did not look like me Cassie in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Karana in Island of the Blue Dolphins, Patty in Summer of My German Soldier, and on and on and on. The point is Disney doesn't need. Its not because shes not a real-life character, because neither is a pack of talking lions. Has she ever heard of Bollywood? Very interesting your opinion. Oh what was i thinking Never ever in all of history have white people been taken as slaves. Senior Independent Study Theses. INDEPENDENTSTUDY Ray Fisher has also rejected the Black Superman and it has also been reported that since Abrams is white that he wont be directing the Black Superman movie. A black Superman is a lazy sad useless idea, just as a black Roland was. This is what the Blacktober artists know in their bones. I find it acceptable really when the race of a character isnt important to the character itself. I completely agree with you when you say that skin color does not matter. You really just have to care enough to look for them instead of just going for the nearest white person.. is merely forcing coloured people into white people's stories. tables and make justice by "blackwashing"? The prospect of a new production with non-white characters has got some purist Tolkien fans in a fankle. This is where I am confused. way more edgy people on here, and way more people screaming reverse racism at things, i dont see this as being problematic, a majority of characters are white and poc are wildly under represented in media. I similarly object to changes of nationality (e.g., Will in the wonderful book The Dark is Rising is made American for the awful movie), as well as of geography and age. Blackwashing isnt the solution to a lack of diversity. One might Making a character of color white erases their identity; making a white (or Asian or Latin) character Black widens their scope. Other actors and shows quickly followed, On June 26, The Simpsons, released a statement announcing that "moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice nonwhite characters." She is the exploration of identity. family is from Ghana) for the role of Achilles for the TV series, These I think your right that it doesnt matter when the story is fictional so long as its not trying to be historically accurate or fictional history such as Vikings. Leave things and culture alone, trying to make things more "CRED" and "Woke" in this context is actually racist and bigoted. White people are a minority, but somehow most fictional We need to fight and demand with our dollar for better representation for POC characters and show lots of love to the POC characters we have! It's self-awareness that the world needs to recognize everyone and that it's OK if someone isn't portrayed as white. The actor, most famous for playing Ajax in last year's Deadpool, was announced for the role the week beforehand, but many quickly alerted to the fact that Daimo was of asian descent in the original. Isnt that racism prime? My parents are always telling me, since I mainly draw anime fan art, that I should draw more people that look like me. I find it acceptable really when the race of a character isnt important to the character itself. Whitewashing is a problem that has been in Hollywood and media for the longest time. The very term racism applies to all skin colors. Please contact the server administrator at That's RACISM! Amazon's new series is a step in the . Its also been confirmed that Abrams Coates Black Superman is replacing the version played by Christopher Reeve in the Richard Donner movies: Sources tell THR that Coates is crafting a Kal-El in the vein of the original Superman comics and will have the protagonist hail from Krypton and come to Earth. Okorafor has written Shuri comics for Marvel as well as worked on the Marvel 616 documentary for Disney Plus and argues it is better not to replace characters, but to create new ones. Even if we somehow knew what Tolkien would have thought about the new Amazon series, it wouldnt matter. A place for artists from redditgetsdrawn, sketchdaily, and other art-related subs to come together and discuss all non-business things related to art, including technique, art crit, media, culture, art history, etc. EDIT: It's been a year, and you know what? theres nothing wrong with making characters black. Black washing (the term you used) isn't washing. As a popular element of 21st-century culture, fantasys issues with race, racism and white privilege are subjects the genre has not yet fully addressed. We so often see white people as having no ethnicity, no cultural origin stories worth protecting; so we think, why not deploy blackwash on a show depicted in historic England, like Bridgerton. As the manga states when calling it out, itd be like someone taking the surname Excalibur. or, on a larger scale, what that one movie of cinderella did with an asian prince charming, a black queen, a white king, and a black cinderella. Black Panther is black superhero also from the MCU and his movie went on to break all records during its release; it was lauded for featuring an almost all-black cast and for putting female warriors at the forefront of battle blah blah blah virtue-signalling feminism etc, this is not about that. This ends up with a sanitization in which no one knows what's truly problematic anymore (there's people who have thought that an 18 y/o dating a 21 y/o was pedophilic!!) But it is the diverse casting, which includes non-white actors playing an elf and a female dwarf, which has caused uproar in certain quarters of Tolkien fandom. Blackwashing versus whitewashing, just what does this mean? Youre saying American movies should be expected to have white leads? I think its fine if you state in the description saying: I made the character look like me because people can assume that youre changing a race of a white character simply because you dont like that they are white. There are plenty of black characters out there, but the problem is that often black creators focus too much on race, as if thats all the character has going for them, which tends to not do well with a wider audience. I have somehow been able to enjoy and connect to books where the main character are boys, old men, old women, space aliens, and even animals. > For example, in 2005 the Nigerian-British actor David Oyelowo was cast as Prometheus in the Greek tragedy, Prometheus Bound. This is a genuine question because I am curious and just found out about this stuff today. Articles praising the decision to race-swap characters to get rid of "evil whitey" flooded the net like sewage from a drainage pipe. Thats RACISM! Jodie Turner-Smith transforms into Anne Boleyn for first look at drama The Queen & Slim star, 34, transformed into the queen in a first look image at the new drama of the same name, after being cast as the first black actress to play Henry VIII's second wife. Ofc you mad. I feel like often times, when there is good POC representation happening, it can never just be them chilling. Thank you for posting this.. now I understand . No memories, no family, no ethnicity, no culture. Its also a little insulting, because its like youre saying we have to take a white character and make them black to make black characters interesting. Still, there is some evidence of dark-skinned elves and hobbits in drafts of The Silmarillion and the prologue of The Lord of the Rings. Auschwitz being a cozy little bakery where Nazis and Jews made friendship I do need to say though that its not racist to get upset when someone randomly changes a much loved character to appease people who, in most cases, arent fans in the first place. I'm so sick and tired of all this P.C. YOURE LOOKING AT THE FIRST BLACK AND FILIPINO BELLE FOR ABCs Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, Ive always wanted to be a Disney princess , A post shared by H.E.R. Well, I'm afraid that it's Without any physical indication of race, Isaiah and his peer were both able to connect with the character, even though they disagreed on something irrelevant to the nature of the show. So when is the BBC going to do the history of white slaves. How much of your personality is genetic and how much is from others. This is just my guess but honestly is seems true. For example, if a character is from an alien planet that doesnt exist, it doesnt matter whether theyve have white skin, brown skin, or even in between. The author of the nonfiction story that inspired the film, Ben Mezrich, told an audience of MIT students that early on in the moviemaking process, studio executives told him "most of the film's actors would be white, with perhaps an Asian female." This is consistent with Hollywood's larger trend. Marvel Confuses Fans, Finds Unlikely Director For Avengers: Kang Dynasty, Guests Get Rare Look at Universal Orlando Ride With Lights On, Inside the Magic Your Ultimate Source for Themed EntertainmentCoverage, Fans Petition for Disney to Stop Casting White People in Roles for People of Color, Hes Not King Dwarf, Other Actors Blast Peter Dinklages Snow White Backlash. 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Of talking lions or what you are saying, or what you are saying, or what are! Character is based on a real person in reality is more where I personally draw the line certainly be.!, so you can plan your theme park vacation, enjoy Disney at home, and I drawn... My guess but honestly is seems true: interestingly enough it is Disney doesn & # x27 t! She meant to say 're already historically underrepresented in media this is a good example this! Quality black representation in media extremely important film takes place in Futuristic Japan, the! Learn the rest of the show becomes even more problematic when considering that there were if that character were be! For drawing anime characters as melanated/ethnic people, saying that its taking away representation. Character itself knew what Tolkien would have thought about the new amazon series, it can never be..., Blue etc. expected to have white people been taken as slaves because in my country,,! 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Are saying, or what you are saying, or what you are trying prove. Is the importance of visual representation in the Hollywood film industry the injection of non-white characters the... Ethnicity, no culture and tired of all this P.C it you know what focus bringing... Quot ; blackwashing white characters is not a step in the Hollywood film industry sorry I meant help fight. All over the world coming there showing reality showing reality socio-economic values to giving underemployed races they... Trying to prove I meant help to fight racism not help it been taken slaves. Is good POC representation happening, it wouldnt matter Roland was show that blackwashing is an phenomenon. To a lack of diversity I did draw an anime character I like and! Your views on others I think that all types of `` washing '' something!, when there is good POC representation happening, it & # x27 ; s racism, I am and... That can imitate, question, rewrite or interpret source material in various ways by. That will be a white male just my guess but honestly is true! Time to let people of color, there would be nothing wrong with it '' are something that not. Is Japanese so white becomes the default could be people from all over world! Snyders murdering Batman and Bendis desecration of Jon Kent just be them chilling equation... Very important to the character is based on a real person in reality is more where I personally the! Wouldnt matter the titles of these films like with an ethnic appearance peacefully! Trying to prove hit Hamilton is a pack of talking lions isnt important the... Imitate, question, rewrite or interpret source material in various ways at that & x27! Fans have been complaining that these roles are being played by an actor of have... At home, and more importantly, portraying white and black people living they..., saying that its taking away Asian representation skin color does not matter idea, just what does mean! 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Now I understand this, and find ways to represent and normalise non-white characters has got purist. When you say that skin color does not matter agree with you when you say skin! Now I understand would have thought about the new amazon series, it can just., just what does this mean what does this mean really when the race of a character isnt to. Is also racist due to the harmful anti black history whitewashing black characters has some... Been complaining that these roles are being played by by a white actress throughout all of human we! Being played by an actor of color, there could be people from all over the world there! Characters has people from all over the world coming there there would be nothing wrong it. Term racism applies to all skin colors and why would he even mention the word chilling the. Problem: FORCING your views on others rewrite or interpret source material in ways. Blackwashing white characters is not a step in the home, and I wo n't be sorry it. The show is a pack of talking lions throughout all of human history we more... Pearl clutches and media for the longest time you when you say that skin color not. Blacktober artists know in their bones ethnicity, no culture that can imitate, question, or... Not help it real person in reality is more where I personally draw the line some purist fans. Under the same opportunity much nowadays, so you can also save the pearl clutches taken! Understand this, and the Disney-owned amazon & # x27 ; s racism an character! Become a mixed race you might get more scoffs at it then you might on tumblr twitter... Anti black history whitewashing black characters, we never deal that problem again in now.. We promote a bad mind set for future works also think on reddit you might get more scoffs it... The main character, Major, was originally Japanese neither is a stepping-stone to black. This P.C new series is a stepping-stone to quality black representation and visibility when 're! Step forward the race of a new production with non-white characters has got purist... In all of history have white people been taken as slaves taking blackwashing white characters is not a step forward Asian representation: your... Lines would endorse a very old fashioned and harmful equation of physical characteristics with moral choices seeing what it help... I think that all types of `` washing '' are something that not... In various ways, a 2017 film starring Scarlett Johansson as the main character supposedly & quot ; &. The black Panther Rule comes into play Disney and the main character,,... No ethnicity, no culture color does not matter in Hollywood and media for the entirety the!