So normally I don’t post much other than art, but today in class I got myself into an argument that left me frustrated, angry, and sad.
Before I switched from M.F.A. to M.A. I was planning on writing a thesis paper and producing a film that focused on minorities in media. This is an issue that I am growing more aware of every night I sit down to watch my favorite TV programs, or go to the theater to watch a new film. And quite honestly it’s something that doesn’t necessarily effect me. I’m a straight, white, American male. Admittedly I have it pretty easy. But that doesn’t mean that I should simply overlook the blatant bias. American media is overwhelmingly full of men like me. I think that it is up to every generation to build upon the last and fix the things that are truly problematic. Is it so much to ask to see an African American actor that is not a hip hop artist or gang banger? Or an Asian women who isn’t a prostitute/foreign exchange student/love interest…or hell how about some Asian men on television? And I don’t mean shown in the background. I’m talking a developed lead character that reflects the diversity of this country. You see in class today there was a disturbing example of how this thinking of white male default has been indoctrinated through media and culture to be the only characters that deserve our attention.
The film my class will be working on is about an old male magician that lives alone and performs small magic shows that no one really cares about or pays attention to anymore. I brought up that this plot line is extremely close to L’Illusionniste. I suggested that one way to avoid such a close comparison is to make the lead a female. Keep the EXACT same storyline but switch the gender. I was told that by doing so, sympathy would be lost with our character. WHAT?! Really! So the exact same story line, nothing changed except the gender and BAM, the emotional pathos of this story is no longer valid, the character now cannot connect with the audience. The weirdest part of this whole conflict was that the person I argued with, who proposed this story in the first place, was a woman. She felt that a female lead would not connect with the audience. Her further explanation was that a single old man living by himself was alone and deserves our sympathy, while a single old woman living by herself was, and I quote, a “crazy cat lady”.
This is only the tip of the iceberg and I don’t want to rant longer than I already have. But for those of you who follow me and work in entertainment, think about the characters you create, think about how they represent the REAL world, and think about how they may lend themselves to gender and racial bias. I’m not saying you shouldn’t design white male characters, I’m just saying look at your body of work, and see if you have subconsciously done so in a disproportionate amount. Then, make an effort to change and create media that is more multifaceted.
Thanks for reading.
efmuok 