Diversity on Screen
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-12-15/diversity-screen
The cable television era has given rise to channels geared toward every possible audience. But did it also make broadcast shows less diverse? And the movie business is an increasingly global industry, but some say that shift limits roles for minorities. From 'The Cosby Show' to 'Community' and 'Shaft' to 'Precious', we explore the roles available for minority actors and whether screens big and small reflect reality.
Guests
David White
Executive Director, Screen Actors Guild
Jennice Fuentes
Film Critic, Pop-Culture Commentator, Global Grind, Latino Scoop
Eric Deggans
TV and Media Critic, St. Petersburg Times
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Comments
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One way to combat this "whitewashing" is to make younger audience comfortable with stories that prominently feature minorities. Just look at animated childrens' shows. Three of the decade's most popular kid shows featured superheroes of color: "Static Shock" was the black Spiderman; "Avatar" and "Jackie Chan Adventures" were based around Asian heroes. Just don't get me started on the controversies surrounding "The 99" and the black Green Lantern in "Justice League".
You wonder why they aren't making movies with Latinas/Latinos in them. That's easy, you're already going to the movies, so why should they? That's their thinking. If they can make money off of you using white characters what reason do they have to change?
One of the things I have noticed is that all minorities, at least as far as I can remember, are pretty darn good looking. There's no William H Macy equivalent for a black/Asian/Hispanic. (No offense William)
Who's the Jerry Orbach equivalent in TV?
I wish Tyler Perry wasn't sold in America too.
Morgan Freeman, maybe, but he may be too "distinguished" in Hollywood to be an everyman. He's the black Al Pacino! It's not hard to find "normal looking" black folks, rather than supermodels, if you know where to look.
Hector Elizondo could be the Latino Jerry Orbach. He's played elders in shows like "Cane".
Thank you for this show! Another wonderful and thought-provoking topic. As a lover of television, this topic is particularly close to me. I'd love the guests to talk about the recent explosion of web series, such as Awkward Black Girl and Milk + Honey. How is the web as a medium offering diverse casts different opportunities? What are the possibilities for growth on the web?
I'd also love for the guests to talk about a phenomenon I've often witnessed: the more popular the show becomes, the more quickly its diversity seems to disappear. Here I am thinking of shows like: Private Practice, Alias, and Grey's Anatomy. I am hoping my beloved The Good Wife, can fight the good fight. Why do casts become less diverse as shows become more popular?
Lastly, while I admire Tyler Perry's business acumen and his ability to connect with audiences. I have very profound concerns about the kinds of depictions of Black people he offers. I also don't necessarily see him making space for other writers and producers of color - that can be seen with the very controversial For Colored Girls - which Perry adapted and directed himself; though it was a prime opportunity to really engage other people of color. To rely on an old school phrase, "everyone who is skin, ain't kin..." and being in positions of power, whether Black, Latino, LGBT, does not always mean that an individual has the tools to complicate portrayals of their own identity group; or that they are invested in doing so. Moreover, the way power works - it could be that they themselves has a limited opportunity to make change.
Didn't CSI become more "diverse" as the show became more popular? How about "Lost" and "24"? On the animated front, comic book shows tend to become MORE diverse, and the shows start delving deeper into the source material for stories. Simpsons and Family Guy had no problem diversifying their ever-expanding casts.