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In reply to the discussion: Al Sharpton Calls For Emergency Meeting To Address 'Appalling' All-White Oscar Nominees Read more: [View all]MrScorpio
(73,630 posts)Of people of color attempting to reverse white supremacy in America all by ourselves.
It's just never going to happen whenever it's left to POCs to do all of the heavy lifting.
The hardest job of all is that of trying to reveal to those who derive the utmost privilge from our current system of race stratification and identity that it's unfair. Not just unfair, but completely counter-productive. Our economic system, education system and entire structure of government is set up to create disparate levels of race and class. So much of what holds America back is based in this very problem.
The first thing that one should realize from this blantant example of the utter lack of minority representation is how casual it is. The presumption being that predominantly white depictions are automatically regarded as "universal" and non-white depictions are automatically relegated to tangential or even "fringe" conditions. In Hollywood, non-white historical figures are white-washed for American audiences. Only white perspectives are featured as story centerpieces of mainstream storylines. Predominantly non-white storylines are classified as "ethnic" and are usually loaded with ridiculous stereotypes.
Whites are routinely set up as saviors of non-whites. How many times have you seen movies where white people come to the rescue of disadvantaged "minorities," even when POCs represent a sizeable majority of the cast? Welcome to "White Savior" stories, where reforms never occur and chronic situations of minorities aren't resolved until they're done by the white protagonists.
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2011/09/the-10-lamest-white-savior-movies/the-blind-side#!
If this current crop of Hollywood movies is a sign, and just take a look at the recent Exodus flop where the roles for prominent royal Egyptians where given to white actors and the roles of "slaves" filled by actors with darker skin, then it's pretty obvious that we have a long way to go.
Sure, what Reverend Sharpton is attempting here looks utterly hopeless from the get go, but at least it's bringing some attention to an obvious problem. However, unless whites themselves, both movie makers and audiences alike, demand a change... It ain't going to happen.
White supremacy is here to stay until the day in which white people will no longer have the power to maintain it. Hollywood will continue to paint distorted, monochromatic pictures until otherwise.