Entertainment: The Problem With Representation In Hollywood

When it comes to the new age of movies, television, and games Hollywood is doing their best to be more inclusive. They’re casting more people of color to represent different cultures and backgrounds in leading roles. While there is tremendous applause for the effort, the entertainment industry is doing it wrong.

Representation in the entertainment industry is a huge hot button right now. There’s a divide between the people who deserve to be represented in the media we love, and there are the people who get bent out of shape every time Hollywood tries to shoehorn in a person of color into an already established role. The outrage on the internet, bickering back and forth is despicable and it’s all because the industry is lazy!

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Every time they want to bring a story to life and appeal to a wider audience. Both sides have great points, but they often get lost in the shuffle of racist nutbags. On one side of the aisle, a group of individuals deserves to see their character and culture represented and celebrated. On the other side, the studios are just changing the lead actor’s nationality and telling the same story. They’re giving people what they want without taking any risks. You can cast a person of color into an established role because fans of the original will at least make an effort to see it.

But it all goes back to how lazy the entertainment business is. Yes, not only has the trend of remakes and reboots gotten way out of control, but that’s not the only place they’re failing. Great actors and actresses deserve to be cast in roles no matter their skin color. The best man, woman, or person should get the job. However, if Hollywood wants to represent a people or culture, then do these people some justice and create these iconic characters for these actors and actresses to star in. Do we need to see the same thing we’ve already done just with an all-female cast?

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At the very heart of it, the entertainment industry wants to invest in representation, but they’re too scared to take those chances. Hollywood doesn’t have the balls to invest in new characters and stories anymore because they’re afraid of it flopping. They’re telling stories that they’ve already told but marketing them to a wider audience, but the potential for progress is there. Create iconic characters with proper storytelling and actually push the marketing department to bring the appeal to the masses. There are stories to be told that can be new and fresh while still paying tribute to their predecessors.

Take the Black Panther movies, granted they have the backing of the Marvel/Disney umbrella, but they were two movies that were celebrated in a way that’s rarely seen. These were movies that didn’t cast a person of color as an old hero. They took these characters from the comics and pushed culture and diversity to the point of celebration. Both told similar stories where there was sympathy for both the protagonist and antagonist. And yes, why they followed the “good guy always wins” formula they stepped out of traditional storytelling. When you can feel sympathy for each side, and understand their struggles that emulate real life, that’s how you uphold the value of representation.

There are ways to tell stories without copying what you’ve already done with just a different face. Ideals, morals, and values are colorless and if you can express them in a way that shows multiple points of view, that’s the true beauty of creating these works of art. Dear Hollywood, do better.