Are You Bothered by Forced Diversity in Movies/TV Shows?

I think I may be in the minority in that I quite dislike how characters are a different race seemingly just to hit a diversity quota or appeal to the SJWs.

The latest example is in the upcoming Witcher Netflix series, where several of the female characters who are originally white Europeans are now Indian, Black etc.

If everybody is the same and we should not see or judge people by their race, then why not just cast a white person as originally intended in the Polish books that the series is based off. Why suddenly have a black person when it doesn't fit with the story?

Example of casting

Poll Options

  • 159
    Too much forced diversity
  • 32
    It doesn't bother me
  • 39
    Get a life, loser

Comments

  • +8

    Poles are a marginalised ethnicity in many European countries including the UK. Why are they being further discriminated against in the Witcher???

    • +1

      I never thought of it from that angle. You make a good point.

    • +4

      As someone who was born in Poland, the answer is: it depends. If you're living in Poland then you're part of the majority. Poland is 98% Polish, but as you say if a family decides to set up a new life in Germany, the UK, or other places then they are a minority as far as ethnic/language group is concerned.

      As far as casting for Witcher is concerned, who is the target audience? If it's an international production in English for showing around the world then it makes sense to cast a wider than usual group of actors as long as it doesn't break the story or make it look unrealistic.

      As for diversity in casting, I have seen more lesbian characters being thrown into TV series I have watched recently. Whether it was Vikings (old age Scandinavia), Das Boot (1940s occupied France), or Counterpart (modern day Berlin), there's now a lesbian relationship added between at least one major and minor character. Sometimes the change is very sudden with a surprise scene popping in out of nowhere (Das Boot). I used to think this was done to titillate the mainly male audience, but now I'm not sure.

  • +10

    Saw a bit of The Amazing Race the other day. They had couples that were

    Christian
    Muslim
    White
    Black
    Asian
    Gay
    Straight
    Old
    Aboriginal

    Thought it was funny. Just trying to keep everyone happy I guess.

    • +6

      They definitely tried to tick all the boxes there. They went overboard I reckon.

      • +11

        As a minority myself I think this "diversity for the sake of diversity" is just going to cause harm in the long run. I want to be employed because of my skills, not because I helped someone tick a box.

        • +12

          I dunno man. I'm not really a tv/movie guy but I am a music guy, and I've noticed a clear trend toward promoting women in the industry… At the surface it sounds tokentistic, but I think it has genuinely encouraged more women to get into it, more women who feel comfortable to get up there and try their hand at it because they're not being ignored any more, and holy shit! There are some (profanity) great female bands out there.

          I can't help but feel this is the same for minorities in general. Yes, statistically you shouldn't expect to see them so often, but lack of role models discourages participation and starves the world of some great minds and great talent.

    • +1

      No Eskimos? That’s definitely discriminatory if not blatantly racist. Glad I never watch that show.

      • Funny as Eskimo is considerd a racist term now days.

        • LOL … by whom?

          Is there a International Racist Board that makes a decision and legislates?

        • The term ‘Inuit’ has not replaced ‘Eskimo’ for all First Nations people of the circumpolar region. It depends on which part they were born/live.

    • And what's wrong with that?

    • +3

      There was a TV show on the ABC a few years ago called "Reality Check" where reality TV producer Marion Farrelly specifically spoke about this. Producers will often make an effort to have a diverse cast because different types of people will often have really different and interesting back stories, which is much more interesting to watch than if they're all middle class white people of roughly the same age.

      I also think it's a smart move from a ratings perspective. Often shows find it much easier to attract a certain demographic if that demographic sees themselves represented.

  • +5

    Being Polish myself I thought the Witcher movie would be a good opportunity to showcase some good actors of Slavic descent as the game/books draws so much on Polish/Slavic Mythology.
    That being said, I'm just a bit disappointed but I'm sure it will be good anyways.

    • +1

      Yeah someone like Yvonne Strahovski. Damn fine.

  • +3

    If they're doing it in the workplace why should movies and TV shows be any different? They are also places of employment

    • +13

      Good point, they should also stop doing this in workplaces.

      • +17

        No no, hiring people based on their ability to do the job is just stupid.

        • +5

          I, for one, welcome our robotic overlords.

        • H&D will disagree with you there. In another forum comment he was suggesting merit was out to be replaced with arse kissers and yes men/women

  • +4

    If you think that's weird, try USA shows. Almost all couples have same ethnic. Apparently American viewers are uncomfortable with interracial couples.

    • -1

      Are you serious? Several major shows had all interracial pairings.

      • Generally is a white blonde female with a large (muscly) black male. I guess the fantasized sexual expectation rules.

        Cannot recall ever a white male with a black woman (in a serious relationship).

        Same in Oz.
        When was it an evidently Aboriginal male with a white blonde female?

        • +1

          The Walking Dead, The Flash, and many others. (for white man, black woman)

          • -4

            @smalltime0: Good … "end of the world" and fantasy themes …

            So no white (100% white) man with a black (100% black) woman "spouse" for everyday, common, suburban life, classic scenes?

            Just in case "100% black" is for me an individual with all racial features for a black person.
            As an example, Megan Markle, will not fit my definition of "a 100% black woman". Obama's wife, Serena Williams will do.

            • @LFO: I'm not against interracial pairings.
              I'm against it being shoved down my throat.
              The overall percentage is less than 10%, but we get 50-50 plus

    • -2

      It depends on the network — some like nick and disney will do anything to force diversity, there are countless examples where a family has 3 or more ethnicities, and children don't look anything like their parental characters, which doesn't make any sense to the viewer. Whereas other networks like HBO make a bigger effort maintain some level of authenticity with casting, they will only include selections that fit within the script logically.

  • +4

    Community had it, and by doing so opened new opportunities.
    I think that if its a good show, its not going to impact it much, but if its a mediocre show it will make it terrible. Part of the problem is when they do it, and then don't acknowledge that they've done it. That annoys me

    But yeah, its gotta make sense in relation to the story.

    • +1

      There's a difference between "forced" and "natural" diversity.
      In Community, the entire show was funny and written-well to the point that the diversity actually didn't matter. And the only times the diversity was pointed out was to show irony or point fun at it. Case in point, the Germans not allowed to enjoy Oktoberfest. The Simpsons did the same thing as well, and those old seasons written by the likes of Conan are still the funniest. Mad Men got away doing this by saying "well that's what people were like back in the old days". So I'm all for more diversity as long as it is written in that manner.

      However, when the diversity itself is used as a "token" and forced then it takes away from the experience. I would much rather watch a "white" show instead, and I say that being an immigrant myself. Usually forced diversity is easy to notice, but it's hard for me to put into words. In line with this, I have no problem watching a "majority black" show if that is how it displays natural (for instance, the 90's Hip Hop era). Even a show like Fresh Off the Boat is pretty good to watch, because its showing the Asian-American demographic of the late 00's. As an example, I think Black Panther was a boring movie and it was because the plot wasn't as interesting (sometimes plain stupid), the acting was a little off at times, and the action scene wasn't very good due to poor CGI and Lighting. It certainly didn't deserve all that praise, and we know the entire movie itself was used as a "token". I have a British friend, but we hang out because we're friends, and not because he is dark skinned. And he already knows which friends are superficial and are using him as a token for social media, and he tells me he eventually stops hanging out with them as it becomes annoying.

      Also the majority of people criticising USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, for many of societal-problems fail to see the hypocrisy in their analysis. Remember these are the most ethnically diverse nations in the world. Why is there practically no-one beating their drum for lack of diversity when looking at China, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, etc etc. It's very likely that people in positions of power in the media are a very loud minority to make this a bigger issue than it is. They call themselves Social Justice Warriors, and other's label them as "Domestic Terrorists" or people with agenda. The far left is the same as the far right, neither care for you, and both are equally toxic. Afterall, to a man with a hammer, everything looks like nails.

      With that said and done, there is actual scientific evidence pointing to genetic differences accounting to IQ. However, there's a larger variance inside one population, than between two populations. So that comes back to nutrition, education, and societal pressures. So this topic of genetically different humans is definently not black and white. A good perspective to have is that people aren't blank slates, and there are preferences, and that means "racism" is a human condition, however, there is a lot that can be done to a personal/individual level that can improve people.

      So how to move forward?
      Improve the standards and opportunities of people who genuinely are at a disadvantage. More nutrition and education. Change the media and the narrative, one from "victim" to one as "people". Call out the fake people trying to advance using "tokens". And simply stop talking about it, and get over it. See Morgan Freeman and Judge Judy's stances on such matters.

      (Not sure if I should mention Brasil and South Africa to this sensitive topic)

      • +3

        Yeah, Simpsons are the beacon of cultural diversity with mascots such as Fat Tony, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon , Dr. Nick, Cookie Kwan, Luigi Risotto (I bet you know who this is without even knowing he had a name), and Bumblee Man.

  • +7

    Absolutely this pisses me off. I am so sick of seeing white men in every show I watch. They're a minority group, but it's like they think they should run the planet. And then present the awards to themselves.

    • +2

      Right? You should make your own shows and awards, with blackjack and hookers!

      • +1

        In fact, forget the show…and blackjack.

    • +2

      The funniest thing is some people still think awards shows matter. Viewership for the granddaddy of them all, the Academy Awards, keeps sinking and no one knows how to stop the rot.

    • -1

      I am so sick of seeing white men in every show I watch. They're a minority group

      Whatever your opinion is of white people positive or negative, I think it would be factually correct to say that they (white people) are a minority group on the world stage. The world population is about 8 billion and just China, India and Africa alone combined are 4-5 billion.

      To call "people of colour" "minorities" is so anti-fact, it boggles my mind.

  • +16

    The key word is forced. When it's relevant to the story, you don't notice it. It's when the characters' sole purpose is to add "diversity" you have the problem as it will typically be totally out of context. You then know you're watching something that's pushing a view of the world in priority to whatever the underlying story is.

    • -2

      The underlying story is just a view of the world.

    • +1

      It's absolutely the forced aspect that gets my gripe. If it fits the story then I don't have any problems with minority actors. For instance in another Netflix production, Message from the King, which has a very diverse cast, with asians, latinos, and a black man as the main protagonist. It works because it fits the plot, as he is from Africa, searching for his missing sister in the lower socioeconomic areas of LA.

      But when a character is suddenly black for no apparent reason, particularly when they aren't supposed to be, I find it really off-putting.

      • +3

        But when a character is suddenly black for no apparent reason, particularly when they aren't supposed to be, I find it really off-putting.

        Agreed, like Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid.

        • +7

          damn right
          they should hire a real mermaid, not a human
          clearly just trying to please the minority

          :/

          • +1

            @SBOB: Exactly, and if they can't find a real one, get someone that closely resembles the cartoon.

            • -2

              @ozhunter: or, because it was a cartoon, do whatever they want

              people that lose their mind over Disney not using a pasty white girl with read hair for Ariel need to re-asses their priorities

              • +3

                @SBOB: Agreed, never said they couldn't. Just surprised they didn't go all out and make it 90-year-old pansexual non-binary half-asian two-spirit.

                people that lose their mind over Disney not using a pasty white girl with read hair for Ariel need to re-asses their priorities

                +1 to that too.

                • +2

                  @ozhunter:

                  Just surprised they didn't go all out and make it 90-year-old pansexual non-binary half-asian two-spirit.

                  thats for the next re-make of Snow White

        • Yes, why isn't The Little Mermaid Danish?

          • @kranix: …or Greek or Arabian — the folklore of merpeople goes back thousands of years. If real, Mermaids would likely have skin close to that of manatees, or doplhins. Lithe girls with fair-skin and flowing long hair probably would have some challenges with living underwater. Unless that all changes along with their fins changing into legs when they leave the water ?

  • +9

    Little orphan Annie, originally a red headed white girl, now a black girl just cause reasons.

    • Well, reasons aside from red heads not having a soul, anyhow.

  • Yep, that Token kid in South Park is a key example
    :/

  • +4

    I try to not care about things that realistically have little bearing on my daily life. This seems like one of those topics where getting invested one way or another is just stress with no winners.
    My tune would probably be different if I were someone who's group traditionally isn't represented.

  • +1

    I'm generally against these types of quotas, but I think that the film industry is quite a bit different.

    For almost all jobs, your ability to do the job doesn't depend on what skin colour or ethnicity you are. In that case, just hire whoever is best and I don't give two hoots about what race they are as long as everyone is on the same playing field and nobody was disadvantaged because of their race.

    For acting, it's a little bit different. You could potentially choose to not hire someone because they are of a certain ethnicity because it doesn't suit the role you're trying to cast. Note that this is illegal in basically every other industry. The truth is that, unlike most other industries, minorities are not on a level playing field compared to everyone else and are often excluded BECAUSE OF their race (which I hope we all agree is actually discriminatory).

    Either way, I'm against "forced" diversity, but I do think that the entire industry could do more to be more inclusive, but that's another matter. That said, I don't really notice it in the movies or films I watch and it's never really occurred to me that this issue exists.

  • +3

    James Bond may no longer be Bond.

    May we please have a male Tomb Raider?

  • +6

    I also love how "critics" pan anything that doesn't pander to any groups they think it should pander to.

    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_vanishing_of_sidney_hal…

    11% for "critics"
    80% for general audience.

    • +2

      The credibility of rottentomatoes has gone down so much that it has turned upside down:

      If the "critics" like the film (90%+), then chances are the movie sucks.
      If the "critics" hate the film, then chances are it's worth watching.

      Also, nobody cares about movie critics anymore. If you wanted honest and fair opinions, you would get it from a trusted person on YouTube. You don't need a journalism degree to have a more informed opinion on a movie.

      I expect job losses in the movie critic industry in the future.

      • This is also my findings regarding the critics scores.

        Yep, when literally anyone can do a better job reviewing on YouTube for free, the payed "critics" days are numbered.

        • Not even close to true, maybe true as a group. The idea is you find a critic who has similar likes/dislikes to films as you and can articulate why he likes them and you just follow the one. Aggregated critics scores is a completely different metric which doesn't relate to individual paid critics at all.

  • +3

    india has Bollywood and China as per usual dummy spits and threatens and moviea are changed to suit.

    As for diversity, it can go and get.

    If they mess with 007, that will be the end.

  • +2

    The Australian view of cultural diversity in media is basically White male and Asian female.

    • Spag-bol?

    • +3

      The Australian view of cultural diversity in media is basically White male and Asian female.

      That's actually an example of diversity that is NOT forced. Because that's how it looks in real life: WM/AF is ridiculously common. So common in fact, that a British-Asian food blogger k1lled himself over it:

      If you are confident that I am wrong do this one simple test. Every time you see an Oriental/Caucasian couple in your daily life, record how many times it has been an Oriental girl with a Caucasian male and how many times the role is reversed. If there is no bias (which I am constantly told) then I expect to see a 50/50 split of Caucasian Male/Oriental female couples verses Oriental Male/Caucasian female couples. I originally performed this test 5 times and found approximately a 95% skew of Caucasian Male with Oriental Female couple. I was told that this sample set was too small so I performed the same test over four to five years until I reached the sample size of 10,000 in total split into tranches of 100. Every time the answer effectively remained the same. All the samples lie between a 94% bias and a 100% bias. This is also clearly reflected in the study performed on the databases of OK Cupid Dating and Match.com dating agencies (sample size 10 millions new users).

      https://wilkes888.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/my-final-blog-ent…

      • +1

        Basically due to the emasculation of the Asian male in the Western society due to forced diversity depiction of Asian males as weak, unattractive and the comic relief; only redeemable with mystic kung Fu.

        • I actually think it's the other way around: real life views Asian males as weak and unattractive so the media reflects this reality.

  • No, next question.

  • +1

    I am actually surprised by the poll results so far.

    Out of 117 votes, over 70% think there is too much forced diversity. 15% aren't bothered by it.

    I figured it would be the other way around. I guess Ozbargain isn't as left-leaning as I thought.

    And oh yeah, the other 15% think I'm a loser, lol. Could probably add them to the "don't care" pile. Which would make the ratio 70 : 30.

    • +1

      I figured it would be the other way around. I guess Ozbargain isn't as left-leaning as I thought.

      https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/ is where you want to go for left-leaning. There was a survey that showed that the majority of /r/australia/ voters were green voters so /r/australia definitely does not represent Australia.

      • +1

        Either that or whirlpool. Op and anyone commenting they didn't like forced diversity would all have been banned.

      • /r/Australia is a cesspool which extinguishes critical thought.

  • +2

    What I do not like is the usage of "africans" in all these Australian ads to like you say, fill a quoter.

    Why has everybody bypassed our own indigenous peoples.

    Acceptance of the Aboriginal race, for which we should be proud of, would have been more acceptable in
    the psyche of the "white man" mindset, if a portrayal of the Aboriginal were conducive to equality premises.

    • +5

      What a load of bull… Stop pretending that you care about the indigenous race…

      Surprised that the usage of some ethnic groups in some ads would actually set people like yourself off… This is why diversity is needed in the media to normalise the existence of other races within the general Australian society.

      I find it incredibly interesting that mostly white Aussies complain about other races (especially those of other colours) refusal to integrate. When these people are shown as part of the general population through adverts, arts and media, these same people complain.

      • -4

        What percentage of the Australian population is Muslim? Yet almost every single ad features a Muslim woman in hijab.

        • +3

          Please tell us which ads? Why does this bother you? I am not Muslim, but this doesn't bother me, so I'm genuinely interested in knowing why this bothers some of you guys?

          • -3

            @D One: Almost every ad. Jamming diversity down people's throats is what pisses people off. 3% or so of the population, why are they crammed into so many things? It's almost like theres an agenda.

            Also, as above, they are shown more than our own indigenous people. They make up a higher percentage of our population, and actually have cultural and historic significance to Australia.

            But instead we'd rather include a religion that hates women, homosexuals, and have basically been fighting with themselves or someone else for thousands of years.

            The attempted jamming them in and "normalising" of this one specific religion is quite odd

            • +2

              @brendanm: ‘They’ have an ‘agenda’ shhhh it all started with chemtrails

              • @Vote for Pedro: You don't question why some things are pushed to the forefront, and others aren't?

  • +1

    There's gays on basically every single tv show now. I can understand that here and there you can put them in shows for diversity reasons. Most of the time they're just there to have a gay character. I know there's more gays in the USA, mainly LA. But for almost every show to have them is way too much. The percentage of gays is so small compared to the population I can't understand how they can be given such a huge portion of roles. Majority of people watching these shows around the world, don't even know any gay people or are friends with them. Disney (Marvel) have openly said they are searching for trans and gay actors only for comic book movie roles. Now that's discrimination! What happened to just finding the best actor. I'm not against gays I just don't think it's a good thing that they're getting roles because of their sexual preference. I would be saying exactly the same thing if it was happening for muslims, christians, midgets or any other people who are hired solely because of what they are not what they can do.

    • +2

      All the characters need to do is to simply not have their sexuality brought up unless it's really a necessary point, and even then it should be done with class. Then you'll have a bunch of characters who you can surmise whatever you want about their sexualities; sexuality beyond hetero is already known far and wide.

      It's like they've forgotten that not all gay folk act flagrantly gay, nor do they advertise their sexuality constantly. In fact most people don't advertise much about themselves, let alone their sexuality.

  • +7

    People who act as gays or lesbians may not be so in real life. They could be “acting”. I welcome any diversity even if forced. The media plays an incredible part in enforcing to the population- what the population is made up from. Seeing only white faces reinforces the perception that the population is white. Seeing a diverse cast reinforces the truth that the population is diverse. Media is carrying out a reality check for people who just can’t see it.

  • +1

    Looking forward to Thelma and Louise remake being two dudes, and Lara Croft being played by a male midget.

    Until then, girl James Bond, the girl ghostbusters, and female Dr Who can f right off.

    Make your own show.

  • +3

    The way diversity should be "done" is from the ground-up: shows written and cast without necessity for the characters to be of any specific ethnicities or sexes, and without trying so hard (or at all) to educate the public about the characters' diversity. Just people being people.

    The way diversity tends to be forced makes it shallow as opposed to shows that just have it as a natural course of the story. This is just to appease shallow diversity-mongers that don't realize they're being racist for shoving people into inappropriate roles based on their minority status; nor do they realize they're being disrespectful to the original creators, the people in human history, their stories, the memories of the people who enjoyed them… There's a place for diversity, and rewriting history & film isn't it.

    • +1

      Your correct with this. When it's done like this you don't notice but it also helps if the character is well written. When it's a poor character the diversity agenda really shows.

  • +1

    I am really bothered by "forced accent diversity" coming out of the UK. British produced sci-fi and historical drama set in Europe is now full of low-to-middle class British accents that totally destroy the atmosphere. These accents are extremely localised to a particular place, time and attitudes, eg. An eastender chav. Nothing worse than watching something supposedly set 2000 years in the future on some other planet and then to have a Cockney accent smack you back to present day London.

  • Is this also from the same name game? They better have the same voice actors….

  • Ocean's 8 was totally crap , fell asleep .

    Feel sorry for Aust men soccer player's with revenues earned vs females signing a similar pay deal lol .

    On Stan have a LQVW or whatever section the @# it is section. Don't have enough content and will close after the trial .

  • +1

    One thing I've noticed recently and something I can't unsee, is that in many movies, the minor acting roles which involve playing someone with a job (EG. bartender, plumber, mechanic, customer service etc) is played by a black person. I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand, it feels like forced diversity considering the black population in America (only 12%). As a black woman, it also feels a bit condescending at best (black people should be productive and get jobs) and racist at worst (black people should serve their white masters). On the other hand, promoting the "get a job" mindset in black people to encourage independence instead of demanding welfare from white people is a good thing.

    So I'll be happy to overlook the possible racist overtones of the above. What I can't overlook is the entire rap industry that promotes misogyny, the worship of money, hatred towards other groups and other such degeneracy.

  • +2

    I really only watch porno and I don't mind the diversity but only when it's with the women

    • +1

      Up voted because it made me lol and not because I agree with the sentiment.

  • -1

    The latest example is in the upcoming Witcher Netflix series, where several of the female characters who are originally white Europeans are now Indian, Black etc.

    how do you know this is forced racial casting? What if it was just a case that those particular actors auditioned better? After all, isn't that what you're after? Because having a character be played by a white person just because the original character is white, that's also forced racial casting. Did you start a similar thread when Samuel L Jackson was cast as Nick Fury? Nobody batted an eyelid when Idris Elba was cast as Heimdall in the Thor movies? or what about Batman - Bane is meant to be a hispanic character. Or MJ in the last Spiderman movie played by a african american woman?

    Stuff like this happens all time. If you're gonna get pissed off every time this happens, you're not gonna have much spare time on your hands

    • +1

      What if it was just a case that those particular actors auditioned better?

      LOL!!

      Try to use that argument with a black character played by a white Anglo.

      Similarly, homosexual characters are staunchly criticized when played by a know heterosexual actor.

      It is just not feasible.

      • Similarly, homosexual characters are staunchly criticized when played by a know heterosexual actor.

        Depends I guess - I know some straight people who can act gay and do it quite well as if they were genuinely gay. Some gay people look like straight people, so where do you draw the lines on that? How about a gay person trying to act like a straight person for a character role? i suppose if the gay person can act like a genuine straight person, I suppose it would go well just as its vice versa scenario…

        I would guess in movies and shows, specific appearance is what matters - if the character in the movie or show is based on a black guy and he looks black and not white, having a white guy play that black guy would kinda be off puting, likewise, a story with a character based on a white guy but having a black guy playing the part, would look a bit weird or even across genders - having a guy try to play like a girl character for that movie, unless that specific character is meant to look like that, cross between a male and female person or vice versa….

        Hell I've seen 30 year olds try to play 15 year old character roles just don't look right….and 15 year olds trying to play 30 year olds role….but if it's something like this 15 year old, despite his or her appearance, is really 900 years old, then I guess appearances is then thrown out the window….

        EDIT: I personally don't care who plays what character - as long as they fit the part by appearance or and personality wise as is described in the original source material; if the movie is based on a book and the author of the book says this character looks gay but acts straight, that character portrayed in the movie must also look gay but act straight too, respectively.

  • My children are tri-racial and even they were a little taken aback when they watched the Whitney Houston's version of Cinderella* . It's one of their favorites now.

    Edit : *spoiler alert

  • some people get triggered each time the winds changes direction nowadays

  • For entertainment, I don't care as long as it doesn't feel forced, or make a big deal out of it. Since it's entertainment, the biggest thing for me is that it has to entertain..?

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