I'm lost. What do you mean by "shall we get upset that there's a definite Native American cast to the tribal communities in Avatar"? The Princess and the Frog thing doesn't help to clarify what you might mean, since I don't think that the Princess in question is a token anything, given that the majority of the (non-animal) cast is black.
Oh! Oh! Wait, do you mean Avatar the James Cameron movie, not Avatar the cartoon? That would make more sense.
Having not seen Avatar-the-James-Cameron movie, all I have to go on is reviews, which amount to "It's very beautiful but the plot is what you'd expect - a colonial conquest story with a conqueror gone native who ends up being the savior." I plan on seeing Avatar since I like pretty things, and I expect I'll enjoy the pretty, but that hardly makes it necessary for me to shut up or not roll my eyes at the painfully obvious and done-to-death plotline. Nor does it necessitate that I don't criticize the underlying racial narrative issues with it.
Same goes for The Last Airbender. The Last Airbender was a very popular show which gave depth to a lot of aboriginal and asian cultures without appropriating them (see the original Karate Kid with the Magic Asian for a prime example), and people who were not used to this kind of favorable and meaningful portrayal felt kicked in the face when they discovered that the movie did not have "racially appropriate characters."
Now, you can spend the next forever arguing about what the races of the cartoon characters really are. That's not the point. The point is that many people identified the cartoon characters as Asian or aboriginal in some sense or another, and that these were the dominant races. It would have been a perfect opportunity to showcase Asian and aboriginal talent. Instead, what we have is a dominantly white cast, with major bad guys as Indian. Are they the best actors for the job? I don't know. But the lack of transparency when fans started flailing about and the dismissal of concerns of racism (unintended or otherwise) looks precisely like the usual "Ignore the asians" attitude which keeps cropping up. It's actually kind of interesting, sometimes, being the "wrong" race in discussions of racism. In racial dialogues, Asians usually end up invisible.
I think my attempts at being brief may have clouded my point somewhat. I was trying to point out that the concept of "racefail" is in and of itself something I find myself disgusted with at this point. To say that this race or that race should be given acting roles and portrayed in this film or that one based solely on the story's ethnic roots, whether they be implied or not, is lame.
My example that the Princess and the Frog was meant to point out was that the story is of Western European origin and yet, Disney has decided to make the Heroin and the majority of the rest of the cast of African decent. Now personally that in and of itself doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that if I were to call "racefail" on this movie I would get howled at about how Disney has done something awesome by giving people of African decent their own Princess, blah blah blah(please note that I don't hold you or anyone else who has commented here so far in this category, I'm just trying to make a point). Isn't that also "racefail"?
As for the comment about James Cameron's Avatar, people ranging from pundits to the Pope have made a variety of comments on the nature of the aliens in Avatar and of their tribal status. Everything from the Pope decrying it due to it's obvious "Pagan-ness" to how it's horrible to see the parallels between our Native American's culture, these aliens culture, and how the white man is ruining the lives and ecosystem of their planet only to be saved by a white man who has been converted to the alien's own tribal views.
I don't care how many people associate this race or that race with the characters portrayed in the anime versus the ones represented in the live action movie. I also don't believe that the movie studio, the director, and the cast *must* be transparent on who was chosen for what role and why. As long as the feel of the Nations represented in the anime and the feel of the characters translate as well on the big screen as we all hope they should then I frankly don't care why they were chosen.
As I understand it, the original animation team have only ever claimed that the feel of the world and the nations were inspired by asian and aboriginal folklore. In fact, if memory serves, I remember seeing peoples of almost all skin types being represented in most if not all of the Nations in the story regardless of Nationality.
Frankly, I believe that the need to be politically correct in this day and age has gone far past it's usefulness and to me, "racefail" represents the far side of that line.
Sometimes my words do not do the feelings in my heart or the thoughts in my mind justice and I don't mean anything said above as an attack. Have we seriously reached a point where the concept of which race is represented in movies becomes the cross that a movie or story may die upon? Because while that might not be where the line is drawn for you, it certainly is for others.
I should also add that if actors are actually being ignored for a role despite being a better fit for it both in skill and appearance for someone else who isn't then that's an issue regardless of what race they are. Racism is still a definite issue and it makes me sad that there is either the impression of or a real problem of Asian's being ignored when this is actually the case. I'm just not confidant that this is the issue with The Last Airbender but I've been wrong before.
There was that time with the liqueur with the mostly toplessness but my tongue was not involved in the cleaning up of the spill. I was on the couch laughing at how prettily you blush when getting licked by others... hmmm... this may not be an appropriate topic for online consumption. We wouldn't want people to get any ideas of the types of parties we both attended.
(Ha! You were talking about Avatar-by-James-Cameron. I always get that mixed up. I wins!)
(Also, I rarely assume attack, so no worries there.)
Racefail, as a term, does admittedly fail at nuance, so it encompasses both well-thought-out, legitimate criticism/dialogue and knee-jerk reactions based on superficial info. I'm lazy, so I was referring specifically to the whole kerfuffle surrounding The Last Airbender rather than racefail in generally.
"As long as the feel of the Nations represented in the anime and the feel of the characters translate as well on the big screen as we all hope they should"
This is fair, but hinges on "we all hope they should." Some people very strongly feel that having asian actors will add authenticity to the movie because so many elements of asian and aboriginal cultures were incorporated into the cartoon. This may seem shallow to you, but it's often used as a sign of poor consultation, caricatures, and the Magic Asian/Negro/Native blah blah blah. Do we need asian actors? Technically, no. But would we like transparency into how they will remain authentic to the source material (which was felt to be authentic with regards to the cultures from which elements were drawn)? Sure. And the only evidence we had to go on was casting choices.
(Er... when I say "we", I don't mean some odd monolithic "we" filled with activists or something. It's a convenient pronoun. That's all.)
Some moves didn't help. The director kept saying that he offered roles to people, implying there wasn't a casting call at all to get the best actors. (Though Aang is an unknown, so it's hard to say if that's only true for some of the characters.) He's commented that the actors for Sokka and Katara look like they could be siblings, and that's what he likes (making it seem like his choice was superficial). He originally offered the part of Zuko to Jesse McCartney, but soon after the role went to Dev Patel (East Indian). This was after the fans started protesting the white-washing, so it felt like a "well, we'll give 'em a token non-white" even if there was a legitimate reason for changing actors. Of course, it doesn't help that the bad guy is brown given the political climate.
In any case, I think political correctness was a decent short-term solution to overt racism, but now it's a problem because it makes it harder to have legitimate, meaningful dialogue. It's very easy these days to equate overt signs of racism as the only legitimate signs of racism, and also makes it easy to dismiss more nuanced criticism as being overly PC. In the case of the Last Airbender, I think the white-washing really is an issue and I'm not sure that this director is able to overcome the problems.
(The movie I really want to see and break down, race-wise? The Karate Kid remake. It's a black kid in Beijing. I mean... the comparison of the racial narrative to the original Karate Kid with its Magic Asian fascinates me.)
"As long as the feel of the Nations represented in the anime and the feel of the characters translate as well on the big screen as we all hope they should"
This is fair, but hinges on "we all hope they should." As true as this is, it's also true of every movie if you think about it. In some cases, it turns out well as in Lord of the Rings and the addition of the elves at helms deep. You have to trust that the "powers that be" made a good choice in adding that scene or taking it away. The same holds true for who plays what role doesn't it?
Do we need asian actors? Technically, no. But would we like transparency into how they will remain authentic to the source material (which was felt to be authentic with regards to the cultures from which elements were drawn)? Sure. And the only evidence we had to go on was casting choices. I thought there was significant footage of the actual costuming and scenery selections? Isn't that a more telling sign of how close they are staying to the source material rather then what race the actor is?
This was after the fans started protesting the white-washing, so it felt like a "well, we'll give 'em a token non-white" even if there was a legitimate reason for changing actors. Of course, it doesn't help that the bad guy is brown given the political climate. Brown guy? Ummm do you mean he's of Middle Eastern, East Indian, or African decent? Why should it matter? Especially if the actor for Zuko is East Indian and the major bad guy is his father right? (please correct me if I'm wrong here)
I completely agree with your points of PC and overt versus covert racism but here's the thing. Frankly, the majority of the people involved in the whole "racefail" thing (notice the use of the term) aren't targeting racism as a whole. They're targeting the perception of racism based on something as nebulus as perceived ideals based on cultural reference. That's my point here. "Racefail", "white-washing" (I mention it because your use of it brings it into the conversation), and "blackifying" these terms imply a level of racism that I simply don't see here. As I understand it, "racefail" and it's concept have been applied to Jason Glenhall (is that how you spell his name) in the role of the Prince of Persia because he isn't Persian. The man is a very good actor and shares a number of facial features reminiscent of the actual video game character. Yet that isn't good enough. It's that kind of behavior I can't stand. It's as racist as telling a black man he should be sitting at the back of the bus or using a different washroom then the white folks in my mind. The proof is in the pudding as they say and another that applies here is truth is a three edged sword. Is there racism? Maybe and maybe not. Are the actors that were turned down for the roles complaining or filing against the "powers that be" for the movie? That would interest me to know to be frank.
(New Karate Kid remake? Sounds cool, I'll have to look into it. :))
I love the fact that we can have this kind of conversation and not worry about being flamed about it by the way, its... refreshing.
"I love the fact that we can have this kind of conversation and not worry about being flamed about it by the way, its... refreshing"
That's because we (1) know each other and (2) don't feel compelled to BE RITE OMG! It's a fun difference of opinion.
Anyway!
1. "You have to trust that the "powers that be" made a good choice in adding that scene or taking it away."
Appeal to authority does not sway me. :) Trust no one!
2. Footage wasn't always encouraging. Like Zuko's horribly burned face turning into a... black eye? Bad sunburn? I suspect in that case it was to maintain the PG rating, but that's another issue. (I know this is supposed to be a kids' movie, but I want it to be a movie for me. For me, certain things ought to be hard and kind of horrible. Zuko's bad burn should have been one of them.)
PS For the two seasons, Zuko is the bad guy, being goaded on by his need to regain his honour and his father's approval. He changes sides. Firelord Ozai is the overall bad guy but he's faceless until the last season.
Anyway, race of the main characters is important to some degree. If all the main characters are white and all the non-speaking extras are of a different race, it sends an unconscious message that the only important people are white. (This is generally, btw, not specific to Last Airbender.)
3. Heh. I used brown deliberately because I can't tell the difference between "brown" people. Nor can a lot of people. They'll see "brown" and they'll associate whatever they want to it. And these days, when you see "brown" people as bad guys.... Well.
4. I don't think that criticism of white-washing and overt racism like sending a black dude to the back of a bus are comparable for some rather complex reasons. Most of it stems from the idea that racism (in part due to PCness) taken on some characteristics which aren't always true: it is perpetuated by white people, it is intentional on some level, and it's indicative of "bad people." This latter two are especially damaging because it makes people defensive. White-washing does not need to be an intentional act. It could very well be a subconscious act. What's important is to point out that it is happening, and curtail it.
Example: I'm eating lunch with my lab mates and we're talking about where we're all from. I mention that I was born here and talk about how whenever I meet people, they always ask "Where are you from?" and seem a touch taken aback when I say "Edmonton." They then ask, "Oh, so you were born here?" as though they're checking to see if they understood me, because it's hard for people to associate Asian with not-foreign. Minutes later, one of the techs said, "So, C is the only one who's from here.... Oh my God, I just did it, didn't I?" I don't think she had bad intentions or anything. But it's still a racist thought to assume that I'm not a local.
2. PS For the two seasons, Zuko is the bad guy.... Anyway, race of the main characters is important to some degree. If all the main characters are white and all the non-speaking extras are of a different race, it sends an unconscious message that the only important people are white. (This is generally, btw, not specific to Last Airbender.)
I knew that about Zuko but when you mentioned the bad guy I assumed you meant his father. As for the race of the main characters bit. I agree but for continuity sake. If they show the main characters in A:tLAB as white and the rest of the Nation's population as mixed, to me it isn't an issue.
3. Heh. I used brown deliberately because I can't tell the difference between "brown" people. Nor can a lot of people. They'll see "brown" and they'll associate whatever they want to it. And these days, when you see "brown" people as bad guys.... Well.
I want you to look at what you said here and then said under point 4.
4. I don't think that criticism of white-washing and overt racism like sending a black dude to the back of a bus are comparable for some rather complex reasons. Most of it stems from the idea that racism (in part due to PCness) taken on some characteristics which aren't always true: it is perpetuated by white people, it is intentional on some level, and it's indicative of "bad people." This latter two are especially damaging because it makes people defensive. White-washing does not need to be an intentional act. It could very well be a subconscious act. What's important is to point out that it is happening, and curtail it.
Racism is racism regardless of which side of the line it is on was more my point. Claiming that, as the example with Prince of Persia, that Jason Glenhall shouldn't be playing the role because he isn't Persian is just as racist a statement as saying that because a person is black, they can't sit at the front of the bus. It's an insidious thing. I'd be more likely to think that a person wasn't from Canada because of any accent they might have rather then the color of their skin because that denotes difference in native language.
Assumptions of any kind are dangerous though and it seems in this day and age, people are looking for more things to separate people of diverse cultures then they are bringing them together.
We can agree on one thing though I think, Racism is a piss poor way of defining who a person is or what they are capable of.
"Racism is racism regardless of which side of the line it is on was more my point."
Agreed. Jason however-his-name-is-spelled (I think you're missing a syllable somewhere) being white isn't sufficient to make a claim of racism and to jump to that assumption isn't good. It's an unsophisticated response. But! It, in conjunction with other evidence, could be indicative of unconscious racism.
(Re: brown. It's illustrative of unconscious racism from a point of priviledge. I'm not part of a "dangerous" race, just an invisible one, so I get off the hook a lot. I don't pretend to not be racist - a lot of it is subconscious conditioning. I just try to self-examine a lot. Also, I like my navel, so I stare at it a lot.)
"Assumptions of any kind are dangerous though and it seems in this day and age, people are looking for more things to separate people of diverse cultures then they are bringing them together."
While I appreciate that sentiment, I've often wondered about it. It seems... naive? Not that I think that people shouldn't look for commonalities so that we can all get along. Rather, I think that too often "bringing people together" becomes "needless assimilation." Also, it just seems cliched. I chew on it a lot, trying to decide how I feel about it.
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Oh! Oh! Wait, do you mean Avatar the James Cameron movie, not Avatar the cartoon? That would make more sense.
Having not seen Avatar-the-James-Cameron movie, all I have to go on is reviews, which amount to "It's very beautiful but the plot is what you'd expect - a colonial conquest story with a conqueror gone native who ends up being the savior." I plan on seeing Avatar since I like pretty things, and I expect I'll enjoy the pretty, but that hardly makes it necessary for me to shut up or not roll my eyes at the painfully obvious and done-to-death plotline. Nor does it necessitate that I don't criticize the underlying racial narrative issues with it.
Same goes for The Last Airbender. The Last Airbender was a very popular show which gave depth to a lot of aboriginal and asian cultures without appropriating them (see the original Karate Kid with the Magic Asian for a prime example), and people who were not used to this kind of favorable and meaningful portrayal felt kicked in the face when they discovered that the movie did not have "racially appropriate characters."
Now, you can spend the next forever arguing about what the races of the cartoon characters really are. That's not the point. The point is that many people identified the cartoon characters as Asian or aboriginal in some sense or another, and that these were the dominant races. It would have been a perfect opportunity to showcase Asian and aboriginal talent. Instead, what we have is a dominantly white cast, with major bad guys as Indian. Are they the best actors for the job? I don't know. But the lack of transparency when fans started flailing about and the dismissal of concerns of racism (unintended or otherwise) looks precisely like the usual "Ignore the asians" attitude which keeps cropping up. It's actually kind of interesting, sometimes, being the "wrong" race in discussions of racism. In racial dialogues, Asians usually end up invisible.
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My example that the Princess and the Frog was meant to point out was that the story is of Western European origin and yet, Disney has decided to make the Heroin and the majority of the rest of the cast of African decent. Now personally that in and of itself doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that if I were to call "racefail" on this movie I would get howled at about how Disney has done something awesome by giving people of African decent their own Princess, blah blah blah(please note that I don't hold you or anyone else who has commented here so far in this category, I'm just trying to make a point). Isn't that also "racefail"?
As for the comment about James Cameron's Avatar, people ranging from pundits to the Pope have made a variety of comments on the nature of the aliens in Avatar and of their tribal status. Everything from the Pope decrying it due to it's obvious "Pagan-ness" to how it's horrible to see the parallels between our Native American's culture, these aliens culture, and how the white man is ruining the lives and ecosystem of their planet only to be saved by a white man who has been converted to the alien's own tribal views.
I don't care how many people associate this race or that race with the characters portrayed in the anime versus the ones represented in the live action movie. I also don't believe that the movie studio, the director, and the cast *must* be transparent on who was chosen for what role and why. As long as the feel of the Nations represented in the anime and the feel of the characters translate as well on the big screen as we all hope they should then I frankly don't care why they were chosen.
As I understand it, the original animation team have only ever claimed that the feel of the world and the nations were inspired by asian and aboriginal folklore. In fact, if memory serves, I remember seeing peoples of almost all skin types being represented in most if not all of the Nations in the story regardless of Nationality.
Frankly, I believe that the need to be politically correct in this day and age has gone far past it's usefulness and to me, "racefail" represents the far side of that line.
Sometimes my words do not do the feelings in my heart or the thoughts in my mind justice and I don't mean anything said above as an attack. Have we seriously reached a point where the concept of which race is represented in movies becomes the cross that a movie or story may die upon? Because while that might not be where the line is drawn for you, it certainly is for others.
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*snerk* Ok, I'm done being a goof now.
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You haven't licked me? Ever? Really? Huh. Strange the sorts of things I take for granted....
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There was that time with the liqueur with the mostly toplessness but my tongue was not involved in the cleaning up of the spill. I was on the couch laughing at how prettily you blush when getting licked by others... hmmm... this may not be an appropriate topic for online consumption. We wouldn't want people to get any ideas of the types of parties we both attended.
Nope.... never licked you.
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(Also, I rarely assume attack, so no worries there.)
Racefail, as a term, does admittedly fail at nuance, so it encompasses both well-thought-out, legitimate criticism/dialogue and knee-jerk reactions based on superficial info. I'm lazy, so I was referring specifically to the whole kerfuffle surrounding The Last Airbender rather than racefail in generally.
"As long as the feel of the Nations represented in the anime and the feel of the characters translate as well on the big screen as we all hope they should"
This is fair, but hinges on "we all hope they should." Some people very strongly feel that having asian actors will add authenticity to the movie because so many elements of asian and aboriginal cultures were incorporated into the cartoon. This may seem shallow to you, but it's often used as a sign of poor consultation, caricatures, and the Magic Asian/Negro/Native blah blah blah. Do we need asian actors? Technically, no. But would we like transparency into how they will remain authentic to the source material (which was felt to be authentic with regards to the cultures from which elements were drawn)? Sure. And the only evidence we had to go on was casting choices.
(Er... when I say "we", I don't mean some odd monolithic "we" filled with activists or something. It's a convenient pronoun. That's all.)
Some moves didn't help. The director kept saying that he offered roles to people, implying there wasn't a casting call at all to get the best actors. (Though Aang is an unknown, so it's hard to say if that's only true for some of the characters.) He's commented that the actors for Sokka and Katara look like they could be siblings, and that's what he likes (making it seem like his choice was superficial). He originally offered the part of Zuko to Jesse McCartney, but soon after the role went to Dev Patel (East Indian). This was after the fans started protesting the white-washing, so it felt like a "well, we'll give 'em a token non-white" even if there was a legitimate reason for changing actors. Of course, it doesn't help that the bad guy is brown given the political climate.
In any case, I think political correctness was a decent short-term solution to overt racism, but now it's a problem because it makes it harder to have legitimate, meaningful dialogue. It's very easy these days to equate overt signs of racism as the only legitimate signs of racism, and also makes it easy to dismiss more nuanced criticism as being overly PC. In the case of the Last Airbender, I think the white-washing really is an issue and I'm not sure that this director is able to overcome the problems.
(The movie I really want to see and break down, race-wise? The Karate Kid remake. It's a black kid in Beijing. I mean... the comparison of the racial narrative to the original Karate Kid with its Magic Asian fascinates me.)
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This is fair, but hinges on "we all hope they should." As true as this is, it's also true of every movie if you think about it. In some cases, it turns out well as in Lord of the Rings and the addition of the elves at helms deep. You have to trust that the "powers that be" made a good choice in adding that scene or taking it away. The same holds true for who plays what role doesn't it?
Do we need asian actors? Technically, no. But would we like transparency into how they will remain authentic to the source material (which was felt to be authentic with regards to the cultures from which elements were drawn)? Sure. And the only evidence we had to go on was casting choices. I thought there was significant footage of the actual costuming and scenery selections? Isn't that a more telling sign of how close they are staying to the source material rather then what race the actor is?
This was after the fans started protesting the white-washing, so it felt like a "well, we'll give 'em a token non-white" even if there was a legitimate reason for changing actors. Of course, it doesn't help that the bad guy is brown given the political climate. Brown guy? Ummm do you mean he's of Middle Eastern, East Indian, or African decent? Why should it matter? Especially if the actor for Zuko is East Indian and the major bad guy is his father right? (please correct me if I'm wrong here)
I completely agree with your points of PC and overt versus covert racism but here's the thing. Frankly, the majority of the people involved in the whole "racefail" thing (notice the use of the term) aren't targeting racism as a whole. They're targeting the perception of racism based on something as nebulus as perceived ideals based on cultural reference. That's my point here. "Racefail", "white-washing" (I mention it because your use of it brings it into the conversation), and "blackifying" these terms imply a level of racism that I simply don't see here. As I understand it, "racefail" and it's concept have been applied to Jason Glenhall (is that how you spell his name) in the role of the Prince of Persia because he isn't Persian. The man is a very good actor and shares a number of facial features reminiscent of the actual video game character. Yet that isn't good enough. It's that kind of behavior I can't stand. It's as racist as telling a black man he should be sitting at the back of the bus or using a different washroom then the white folks in my mind. The proof is in the pudding as they say and another that applies here is truth is a three edged sword. Is there racism? Maybe and maybe not. Are the actors that were turned down for the roles complaining or filing against the "powers that be" for the movie? That would interest me to know to be frank.
(New Karate Kid remake? Sounds cool, I'll have to look into it. :))
I love the fact that we can have this kind of conversation and not worry about being flamed about it by the way, its... refreshing.
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That's because we (1) know each other and (2) don't feel compelled to BE RITE OMG! It's a fun difference of opinion.
Anyway!
1. "You have to trust that the "powers that be" made a good choice in adding that scene or taking it away."
Appeal to authority does not sway me. :) Trust no one!
2. Footage wasn't always encouraging. Like Zuko's horribly burned face turning into a... black eye? Bad sunburn? I suspect in that case it was to maintain the PG rating, but that's another issue. (I know this is supposed to be a kids' movie, but I want it to be a movie for me. For me, certain things ought to be hard and kind of horrible. Zuko's bad burn should have been one of them.)
PS For the two seasons, Zuko is the bad guy, being goaded on by his need to regain his honour and his father's approval. He changes sides. Firelord Ozai is the overall bad guy but he's faceless until the last season.
Anyway, race of the main characters is important to some degree. If all the main characters are white and all the non-speaking extras are of a different race, it sends an unconscious message that the only important people are white. (This is generally, btw, not specific to Last Airbender.)
3. Heh. I used brown deliberately because I can't tell the difference between "brown" people. Nor can a lot of people. They'll see "brown" and they'll associate whatever they want to it. And these days, when you see "brown" people as bad guys.... Well.
4. I don't think that criticism of white-washing and overt racism like sending a black dude to the back of a bus are comparable for some rather complex reasons. Most of it stems from the idea that racism (in part due to PCness) taken on some characteristics which aren't always true: it is perpetuated by white people, it is intentional on some level, and it's indicative of "bad people." This latter two are especially damaging because it makes people defensive. White-washing does not need to be an intentional act. It could very well be a subconscious act. What's important is to point out that it is happening, and curtail it.
Example: I'm eating lunch with my lab mates and we're talking about where we're all from. I mention that I was born here and talk about how whenever I meet people, they always ask "Where are you from?" and seem a touch taken aback when I say "Edmonton." They then ask, "Oh, so you were born here?" as though they're checking to see if they understood me, because it's hard for people to associate Asian with not-foreign. Minutes later, one of the techs said, "So, C is the only one who's from here.... Oh my God, I just did it, didn't I?" I don't think she had bad intentions or anything. But it's still a racist thought to assume that I'm not a local.
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I knew that about Zuko but when you mentioned the bad guy I assumed you meant his father. As for the race of the main characters bit. I agree but for continuity sake. If they show the main characters in A:tLAB as white and the rest of the Nation's population as mixed, to me it isn't an issue.
3. Heh. I used brown deliberately because I can't tell the difference between "brown" people. Nor can a lot of people. They'll see "brown" and they'll associate whatever they want to it. And these days, when you see "brown" people as bad guys.... Well.
I want you to look at what you said here and then said under point 4.
4. I don't think that criticism of white-washing and overt racism like sending a black dude to the back of a bus are comparable for some rather complex reasons. Most of it stems from the idea that racism (in part due to PCness) taken on some characteristics which aren't always true: it is perpetuated by white people, it is intentional on some level, and it's indicative of "bad people." This latter two are especially damaging because it makes people defensive. White-washing does not need to be an intentional act. It could very well be a subconscious act. What's important is to point out that it is happening, and curtail it.
Racism is racism regardless of which side of the line it is on was more my point. Claiming that, as the example with Prince of Persia, that Jason Glenhall shouldn't be playing the role because he isn't Persian is just as racist a statement as saying that because a person is black, they can't sit at the front of the bus. It's an insidious thing. I'd be more likely to think that a person wasn't from Canada because of any accent they might have rather then the color of their skin because that denotes difference in native language.
Assumptions of any kind are dangerous though and it seems in this day and age, people are looking for more things to separate people of diverse cultures then they are bringing them together.
We can agree on one thing though I think, Racism is a piss poor way of defining who a person is or what they are capable of.
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Agreed. Jason however-his-name-is-spelled (I think you're missing a syllable somewhere) being white isn't sufficient to make a claim of racism and to jump to that assumption isn't good. It's an unsophisticated response. But! It, in conjunction with other evidence, could be indicative of unconscious racism.
(Re: brown. It's illustrative of unconscious racism from a point of priviledge. I'm not part of a "dangerous" race, just an invisible one, so I get off the hook a lot. I don't pretend to not be racist - a lot of it is subconscious conditioning. I just try to self-examine a lot. Also, I like my navel, so I stare at it a lot.)
"Assumptions of any kind are dangerous though and it seems in this day and age, people are looking for more things to separate people of diverse cultures then they are bringing them together."
While I appreciate that sentiment, I've often wondered about it. It seems... naive? Not that I think that people shouldn't look for commonalities so that we can all get along. Rather, I think that too often "bringing people together" becomes "needless assimilation." Also, it just seems cliched. I chew on it a lot, trying to decide how I feel about it.
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