"whitewashing" garbage

Caporegime
Joined
30 Jul 2013
Posts
28,907
I share an office with a recruitment company

They have a client that will only interview young (ISH) white men for jobs.

Of course that is illegal, but they get 15% comission on placements so it's not like they are going to report it to anyone.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
8 Jun 2013
Posts
4,372
unless the jobs had caveats that negated races for whatever reasons, they shouldn't have done that.

knowing they did that, did you do anything about it?
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Dec 2012
Posts
17,507
Location
Gloucestershire
unless the jobs had caveats that negated races for whatever reasons, they shouldn't have done that.

knowing they did that, did you do anything about it?
No. I was a young trainee and needed them to sign off my professional experience.

That's the trouble when there are these power imbalances. Bit like Hollywood really: what's the alternative?
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Dec 2012
Posts
17,507
Location
Gloucestershire
in that case yes, you endorsed it.

yeah, cos China and Japan etc haven't got massive movie industries themselves, right?
I wouldn't say such a passive act was endorsement, though I would say that I probably, as a white male, probably gained from that setup in much the same way as I gain unearned advantage by being in those groups generally.

I don't think the Chinese and Japanese movie industries (much smaller than Hollywood) are a very realistic alternative for a low-profile american actress.

And isn't saying "if you work for this racially biased system then you are endorsing it" a bit illogical if you do so as part of the group the bias is working against? I mean, are you not literally breaking down those barriers?
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
8 Jun 2013
Posts
4,372
well there's a saying about evil flourishing only because people stay silent etc, so by not doing or saying anything, even after they'd signed whatever you needed from them it could be said you were ok w/ their actions.

the chinese and Japanese industries are huge. as an argument, would a "low profile" Chinese actress do better under her own name in her own country's industry, than as a low-profile actress in Hollywood? wouldn't there be a better chance for her to rise up the ranks and become a big start there and then maybe carry weight in other countries? look at Jackie Chan or Chow Yun-Fat as examples, unknown over here except to fanboys but absolutely colossal stars in their own industries.
frankly, my own perception is she's not breaking down those barriers, she's just whoring her beliefs in an attempt to make money. there are plenty other places to make films [or TV], she just wants to be famous and rich so she's not willing to back up her standards and walk away from an industry she says is highly racist against her race. But as i said, i don't fully understand her cos the gist seems to be they don't like her name but are ok w/ her looks and abilities, so i'm not sure where racism comes into that; i always thought actors applied using a demo reel or at least a resume w/ head shots etc, so i don't know if the name would be the only factors. and expanding on that, if the studio thinks [or knows, from past experience] that "John PAtel" on a poster will not put bums on seats that way "John Smith" might, are they being racist by casting to protect their profits? or is the fault at the audience's prejudices at that point?
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Dec 2012
Posts
17,507
Location
Gloucestershire
Egyptian actor currently starring in an American film of a British icon without having to change his name. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41166809

Maybe that actress changing her name gave her the confidence to audition better instead of her believing it was her name holding back, once you get a good roll it does get easier.
You probably need to look into Freddie Mercury a bit more mate.
 
Caporegime
Joined
30 Jul 2013
Posts
28,907
Egyptian actor currently starring in an American film of a British icon without having to change his name. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41166809

Maybe that actress changing her name gave her the confidence to audition better instead of her believing it was her name holding back, once you get a good roll it does get easier.

Ironically, Freddy Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara and did need to change his name to become famous due to xenophobia/racial prejudice :)
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Oct 2011
Posts
21,592
Location
ST4
The latest is now Aladdin; http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...ashing-racism-backlash-response-a7933201.html

Seems a new character just isn't allowed to be white, because that's racist :rolleyes:

I think they've missed the main point though. Will Smith as genie? Genie was blue. So is that black washing or blue washing? Shall I do the washing, said my girlfriend last night. Sigh.

I wonder why the very same people are not crying about an Egyptian actor playing Aladdin - a Chinese guy.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2009
Posts
11,175
I wonder why the very same people are not crying about an Egyptian actor playing Aladdin - a Chinese guy.

Because the majority probably don't know that the in known origins of Aladdin's story, he is Chinese. This is live action re-telling of Disney's take on the character and story though, which is set in Jordan.

If people were to complain about the character of Aladdin in this live action film not being portrayed as Chinese, then they deserve to be pointed at and laughed at by many people.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
8 Jun 2013
Posts
4,372
so Daniel Dae Kim's taken over the role and thanks Skrein for stepping aside so he gets the role, lol.
so apparently it's no good having a white guy play a Japanese-American, but it's ok for a Korean-American to play him. maybe someone should just draw up a flow chart to show what ethnic mix can play which, to make it clear?
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Dec 2012
Posts
17,507
Location
Gloucestershire
so Daniel Dae Kim's taken over the role and thanks Skrein for stepping aside so he gets the role, lol.
so apparently it's no good having a white guy play a Japanese-American, but it's ok for a Korean-American to play him. maybe someone should just draw up a flow chart to show what ethnic mix can play which, to make it clear?
Korean isn't really a different ethnicity to Japanese. It's like Italian vs British.
 
Back
Top Bottom