It’s well known that the Hollywood film industry has a controversial history that continues to loom in the present time – most notably with diversity and inclusion on the big screen. From the once racist caricatures and stereotypes that plagued old Hollywood has shifted to a welcoming environment for people of color to pursue careers in the industry. Despite somewhat rectifying the once racist and bigoted beliefs, diversity has now become a part of a culture war.
Recent movies and TV shows have done their best to push for diversity, but audiences have had mixed reactions towards the goal they are striving for. It’s a discussion filled with points to be made of how diverse characters are not getting the justice they deserve and mean spirited comments on how “woke culture” is the reason for low quality content being made.
Diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI as it is commonly known emerged from the Civil Rights Movements leading to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 presenting itself as a framework to focus on creating diverse work environments and inclusive cultures where everyone has equal opportunities. However, in our current time this framework has been getting pushback from Americans who view this as “basing hiring off who individuals are rather than merit” and this has heavily impacted the way audiences are consuming media.
Woke culture and DEI have become intertwined with the notion of critiquing a film or TV show because of forced social and political issues that range from race, gender, social justice, inclusivity and deconstruction of traditional power structures. The word “woke” originates from African-American vernacular meaning for someone to stay alert on social issues and a call to action. Yet, as the years progressed its meaning has shifted to a catchphrase on calling out oversensitivity for being “politically correct.”
While many cite the mid 2010’s with films such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Ghostbusters (2016) to be the starting point for criticism towards forced representation, many failed to realize that this issue has been going on for years.
Controversies of diversity in films have been a thing from The Night of The Living Dead (1968) for a groundbreaking portrayal of a Black lead character to Battlestar Galactica (2004) casting Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck (a previous male role) to expand dynamics and diversity in the show. DEI hiring continues to grow and it is being seen recently more after the efforts made in previous years.
Companies such as Walt Disney Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., etc. are now forced to walk on a fine line on appeasing two different audiences. Yet, there is an incentive for companies to utilize DEI hiring for monetary use. According to Miles Dobbs report on states like California which passed a legislation for reaching diversity in work forces,
“If a certain threshold is met, additional tax credits are granted to productions at the conclusion of filming.”
In a California Film Commission report, despite California carrying a large diverse population of Latinos, Asian Americans and Black there is still a disparity as the industry is 70% white and 75% male.
While companies have their own financial reason and benefits for DEI hiring, there is also the importance of representation in our screens. What may seem excessive or forced with race/gender bending main or side characters, data comes to show that diversity makes up only a small percentage.
DEI in film will continue to be a topic of discussion as more films and TV shows with diverse casts continue to grow.
Written by Emily Leyva, staff writer