Moreover, the trend enforces POC to take villain roles while giving hero roles to Caucasians. These films lead the children into thinking whites are better than colours, creating an unethical image of the word. It crushes the dreams of the children to think POC can be a hero to others, rather than extras and side characters. As both of the viewpoints demonstrates the negative impact it has on the audience, it comes to a conclusion that whitewashing in films are unethical. Why Is It Unethical to Whitewash the Film? Consideration of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) would be a start in analyzing if this trend is ethical or unethical. Extra attention on legal responsibilities, ethical responsibilities, and philanthropic responsibilities were …show more content…
The theory was carefully addressed with four main characteristics on this contrast; producer casted a Caucasian for a POC role vs. producer casted a POC for a POC role. This was an important question to consider in order to predict the result with consequentialism. If Caucasian was casted for POC role, the result would be the same, meaning there would be many voices criticizing this cast. In addition, it would be changing the pure basis of a story by changing the character’s ethnicity background. On the contrast, there would not be as much negative consequences if POC was casted for POC roles, as there are not any criticisms to Caucasians for being casted as Caucasians roles. Hedonism represented a similar idea as consequentialism. The trend of Caucasians replacing POC roles has brought a harm in creating a negative POC stereotypes, however, this stereotypes would not have been created if the proper roles were given to proper actors. If Mr. Yunoishi was casted with a Japanese actor, its character would not have had to look ridiculous throughout the films. Maximalism and universalism parts of the theory was analyzed additionally, for a thorough decision. Minimizing the negative consequences that were mentioned above would also be a way in maximizing the well-being for the greatest number of people; disappearance of negative POC stereotypes and criticism against whitewashing. As casting Asians for Caucasian roles reflects the producer’s interest, it would be stated to cast POC or POC roles to be ethical. Overall, four characteristics of the utilitarian theory clearly states one answer to this question: It is unethical to present false image to the audience due to an influence of the whitewashed film
Back in the 1800’s, when calculating the population, African Americans were counted as 3/5 of a person (Antonia, p2). One would think that in the past two hundred years people’s beliefs would have changed a little bit, but the general white public are stuck into believing the common stereotypes commonly portrayed in movies. In films and television shows blacks are almost always portrayed as murderers, robbers, rapists, pretty much anything negative, like American History X, for example. Two black men are shown breaking into a white man’s car. People see this, and in turn believe that all black men will try and steal their car; as stupid as it may seem, it is true, and as a result, film producers try to incorporate this into their films. Very rarely, if ever, is it possible to see a minority depicted as a hero-type figure. Every once in a while, there will be an independent film from a minority director, but as Schultz states in Lyon’s piece, “We [blacks] are still being ghettoized in Hollywood, a serious black project of any scope is as difficult to get marketed today as it was in the ‘70s.” By making a barrier to entry for minorities in the film industry, it’s almost as if America is trying to keep black films out of the popular media. At first glimpse, it may appear that minorities are very hard to be seen in the filming industry, when in reality, they are becoming more and more apparent in America’s mainstream media culture, particularly in action movies.
The Blaxploitation films were needed to reshape the past images of slavery. Blacks were exiting the Black Panther and Black Power movement, which the people had become profound to the use of drugs within urban communities. Therefore, the films were produced counter to the rise of drugs. So, the films were used as a framework to create new stereotypes of blacks being big bad drug dealers or pimps. The films were publicized in the media, which produced a greater outcome of people wanted to become the illustration within the films. The films in Blaxploitation often deal with finding solutions of trying to remove cocaine out of the hood, as there was an uproar within the communities. However, films that were produced declared African Americans being the villain, while the women were often degraded to being a sexual object.
Ever since the establishment of cinema in the early 1900s, Hollywood has continuously recreated elements of history to reenact for its future generations. In order to clearly broadcast a specific theme or message to relay to viewers around the world, Hollywood executives tend to embellish real life events, in order to provide a “fairytale” aspect to a seemingly not so “happily- ever-after” story from history. As part of this “fairytale” aspect, Hollywood tends to delegitimize as well as provide a more disrespectful and more comical version of societies and cultures in the specific time frame that the film is being set. Through the art of story telling, the movies Mulan and Kung Fu Panda, depict the two sides of Hollywood, the falsifying and mockery making of Chinese people, their society, beliefs and true events of history and that of an accurate portrayal.
The White Savior Complex is a damaging subconscious underlay of the Hollywood system, and more broadly all of western society. It is used to further separate the notions of “us” and “other” by creating a firm separation fueled by self-righteousness, and a sense of entitlement. Hollywood attempts to address race relations, but fails because of this trope. Kingsle, from the article “Does My Hero Look White In This?” described that both racism and colonialism are acknowledged, but not without reassuring that not only were white people against the system of racist power dynamics, but also were actively fighting against it in leadership roles (2013). In the remainder of my essay I will be commenting on many modern films and their use on this trope, and why subscribing to this filmmaking strategy is problematic.
The media and is directors producers or anyone who has the responsibility of casting directing or anything that will be shown to the masses have a huge responsibility to every group of people to represent them in light that is not stereotyped in a negative manner. All the films discussed all show some form of stereotype each ethnic group has held over their heads. Ask yourself if we didn’t have film would we still have these stereotypes? In order to get over this racial profiling in film they should start showing what else these groups have accomplished not just the negative side. For example they could make a film of Madam C. J. Walker who was African American and also the first self-made female millionaire. Directors hold a huge responsibility and they owe it society to portray each ethnic group in fair
I gave several examples where Asian Americans were used to play very simple characters. These roles were defined by stereotypes that exist in America. I also researched instances on counter actions taken by Asian Americans to protest against these negative images. My research also has examples of Asians that have succeeded in breaking through the racial barriers in the media.
The Disney movies of Pocahontas tell a plot of a Native ¬American tribe and English colonists that fight for the land the Native Americans live on though war ultimately creating moderate peace. While keeping to their own sect, the imbalance of power between the two social groups is prevalent throughout much of the story. Walt Disney’s Pocahontas is more than a classic children’s movie. It is a thoughtful, well contrived narration that portrays a message that in order to fit in, you must be a certain race and born into a specific culture. Disney’s Pocahontas suggesting that the color of our skin shouldn’t matter when being accepted into social groups as well as the idea that arranged marriage should be rejected. Thus, treating people right could ultimately have a positive outcome and lastly, the film also suggests that family roles change without a mother figure.
African American representation in the film industry has always been a topic for discussion. Whether talking about character types and roles, the actors being cast or not cast, and the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. ‘The contemporary status of race in mainstream American culture is intimately bound to the process of representation within and through the mass media.’ (Rocchio, 2000, p. 4). Any role that was to be played by an African American kept in with the dominant stereotypes of the time of production; incompetent, child like, hyper-sexualised or criminal.
An organization’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drives them to look out for the different interests of society. Most business corporations undertake responsibility for the impact of their organizational pursuits and various activities on their customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment. With the high volume of general competition between different companies and organizations in varied fields, CSR has become a morally imperative commitment, more than one enforced by the law. Most organizations in the modern world willingly try to improve the general well-being of not only their employees, but also their families and the society as a whole.
Those who deny the existence of the racism rooted into modern day Hollywood are far from reality. They may think that in the United States we are getting closer to equality when it comes to casting but we in fact are not. While there is the belief that America has progressed when it comes to social issues, the percentage of roles held by black actors in film and TV has dropped from 15 to 13 percent from the early 2000’s to 2011 (McClintock and Apello 2).
However, as degrading the stereotypes may be, some directors use these stereotypes to communicate the reality of the situation. For example, when the premise of the plot relates to history of Asian Americans, the inclusion of culture-specific attitudes and accents transforms the movie or TV show in an unidealized perspective of the world. Rather than shying away from what is considered racist, the directors stays true to what is part of society. Therefore, the ethical responsibility is to display these negative stereotypes.
While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...
The idea has merit and its intentions are seemingly founded in the desire to push the artistic medium to unexplored heights, which I am always in favor of. Yet, the provision raises certain questions in a dire need of answering. As a bi-racial man, who also happens to be an aspiring writer, the notion of being assigned to a film for the sole reason of being a minority in order to meet a quota is truthfully insulting. My work, regardless of my background, should serve as a calling card, and if it is not deemed acceptable — whether that be for aesthetic or emotional reasons — so be it.
Dragon Ball movie will address that the main character is white and the helper character is Asian. Mulan will discuss the reality the world currently faces, with the reference to the petition that is established. With further discussion on the petition, the reasoning behind why it is unethical for film market to whitewash everything will be expanded. In this case, the research materials collected from the new articles will be helpful. Perception of the stakeholder, customers in this case, will be addressed the most.
A company has an economic obligation. It must earn a favorable return for its stockholders in the restrictions of the law. But, corporate social responsibility means that organizations have also ethical and societal responsibilities that go past their economic responsibilities. CSR needs organizations to develop their documentations of their responsibilities to include other stakeholders such as workers, customers, suppliers, local societies, state governments, international organizations, etc. Ethics could be seen as a fundamental component of individual and group activities at the heart of organizations’ errands.