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Diversity and Representation in Media

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A thread for discussing representation and diversity in all kinds of media. This covers creators and casting decisions as well as characters and in-universe discussions.

Historical works and decisions are in-scope as well, not just recent news.

Please put any spoilers behind tags and clearly state which work(s) they apply to.

    Original OP 
For discussing any racial, gender, and orientation misdoings happening across various movies and the film industry today.

This week, producer Ross Putnam started a Twitter account called "femscriptintros", where he puts up examples of how women are introduced in the screenplays he's read. And nearly all of sound like terrible porn or are too concerned with emphasizing said lady is beautiful despite whatever traits she may have. Here's a Take Two podcast made today where he talks about it.


(Edited April 19 2024 to add mod pinned post)

Edited by Mrph1 on Apr 19th 2024 at 11:45:51 AM

minseok42 A Self-inflicted Disaster from A Six-Tatami Room (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
A Self-inflicted Disaster
#37251: Jun 8th 2024 at 9:39:00 AM

I would still not say almost always.

"Enshittification truly is how platforms die"-Cory Doctorow
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#37252: Jun 8th 2024 at 10:19:06 AM

Idris Elba will be producing a four-part docuseries about World War 2's non-white soldiers.

One of Idris Elba’s grandfathers fought in World War II, but he doesn't know what he endured. No pictures or stories survive. “That part of my family’s history has been erased somewhat,” says Elba.

That helped fuel the actor's push to narrate and executive produce the four-part National Geographic docuseries “Erased: WW 2's Heroes of Color," which premieres Monday, days ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when the Allies landed on the coast of France, on June 6. Episodes will also later be available on Disney+ and Hulu.

It tells the story of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only all-Black combat unit to fight on the D-Day beaches, and Force K6, a little-known Indian regiment of mule handlers from the British army trying to evacuate at Dunkirk.

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#37253: Jun 8th 2024 at 10:21:31 AM

Oh god this was such a long time coming and the worst part is that I cant remember a WW 2 fiction movie that even acknowledged this fact.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
erazor0707 (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
#37254: Jun 8th 2024 at 10:44:25 AM

I know Red Tails and the Tuskegee Airmen, but that's about the only one I can remember. Good for this.

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#37255: Jun 8th 2024 at 10:48:27 AM

My first thought goes to the Navajo code talkers.

gropcbf from France Since: Sep, 2017
#37256: Jun 8th 2024 at 11:21:34 AM

Days of Glory (2006) was about that too (North African soldiers being part of the Free French Forces and being discriminated against).

Windona Beetle Brained from At the intersection of eternity (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Non-Canon
Beetle Brained
#37257: Jun 8th 2024 at 1:47:03 PM

[up][up] Windtalkers is also a movie about the Navajo code talkers in WW 2, but it starts Nic Cage and I cannot speak to the content as I ended up not seeing it. But it is very much overdue to have more films.

My AO3
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#37258: Jun 8th 2024 at 2:08:01 PM

Spike Lee's older film Miracle At St Anna (black soldiers in WWII Italy) came up in conversation after Da 5 Bloods (black soldiers in Vietnam War) came out. I haven't seen it though.

KRider Desire Grand Prix Entry from Origin System Since: Feb, 2021
Desire Grand Prix Entry
#37259: Jun 8th 2024 at 3:42:34 PM

From what I remember about watching Windtalkers it was more about Nicolas Cage and while the Navajo soldiers in general were portrayed to be badasses in combat and Adam Beach (who plays Cage's Navajo partner) had a lot of screentime, he and the rest of the Navajo were still ultimately just supporting characters even though the movie is named after them.

Set! Avenge! "Henshin." Black General! Bujin Sword! Ready, Fight!
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#37260: Jun 8th 2024 at 4:21:26 PM

I really want to propose the Indigenous Language In War trope because that has happened A LOT throuought history. In Paraguay, Guarani was key to victory on the Chaco War. Sadly I think this one wont take because indigenous people in war arent really a hot topic in Cinema.

Which we will have a holiday for this monday.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
KRider Desire Grand Prix Entry from Origin System Since: Feb, 2021
Desire Grand Prix Entry
#37261: Jun 8th 2024 at 6:02:56 PM

https://ew.com/movies/john-woo-john-woo-my-hits-and-misses/

Windtalkers director John Woo was interviewed about his movie and he originally meant it to be more about the friendship between Nicolas Cage and Adam Beach's characters while serving in the Pacific theater except the studio execs wanted it to be more of a John Wayne WW2-style movie w/c explains why it was poorly received. He also lamented that the audience at the time weren't also receptive to what he intended w/ the movie w/c isn't surprising considering it was released in 2002 and Americans were still reeling from 9/11.

And I was also browsing about WW2 movies that featured black men fighting and I came across Come Out Fighting that was released in 2022 starring Michael Jai White and Tyrese Gibson that was about an all-black regiment fighting against Nazis in WW2. Haven't watched this and while the reviews in IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes are poor, I don't trust those reviews at all considering how prevalent review-bombing has become.

And while it didn't involve active combat, there was a 1984 movie titled A Soldier's Story w/c is a murder mystery where a black JAG Corps officer investigated the murder of a black sergeant stationed in the South on the eve of the US Armed Forces' entry in WW2 w/c included the all-black battalion of the sergeant who was murdered. The movie ended w/ the main character's superior congratulating him for solving the case while backhandedly mentioning that he (the superior) would have to get used to black COs. The main character replied by saying that his superior WILL have to get used to black COs.

Edited by KRider on Jun 8th 2024 at 6:20:22 AM

Set! Avenge! "Henshin." Black General! Bujin Sword! Ready, Fight!
Ookamikun This is going to be so much fun. (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
This is going to be so much fun.
#37262: Jun 9th 2024 at 6:42:16 AM

Who is shipped with who?

Godzilla and Mothra

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#37263: Jun 9th 2024 at 8:19:05 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRXy2jd1ivk

This video has very good arguments and explains and criticizes Rainbow Capitalism so a newbie can get it.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
unregisteredaccount Since: May, 2024
#37264: Jun 9th 2024 at 9:28:49 AM

There's a lot of really interesting shit during WWII that doesn't get media made of it, even outside of minority involvement. Like did you guys know there was a program that took 3D images from aircraft?

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#37265: Jun 9th 2024 at 9:32:29 AM

[up] This post is off topic.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#37266: Jun 9th 2024 at 10:29:50 AM

> This video has very good arguments and explains and criticizes Rainbow Capitalism so a newbie can get it.

embedding it so we can see who it's from would be helpful,as well the type of video

so yeah its a video essay and its about John Waters,and how his movies were the only gay representation for a long time

'It makes me think back to the days of John Waters, where gay rep meant watching Pink Flamingos in a dark room or picking up Clive Barker novels. With Steven Universe and Nimona, what happened to bad LGBTQA Representation? Should we go back to it?'

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
IniuriaTalis Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: Love, football, the arts, the occasional pint
#37267: Jun 9th 2024 at 5:48:25 PM

[up]When I hear people talk about Clive Barker, I know I have a different perspective than most people. I never read any of his adult horror works. I've never seen Hellraiser or Candyman.

But as a sheltered little elementary schooler, I did read a young adult novel of his called Abarat. It had the scariest villains I'd ever read and all the scary imagery I would now know to expect given the author, but it also has a crew of Loveable Rogue pirates. And one of them was a gay man, who I only knew was gay because Barker chose to use him as an Author Avatar to give a rant about how there is so much pain and abuse in the world, and he just wants to be happy with the man he loves, and people still choose to lump them in with all the bad people just for who they choose to be with. And all he can do is say, you know what? Come to our house for dinner and I'll show all you assholes how lovely our home is, because that's the only way to change your minds.

That irrelevant rant in a Creepy Cool YA novel I read probably too young (seriously Mater Motley is scarier than 99% of adult horror villains) is probably one of the most impactful story beats in my life, as a kid who didn't even realize that I knew gay people at that point.

Edited by IniuriaTalis on Jun 9th 2024 at 5:52:37 AM

Does anyone actually read these?
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#37268: Jun 9th 2024 at 5:50:26 PM

One of the biggest "Gay People exist moment" was a comedy parodying Tom Hanks outing his gay teacher on his Oscar speech for Philadelphia, heck it was then I learned the word "Lesbian."

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
king15 Have Faun Since: Mar, 2024
Have Faun
#37269: Jun 9th 2024 at 5:53:15 PM

I found out same-sex relationships exist via Undertale (Id been told before by my parents, but this was my first real time seeing it and realising it was a thing). It really goes to show how impactful good representation can be.

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#37270: Jun 9th 2024 at 5:58:21 PM

[up]You must be REALLY young.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
IniuriaTalis Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: Love, football, the arts, the occasional pint
#37271: Jun 9th 2024 at 6:07:35 PM

[up]Eh, don't judge. If you're in a sheltered small town, you can go really far in life before it really hits that LGBT people are there and normal and will be there wherever you go.

Does anyone actually read these?
KRider Desire Grand Prix Entry from Origin System Since: Feb, 2021
Desire Grand Prix Entry
#37272: Jun 9th 2024 at 6:18:30 PM

[up]I agree. Not everyone's lucky w/ the environment & media they grow up in and it's common for people to realize late in their lives that they're LGBT. W/c made Alan Scott (the Golden Age Green Lantern and JSA member) coming out as gay (1st to his children and later publicly) when the JSA came back after Doomsday Clock in 2019 very relatable to people who realize they're LGBT very late in life.

Edited by KRider on Jun 9th 2024 at 6:18:45 AM

Set! Avenge! "Henshin." Black General! Bujin Sword! Ready, Fight!
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#37273: Jun 9th 2024 at 6:20:59 PM

[up][up], [up] I really didnt mean it in an unkind way. I wanted to say its cute or that its great young people are learning about the world, but I wanted to avoid the weirdness and didnt think the comment would be perceived as unkind.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
KRider Desire Grand Prix Entry from Origin System Since: Feb, 2021
Desire Grand Prix Entry
#37274: Jun 9th 2024 at 6:21:39 PM

[up]No worries and it's alright.

Set! Avenge! "Henshin." Black General! Bujin Sword! Ready, Fight!
IniuriaTalis Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: Love, football, the arts, the occasional pint
#37275: Jun 9th 2024 at 6:26:52 PM

[up][up]Yeah, I get it. But just keep in mind that it can feel real weird to have your worldview singled out like that. "Cute" can be a euphemism for "ignorant," and "young" for "naive."

Does anyone actually read these?

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