Racial Discrimination And Whitewashing In Media
The hard stance taken against whitewashing in media is warranted and will stay that way until we learn to fix the issue. It’s indirectly discriminating actors of other ethnicities who do not get their opportunities to play characters like themselves. It idealises westernised depictions of how the world should be and does not embrace the diversity of different and unique cultures. American actor Scarlett Johansson, already accused of “whitewashing” in the past, has faced much backlash in her “Ghost in the Shell”. Controversy surrounds our insensitivity to casting and prioritizing white people, whilst discriminating people of other backgrounds. This is not okay. “Ghost in the Shell” was originally known as a famous Japanese manga and anime series. Surprisingly, the characters in “Ghost in the Shell” are, well, Japanese. After Johansson was cast, with the initial theatrical posters promoted across the globe for this film, media was quick to spark comments such as “why is Scarlett Johansson playing as an Asian?” “Isn’t she white? What are they thinking?”
Fast forward into time, you would think they casted an Asian actor for an Asian character in an Asian film. A few CGI tweaks, filters and a movie script full of excuses, the American actor, is now apparently Asian. Sure, Johansson didn’t do a bad job in playing the role. But spare a thought… don’t just cast famous, white actors and depict them as another race. It will be viewed by media as racist, not as strategic nor smart, especially for box office regards. Spare a thought… the actors and films themselves will be heavily criticised when, in this context, Asians will think the way they are portrayed is inaccurate and far-fetched.
Spare a thought… cast people that have not only fame, but experience too. Sure, Johansson has experience playing as Romanoff in the famous “Avengers” series, but Japanese Actress Tao Okamoto, funnily enough, is way more experienced in acting in movies revolving around the realms of science fiction and action than Johansson is. Tatsu Yamashiro is well-known as a professional swordswoman and martial artist herself; very handy skills for a role which Johansson was casted for. In short, Hollywood racially and insensitively casts white people for characters who aren’t even white, rather than other potential actors of more suitability to the role.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say “Don’t cast white people” or “Don’t put white characters in stories which originate from stories of different ethnicities. The problem is that whitewashing idealises the westernised depictions of how the world should be, and not embracing the diversity of different cultures. Let’s look at “The Great Wall”. Director Zhang attests that the main character which Matt Damon portrays was always intended for a European. This story comprises of European mercenaries which the plot revolves around… in Medieval China. Doesn’t it sound like we’re depicting the Europeans as superior in Medieval China? It seems to me as though we have put forth Europeans as the main asset of the movie. You may be thinking, ‘Gee, this lunatic has something against white people!’ I have absolutely nothing against any white person. I do, however, have something against the constraining nature of unnecessarily casting white actors in foreign films which clearly deserve to explore their unique cultures.
History is a lesson to change and learn from our past mistakes. We have not learned to change. We have not learned from our past mistakes, but this is the time. Stop the whitewashing.
