To everyone who pretends #Racism and #WhitePrivilege do not exist and and that they do not affect peoples lives, livelihoods, and careers, this is what I and people who share aspects of my appearance are up against in the pursuit of our dreams: via Eric Deggans of NPRs Code Switch It is, perhaps, the worst nightmare for those of us constantly trying to get a white-dominated Hollywood to widen its doors of opportunity for people of color: All those executives who say the right things in public and give to the right causes, just might think something much less admirable about diversity behind closed doors. ...many of those reports detail racially insensitive — OK, Shonda Rhimes, youre right: lets just call them racist — jokes between studio executive Amy Pascal and movie producer Scott Rudin. Their reported emails read like they were cribbed from an old Larry Sanders Show episode, with the pair sounding like caricatures of clueless, racially oblivious fat cats. ...Pascal has pushed back against those who suggest the leaked emails should cost her the chairmans job at Sony, saying the messages are not an accurate reflection of who I am. I believe her. But I also believe these messages are an accurate reflection of Hollywoods attitudes about diversity, where assumptions are made without proof and even the president can find himself at the butt end of a racist joke between the most powerful people in town. The best way big shots like Pascal and Rudin can prove they arent the people depicted in these emails is to challenge the status quo and insist on results. Break down any rule or practice that hinders bringing more diversity to executive suites, producing and directing ranks, and casting offices. Yes, there are some people of color who are doing well in Hollywood, particularly Latino filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jorge R Gutierrez and Alfonso Cuarón. But they still seem like notable exceptions.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 18:35:46 +0000