tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post8592054765238204705..comments2024-02-10T18:19:36.406-08:00Comments on Newspaper Rock: Pocahontas opera casting criticizedRobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-13210350023977764432011-09-28T14:53:53.269-07:002011-09-28T14:53:53.269-07:00A case study can show what "colorblind castin...A case study can show what "colorblind casting" means:<br /><br />Take Jennifer Lawrence, an obscure actress who garnered national attention for an obscure movie and was nominated for Best Actress.<br /><br />Now take Gabourey Sidibe, an obscure actress who garnered national attentioni for an obscure movie and was nominated for Best Actress.<br /><br />They're both talented. But the reality is that Jennifer Lawrence is blonde and beautiful, by Western standards, and Gabourey Sidibe is black and plus-sized.<br /><br />Simply put, in addition to the fact that Jennifer Lawrence fits ideal Western proportions and Gabourey Sidibe doesn't, there are two other issues:<br /><br />1) There are more roles for white men and women than for black men and women.<br />2) Invariably, "no race specified" means "white". This gets ridiculous; notice the almost all-white cast of the original <i>Star Wars</i> trilogy, though most of the action takes place in basically North Africa with two suns.<br />3) Things get far worse with other minorities. Shigeyoshi Murao, a friend of Allen Ginsberg who was arrested for selling Ginsberg's poems, is elided from <i>Howl</i>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com