Why Hollywood is Bad at Diversity

[@Peasham]

Not Disney naming a new first gay character every 2 months whose gayness was conveniently invisible but cancelling the one series that actually had a gay kiss

[@jeremyusreevu237]

This coming from a simp for rainbow capitalism is unironically hilarious.

[@CrazyWeridoRH]

I remember they milked the hell out of Rise of Skywalker having a lesbian kiss in the film and in the final product it’s a blink and you miss it little peck in the background. Which I’m pretty sure was easily edited out in international releases.

[@joeiorio9654]

That really Owl’s my House

[@jesus85ize]

I’m black y’all I’m black y’all. I’m blacker than black. I am black y’all.

[@jesus85ize]

It’s just weird when you put Kevin Hart in the place of Peter Pan lol stop screwing up history just a shoehorn yourself into movies

[@9124Nove]

Straight facts! It still irks me how the non-white main characters of the Sequel Trilogy were downgraded with each film. Finn, Rose, and Poe each had interesting backstories, yet the studios simply refused to do more with them. Instead, all of the care and attention had to go to Rey and Ben. Such wasted potential.

[@GeneralTaco155555a]

I legitimately laughed out loud in the theater when Rose basically told the gang that she couldn't go play with them because she had homework to do. One of (if not her only) lines in the movie is just to instantly shelve her, it's wild lol

[@zshah3107]

Disney Star Wars can go 2 Hell!

[@CaptainHindsight-xt9yd]

Uhmmm… you are complaining? What happened to all the white guys in the sequels? Evil, old or dead at the end. Or a combination of those. Yes, Rey is white but she is a woman and when I watch Star Wars I want to root for white male hero. That the sequel trilogy wasn’t about Luke’s son becoming a Jedi was total BS.

[@GeneralTaco155555a]

@@CaptainHindsight-xt9yd "when I watch Star Wars I want to root for white male hero." Boo hoo, you only got 6 movies, and multiple spin-off shows 😢 Keep whining about how everything needs to cater to sensitive ass white men who can't handle seeing anyone else in a leading role though 👍

[@Blufishii]

The white studio heads cant handel white ppl not being the sun that the plot revolves around

[@tommycerda1689]

Everything you said was spot on. That’s why I always get so upset, personally, when I see a lack of people of color or people of color written in a terrible way.

[@joh2434]

2:15 I'm white as hell but who TF is putting raisins in mac & cheese!?

[@HalfTangible]

1:15 The problem in my mind isn't diversity itself, but that diversity is where studios put their focus. And even then, only as a marketing ploy. Shows like Arcane work because their focus isn't on 'oooh interracial couple, oooh black noxian, isn't it so cool that Vi and Caitlyn are gay oooh', it's on the very human themes of love between siblings, a father's love for his daughter(s), revolution, idealism, the expense of the good in pursuit of the great... just to name a few. Compare this to star wars putting a gay kiss into the background of a scene so they could broadcast it to high heaven but also remove it for international releases. Every press release about how 'for the first time we're giving a GIRL agency!' or whatever.

[@Peasham]

I'd love for you to name a show that focuses on its diversity.

[@HalfTangible]

@@Peasham I gave you a direct example.

[@Peasham]

@@HalfTangible You gave an example of something not focusing on diversity. A literal blink and you'll miss it moment that was tailor made to be edited out is the opposite of a piece of media focusing on diversity.

[@HalfTangible]

@@Peasham Which is one of the problems I highlighted, but go ahead and pretend that we haven't been seeing a thousand projects that push their diversity as the main selling point. Madame Web gets a mention here, too.

[@Peasham]

@@HalfTangible It's not a problem you highlighted, you specifically cited this as an example of media that parades and focuses on its diversity. Madame Webb, however, never once focuses on its diversity. Please, I would like media that actually focuses on its diversity within the text of the work.

[@AndrewAce.]

Disney is the most hypocritical company... They use people's charactersics as selling-points, but they actually don't give a shit about them and will throw them under the bus in a heartbeat despite all their preaching. And when that results in a bad product, they blame it on bigotry. As a result, people associate things like inclusion with politicization and bad storytelling, and no longer want to see or hear about it. It also makes the immediately skeptical of those characters who were included for diversity, and typically those are poor characters anyway. So they're actually screwing everyone over by doing this...

[@Toshiro93]

In terms of sensible representation in unsuspecting times, i like to remember the role of Nazeem, played by Morgan Freeman, in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Nazeem's involvement doesn't happen when Robin is in England, or even just in Europe on the way home [of the type, that Robin frees him from a slave trader or from some other unlikely situation (since, at the time, even if there could be black slaves in Europe, they were very rare, and meeting them on the street would have been more difficult than swim across the ocean blindfolded)]. It takes place in Jerusalem, in a period in which the city is still in Muslim hands: Robin and Nazeem save each other, and the Saracen's life debt towards the Christian soon turns into deep friendship. Furthermore, Nazeem proves decisive in the fight against the Sheriff of Nottingham, he is not a mere cartoon placed in the film solely to provide an ethnic quota: he is a character with his own personality, his own backstory and his own development over the course of the film. Obviously, there are many other examples, but I think this is a good enough one to mention.

[@Peasham]

Except that's not actually sensible representation, as black people weren't in Jerusalem at the time. They were, however, in Europe, as around that time the Maurs has control over what would in the future be known as Spain.

[@Toshiro93]

@@Peasham Fair observation, even if the character is, so to speak, equated to a Muslim like the others. It is true that Freeman is an African-American actor and not, for example, Moroccan or Turkish, but given his role, we could consider him as a representative of Muslim warriors. At least, it always seemed that way to me, maybe I'm wrong.

[@Peasham]

@@Toshiro93 I'm not so much complaining about Freeman playing the character as much as I'm pointing out that it would've actually been historically accurate and organic had he, or any other black person, just been in Europe in general, cuz there's a huge stink whenever a black person is depicted within a medieval setting (even if it's completely fictionalized) despite the fact that they were there throughout Europe's history lol

[@Toshiro93]

@@Peasham ok.

[@whoisyouranime]

3:07 Just marking the Avatar writer's advice on how to write a great characters.

[@jackoconnor5590]

Ten examples of good representation? And yeah I’ve seen Arcane, still hope they still got good energy charm and charisma for season two.

[@zshah3107]

Screw Hollywood, Sometimes!

[@AcdraStation]

OH I KNOW THIS IS ABOUT TO BE PEAK

[@Turkolini]

It frustrates me so much how they introduce these characters that are "diverse" and its just superficial shit. Instead of making new diverse characters that have their own sense of character, good and bad traits, character conflict and even conflict relating to their gender or race or sexuality. Hollywood takes existing characters and just make them gay or black without any thought of making them their own unique character. You also have the issue with like Finn per example who is developed as this really cool badass character with a grey moral compass who seeks attention from Rey and Poe and wants to get away from the first order and is so clearly clearly clearly hinted at being capable of becoming a jedi and a strong awesome character. Then Rian Johnson does very little with that rips him away from Rey and Poe, gives him a half baked just piss poor political message on war profiteering that changes his mind. FINN DESERVED BETTER HE DESERVED TO become a jedi and be the best character in that franchise but nah instead we get Rey's confusing character arc with identity and Kylo Ren who steals the show. Then the Rise of Skywalker came out 💀💀💀💀

[@mavillejones5908]

I just finished true detective night country tonight. Was very impressed, best season since the first, and it was very women centric, but like you with LotR, I highly related and liked the main two women detectives. They even had a big “strong women” moment with many women appearing, teaming up, and representing a collective female strength, and the first thing I thought about after was the gauntlet women hand off relay from Avengers Endgame. I mentioned this to my girl and told her how all I could think of was how earned and developed a moment it was in Night Country, and how gross and pandering it was in Endgame 😂 So for you to drop this video almost right after I finished that show is pretty cool

[@TheFirstOkiro]

I’ve been secretly spying on you that’s how I knew 😂 I have yet to finish this season but if it’s good like you say it is, I should make a video on it

[@stephthebard9037]

Absolutely this. Another spot on video. I do keep hoping I'll get better. Maybe someday.

[@CrazyWeridoRH]

I think the best recent example I can think of is Reva from Kenobi. That show was SO bad and Reva, who on paper could’ve been a really interesting and compelling character, had as much care in her writing as a horny drunk man repeatedly slapping his schmeat onto a loaded bear trap. And of course you got the bigots blaming Moses Ingram for the character’s shortcomings as if she was the one writing/directing. The main problem with Reva was that she felt like a Dollar Store Trilla and wasn’t all that unique. All the interesting parts of her character Trilla had with more care and quality. Went through a similar arc, had a similar vendetta against a Jedi, etc. Moses Ingram was thrown stale leftovers from another character and that’s all she had to work with. Honestly all of Kenobi felt like stale leftovers from other more liked Star Wars properties.

[@liljenborg2517]

When you have a good story, you market the good story. When you have interesting characters, you market the characters. When you have an immersive world, you market the world. When you have exciting action, you market the action. When you have edge-of-the-seat adventure, you market the adventure. When all you can market is "look! We have REPRESENTATION!" it tells me right off the top that you don't have anything else to sell your movie/show/game on so you're stuck with trying to shame your potential audience into going or else you'll call 'em bigots.

[@Peasham]

I can't believe Alien had none of those things as it marketed itself through its strong female lead.

[@liljenborg2517]

@@PeashamYes, it marketed its strong CHARACTERS (it also heavily marketed the mysterious alien monster - that's what I remember about the movie commercials). The marketing for Alien wasn't "Finally a sci-fi movie with a female lead that isn't a Barbarella style sexploitation movie!"

[@Peasham]

@@liljenborg2517 Alien was literally a cultural phenomenon due to the strength of its female lead to the point where Aliens centered itself around Ripley being a woman and a mother, her outperforming trained men in areas she wasn't trained in. No, Alien and the franchise in general was marketed with Ripley's identity.

[@liljenborg2517]

@@PeashamI don't know how old you are. I remember when Alien came out. It was not a "cultural phenomena". It was a horror movie that most people didn't know about because back in 1979, Rated R still meant something. That an R-rated movie did as well as Alien did is impressive. It was sold as being reminiscent of old 60s sci-fi horror movies (like It Came From Outer Space) but with the gritty, lived-in "realism" of Star Wars. Me and my friends wouldn't hear of the movie until the Alien toys hit toy shelves (and the ONLY toys were of the Alien, not Ripley or any of the other crew). More people cared a lot more about the first Superman movie and Rocky finally beating Apollo in the second Rocky movie. Even Star Trek the Motion Sickness beat it out at the box office. That's why it would be seven years before Cameron (flush with money from The Terminator) could make a sequel. Aliens was much, much more of a cultural phenomenon with a much broader impact. Yes, it WAS centered around an AMAZING character. That's why I said "When you have great characters, you market the _characters."_ And they marketed the snot out of Ripley and Newt's relationship and the dichotomy of Ripley playing mom to Newt vs. the Queen being mom to her brood. Movies "for the modern audience" like Marvels AREN'T marketed like that. NONE of the advertising for Marvels showed important CHARACTER moments for ANY of the characters. A few show Aman Vellani grinning at how cool it was to be in a Marvel movie. None of the interviews with Brie Larson, Zawe Ashton, or young Miss Velani were about the CHARACTERS of Carol Danvers, or Monica Rambeau. And only a little about Kamala Kahn and her family. Unlike Ripley and Newt, the marketing didn't mention much at all about Captain Marvel, Photon, or Ms Marvel's relationships with one another. (because they didn't have much of a relationship in the movie) They were all "Grrrl Power! Finally Girls get a turn! Look! One of them is BLACK! One of them is ASIAN! The Director is BLACK!! Aaand! They're ALL women!!!" That's not marketing the characters. That's not marketing the story. Why? Because they don't have a good story or strong characters to sell to the audience. (And there was a good story there, if they'd had a good writer and a more experienced director to tell it.) All they have is "diversity" and "If you don't like this movie, you must be racist and sexist!"

[@Peasham]

@@liljenborg2517 I'm glad you've admitted that Ripley was paraded around for her identity.

[@JurassicLion2049]

Ooo what am I eating for dinner? Mm maybe chicken in Italian dressing with veggies and maybe rice. I have like… lots of rice.

[@JurassicLion2049]

2:13 Ayo what the fuck? Nah nah what in the caucasity is this?

[@ramblinnernd5905]

Always makes me smile when you bring up The Force Awakens. Also I think Rogue One is deserving of being mentioned as well. It’s “fanservicey” as hell but at but the fanservice is absolutely phenomenal. Not to mention, the WHOLE MAIN CAST is super diverse in terms of ethnicities, character backgrounds and motivations and it’s DONE RIGHT.

[@zshah3107]

Down with Corporate greeds!

[@Yeastextract]

Another great video, and your voice is so soothing…

[@1Gr8Editrix]

Diversity should be authentic and meaningful -- not the silly race- or gender- swapping.

[@Peasham]

So you hate the MCU Nick Fury, right? .. right?

[@83j049733rfe4]

Ok, I think someone finally nailed it, and it was you. I am having a hard time watching all of this video for... Reasons... I can't tell if you more or less said it, but perhaps the biggest thing I've seen is, The Sovereignty, Agency, the Declaration of Haecciety ("I Am Me!") that all art, and especially that which deals in the dimishment of that, that chooses to Represent the whole equivalence of those who have been regarded and often discarded as Less, that act is an inherant struggle and when it is not committed to fully, and it's literally just a heartless, ruthless, selfish manufacturing of Representation, and it is as untrue, unreal, strange and estranged from reality as any other consumable, it actually works as nothing less than the very fuel that the power of those who want nothing more than to dominate, subjegate and exterminate both people and any attempt to depict them beyond the minstrels they declare to be gospel. Misrepresentation like the kind that hollywood engages with to commodify and sell the idea of minorities back to themselves and the rest of the markets, it drives hatred that much more. It silences true representation, objectifies real people the same as what the hateful themselves would, and it destroys any attempt for anyone to be truly understood as one's fellow man or woman. That is the real violence of Hollywood's shameless amorality.

[@LaggingLeland]

Amazing stuff dude!!

[@carlj12]

are you feeling better after Madame Web?

[@AT-il4xl]

I'm going to have hot dogs for dinner. Thanks for asking

[@vampirefrompluto9788]

2:14 As a white person: WHAT!?

[@jeremyusreevu237]

Spot on. We really need better examples of representation.

[@MakiPcr]

So glad someone is saying it

[@reigtrain]

Im making cookies

[@cmsullivan09]

I've been saying this for years, excellently said 8:52

[@stormhawk3319]

When you see gen z’s reacting to 12 Angry Men they all love the film from start to finish despite the cast is all white men.

[@eoghanryder]

I enjoyed this video a lot and agree with most of what you said but I have to bring up your use of the phrase "people of alternate lifestyles" as there is nothing alternative about being queer, saying so reinforces heteronormativity.

[@TheFirstOkiro]

I was actually talking about religion as alternative lifestyles

[@eoghanryder]

@@TheFirstOkiro Ok, it’s just that most people will assume you were talking about queer people as the media has historically labelled us as leading “alternative lifestyles”.

[@janibii_608]

This is off topic to the video itself, but I’m queer and I kind of like the term? I get why a lot of queer people don’t, especially since that term has been used to describe us by a lot of queer phobic people to perpetuate heteronormativity, like you said. Personally though I think it’s an okay term, maybe not to describe lgbtq+ people as a whole, but to describe queer and like queer-adjacent people who live lifestyles that are alternative to the cisheteronormative, allonormative, monogamous norm, and thus face negative societal and systematic ramifications for that. Like I wouldn’t say that a monogamous gay couple with 2.5 kids and a dog are living an “alternative lifestyle”, but I think a lot of queer people do live alternatively to the norm, and it also includes ppl who aren’t necessarily queer but also don’t fit the norm, like polyamorous ppl or ppl who are single for life. (And of course there are lots of ppl who are in these communities and are queer, and who these identities intersect.) Idk that’s my two cents, I get why a lot of ppl don’t like it.

[@bellaj5576]

say that

[@darkhart1275]

it's not diversity when all it has done is belittle any other group or re-writes actual history or to write a group out of a story at the degradation of the story just to push a political agenda.

[@Peasham]

Surely you are vehemently opposed to every medieval movie featuring no black people despite them having controlled the area which would later be known as Spain for centuries, surely.

[@darkhart1275]

@@Peasham are you referring to the cast or extras? if you want authenticity then race color and gender should be correct. but I can understand if that's not completely posable depending on where its filmed and who is willing to be an actor or extra. Or movies about o let's say Jesus, Jesus was never actually white, Jewish.. defiantly yes based on the country and its environment there is a big possibility that he would have a dark color because of the constant sunlight. or let's say the English royal family not until recently was a member been non white/ black.

[@Peasham]

@@darkhart1275 I'm talking about people in general. There were tons of black people in medieval Europe yet there are barely any in medieval media with staunch backlash if any are present, despite their presence being entirely historically accurate and it actually being inaccurate for medieval movies to not include them. I do appreciate how understanding you are when characters are whitewashed though, that's extremely funny.

[@darkhart1275]

@@Peasham it's hollywood the "new" hollywood is just as bad as the old hollywood they just ran to the totally opposite side of the spectrum making the same mistakes in a different way.

[@AngryGamerIcebear-m5q]

No, diversity is not a bad thing in itself. But the diversity in recent years feels forced. There were also diverse movies in the 80s like in predators. Some of them were quality movies. Would be glad, if many of those movies would be made today. There are real bigots, but seldom. And I have not ONE heard speaking out against good stories like in arcane, season1. They are used more as a strawman.

[@MirrorShades-k3o]

Made some very good points, till the "alternative lifestyles" bit. Yeah, educate yourself.

[@Supyloco]

I love you.

[@DrZaius_3]

I can't stand grifter movie critics like the Critical Drinker getting so much attention. They can say all they want that "They don't care what color or sexual orientation the characters are; we just want a good story." But the truth is even if the movie is a well-written masterpiece, they will only focus on the diversity and call the film "woke garbage"

[@Ultramentsh]

Diversity is extremely important. I can't wait to see Dylan Mulvaney play Dr Martin Luther King in an upcoming biopic. Awesome 😁👍