If you're any kind of "other" in our society, you become accustomed to imagining yourself in the perspective of someone really different than yourself in order to enjoy a story. Since it could be argued we live in a culture that values the stories of white men most of the time, it makes sense that we all become used to seeing things from their perspective.
Check out this blog by Laura Beck of Jezebel (quoted above) how major theaters believe in "colorblind" casting in theory (but not in practice) by clicking here.
In choosing works to enjoy, the country in general needs to see past the the notion that a piece's "universality" has anything to do with the race and culture of its characters. Over the past 20 or 30 years, we seem to have crossed that Rubicon in the world of pop music. It's hard nowadays to remember that it was once considered daring to put Michael Jackson or Prince videos on MTV, for fear white audiences wouldn't watch them. We need to make that same transition in narrative-based art forms.
Tony Award-winning playwright
David Henry Hwang
—DAVID HENRY HWANG
2 comments:
Well said.
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