Awards NIght (Part Two)

In a previous blog I discussed the fact that actors and others who worked in the business of producing films and television programs were being clear about how their industry needed to clean up its act both in terms of how women were being treated and the lack of diversity within the profession in general. While I did not see the awards show early this week, it is clear from the various news sites that both of those issues were raised.

The issue of how diverse the profession and its product needs to be is complex. It is not clear to me as to who or what is driving this agenda. Is the demand for more movies/programs that reflect the cultural and ethnic makeup of the USA coming from those people who feel under-represented? Or is the concern being generated by a relatively small group of people who are immersed into that industry and from their high perches think there is a problem.

There is no doubt that African-American, Hispanic Americans or Indigenous people are under- represented on both the large and small +screen. It is equally true that for much of the last century, what roles have been available have frequently portrayed members of the above ethnic groups as being inferior, incompetent and either natural subservient or unreasonably agresive.  What is not clear to me is whether or not people from those ethnic groups go to movies, and if they go - why?

If the answer to whether or not they go to movies is no - then the reason why Hollywood and it satellite cities produce the movies/programs they do is clear. They are producing programs geared to their audience and to maximize their profits. If on the other hand, those groups do go to movies and watch programs that unfairly represent them - then I suspect that there are complex sociological reasons as to why anyone would go to watch people of another race doing thing that may be irrelevant to them.

 

If the problem of lack of diversity was just a matter of people feeling left out, the solution would be simple. Only go to movies that accurately reflect your community. Those who invest in the movie making business - chose what movies to make based of what they think will sell the best. If large blocks of people stop going to movies - the capitalists will change what kind of movies they make.

  

There is however, a more important reason why movies/programs need to reflect our diverse society that has little to do with people feeling left out. If the dominant culture is never exposed to the reality that their culture is not the only culture and that those other cultures are of equal value, then our society will always be dysfunctional and less productive than it can be. Research has shown that companies that embrace and use their diversity are more productive at problem solving (Berkley, Stanford) . We need to have those people be more aware of the world around them and more able to work with all members of that society.

It would be lovely to suggest that such awareness could be developed by schools and by parents. However, given the inordinate number of hours that most children spend in front of a screen, the fact that not only do many parents not share the values of diversity, but even the best parents are consumed with the pressure of work and that schools are already overwhelmed with the number of things they are required to teach - we need to use the mass media.  Whether we like it or not, movies and television programs are frequently the primary (and sometimes only) vehicle to reach and to educate millions of people. Therefore, the movies/programs that we watch must reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity that exists in our society.

 

There is no doubt that the agenda of least some of the people involved in the movie making business understand the issues and why it is important. I however, struggle with the concept that some of the highest paid people in the world - people who do not produce anything except for 130 minutes of entertainment - understand very much about the world that say they want to change. As a group, their industry may be lacking in diversity - I suspect their own personal lives do as well.