Blackwashing is the casting of black actors in traditionally non-black roles. In an ideal world, we would hold blackwashing and whitewashing to the same standard, which is: it should never happen. But this isn’t an ideal world, inequalities exist, and most likely will for a long time.
So is it ok to blackwash? Maybe. There is still statistical underrepresentation of black voices in entertainment. Blackwashing directly leads to more black roles, more black actors, and more exposure. It helps equalize screen time, which is a positive. But it’s no secret that casting black is now en-mode, and can garner a studio lots of attention.
This leads to the objectification of black talent and puts price tags on their heads. Some studios are blackwashing not for inclusivity, but for popularity and funding. How would you feel knowing that you were cast not only because of your talent, but because of your skin tone? Probably a little weird.
But that’s what’s happening. With all of these civil rights issues front and center, studios are scrambling to show the public that they support liberal agendas, because that’s what gets attention. That’s what makes the headlines, that’s what gets black stars on talk shows, which then gets more people in the theaters. Disagree? Just look at some of the Disney live-action remakes, such as Lion King or the upcoming Little Mermaid.
The live action Lion King’s casting grabbed tons of attention. Donald Glover, Beyonce, James Earl Jones, Eric Andre, etc. Out of the fourteen major roles, eleven were voiced by black talent. These actors are all massively talented, but it isn’t happenstance that 78% of them were black. The internet flooded Disney with love, claiming that they were on the right side of diversity when it came to Hollywood representation, even though these actors were already massive stars.
Headlines were made, audiences were drawn in, the new Lion King smashed at the box office. And no controversies were started either since the original animated film did not assign races to the characters. No blackwashing occurred, just “diverse” casting. The live action remake of Little Mermaid, however, is a completely different story.
Originally, Ariel in Little Mermaid is white, and so is her prince. Unlike the lions in Lion King, these characters are traditional white humans with pre-assigned races. Disney’s decision to cast Halle Bailey as Ariel changes this, effectively blackwashing Little Mermaid. The character is owned by Disney though, so they have the freedom to change her race as they see fit.
No one will ever know if Disney cast Halle Bailey to progress what they see as a better world, or for bonus-points with Hollywood liberals. Maybe Disney executives, most of them old and white, truly do want little girls to grow up with more diverse princesses. But that raises the question, why blackwash a remake of an old film, when you can create new black Disney princesses? There is absolutely no denying that the studio has the money and resources to do so, but they don’t.
Now, instead of children growing up with a diverse cast of princesses, they will learn that it is popular to replace white stars with black ones, and that those that do it will be rewarded for it. This is the foundation for competition, not equality. It’s not likely Disney doesn’t realize this, which means they believe it’s worth it in order to sell more tickets to the new Little Mermaid.
Don’t be fooled, Disney can produce more black-led animated, live action, and CGI-based films. Instead, they would rather alter old movies to fit their agendas and fool every liberal who buys into it along the way. Hopefully we see more original and diverse content in the next few years, and less liberally minded replacements.
The Red Post 