Great article on increasing diversity in casting:
But in the world of sci-fi, fantasy and horror, storytellers can ignore reality and create an alternative America where anyone, regardless of race or gender, can be a superhero. AMC's "The Walking Dead" shows a world where even the zombies come from all sorts of racial backgrounds. "Sometimes you have to show people the world you want them to see before they can believe it's possible," says K. Tempest Bradford, a sci-fi author and member of the Carl Brandon Society, a nonprofit group that raises awareness of people of color in the sci-fi, horror and fantasy fields.
This mini-racial awakening on TV is new, but its roots are more than two centuries old. The persecuted outsider has long been a central character in classic sci-fi, fantasy and horror tales. When Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" was published in 1818, it featured a character who was treated like a monster because of his appearance. The popular X-Men comic books, which depict "mutant" superheroes as an embattled minority, debuted in 1963 at the height of the civil rights movement...
...Similarly, sci-fi, fantasy and horror shows teach children about tolerance without being preachy because their young audiences are wrapped up in the stories, says Michael D. Baran, a cultural anthropologist who studies how youth learn about race. "They're not going to get messages that a kid's worth is dependent on how they look," Baran says. "One of the things these shows don't do is come out and say 'everyone is equal.' As soon as kids feel like they're being taught something, they're wary about it."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/23/showbi...html?hpt=hp_c3
This mini-racial awakening on TV is new, but its roots are more than two centuries old. The persecuted outsider has long been a central character in classic sci-fi, fantasy and horror tales. When Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" was published in 1818, it featured a character who was treated like a monster because of his appearance. The popular X-Men comic books, which depict "mutant" superheroes as an embattled minority, debuted in 1963 at the height of the civil rights movement...
...Similarly, sci-fi, fantasy and horror shows teach children about tolerance without being preachy because their young audiences are wrapped up in the stories, says Michael D. Baran, a cultural anthropologist who studies how youth learn about race. "They're not going to get messages that a kid's worth is dependent on how they look," Baran says. "One of the things these shows don't do is come out and say 'everyone is equal.' As soon as kids feel like they're being taught something, they're wary about it."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/23/showbi...html?hpt=hp_c3
Comment