Hunger games whitewash

As Racebending notes, that intent is clearly communicated by Collins in the novels, even if some readers including, perhaps, the film's casting team breezed by it. While most of the discrimination in Collins' fictional world is based on from where a character hails rather than said the character's race, the author pointedly emphasizes the dark skin tone shared by Katniss and her fellow Seam residents in contrast to their more privileged neighbors. For example:. He could be my brother. Straight black hair, olive skin, we even have the same gray eyes.

But we're not related, at least not closely. Most of the families who work the mines resemble one another this way.

Collins herself, the answer she gave was insulting and ignorant, to the point of where one wonders if she knew of the possibilities she created with a racially ambiguous character. It is a time period where hundreds of years have passed from now. But I think I describe them as having dark hair, grey eyes, and sort of olive skin. You know, we have hair and makeup. These sentences are eerily close to what Hollywood was saying during the s and s, when white actresses and actors taped the corners of their eyes into slants to portray Asian characters.

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HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. A student of mine says she counted a total of 23 people of color in the entire film. When characters of color do appear, instead of signifying the oppressive correlations between race and class, they often further stereotypes.

In her post, Alexiel reads the sacrificed children of The Hunger Games as the sweatshop workers and child soldiers of the Global South—most of whom, of course, are of color. Coupled with a lack of focus on the more political aspects of the book, this leads to a whitewashed, depoliticized film. Is it still worth seeing? But it could have been, well, meatier. Remember the sassy black friend in rom-com Friends with Benefits?

Probably not, because she only exists for like two seconds at the very beginning of the movie to establish that our heroine has an ethnic friend, and then disappears forever. Because that's enough! Tip o' the hat to you, black people! You're welcome! Now quiet down—the white people are talking. He said this:. I see how white is the default every time I have to audition for a part and there's an indicator that the actor can be "any race" or open to any particular look.

It's a reminder that most, if not all, of the other parts are meant for white people. Shouldn't most parts be open to anyone? And beyond that, when television shows and films do manage to cast non-white people in significant roles usually maids or prostitutes, but, you know, baby steps , or create meaningful gay characters, or allow people from non-dominant groups to participate in the conversation in any way , it's treated like charity.

As though inclusion—or even just acknowledgement—is a gift that those groups should be grateful for. It's like expecting people to be grateful for an invitation to their own family reunion.