Whitewashing

Whitewashing. Don’t think you know it? You do. Whether you’re familiar with older examples like Mickey Rooney in Breakfast At Tiffany’s, or newer ones like Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell, whitewashing is a practice we all know - casting white actors in nonwhite roles. In an age and world where we are striving towards a more diverse, inclusive, and wholesome society, you have to ask yourself: why does this still exist? How did it come about in the first place? And most important of all: what can we do to stop it?

Whitewashing has been present in almost all of Hollywood’s history. Back when motion pictures were picking up steam in the 1900s, a highly-segregated America felt it could only cast whites in films. However, even as America began to progress and take strides towards a more equitable society, whitewashing continued into the 21st century, with dozens of examples to choose from in the past 20 years alone. Viewers are constantly reminded that Hollywood has yet to catch up with the times—remember last year’s Oscars-So-White?

Now, defenders of the practice will argue, as director Ridley Scott did for his film, Exodus: Gods and Kings, that non-white actors don’t market well overseas. But this “simply” isn’t true. Talented actors like Denzel Washington, Idris Elba, and BD Wong, comedians like Aziz Ansari and Eric André, and directors and writers like Spike Lee and Gurinder Chadha have proven that you don’t have to be white to be able to entertain and provoke thoughtful, intelligent discourse. And these members of America’s film and TV community aren’t obscure either—they have wide appeal throughout the entire world.

In light of the recent 2016 presidential election results, America is going to have to work to move forward. We will have to stay consistent as a nation in challenging and putting an end to racism and bigotry wherever we go. Though some issues may be harder to approach and may take longer to remediate, whitewashing is something that, if we all work together, we can strike down. Brooklyn Latin is such a diverse school with many kids possessing a wide variety of talents - and so we know that whitewashing has no place in society. So speak up! Express your discontent with the practice, because if enough people becomes active against it, those who practice it will listen.