Avatar was based on Asian culture though, and the people who created the show did extensive research on the Asian culture when it comes to behaviors, and postures and their beliefs. So yes, race should be part of it if a certain culture is a huge point of the show.
While I appreciate the dialogue regarding whether it is appropriate or inappropriate to cast actors of particular races in particular roles in particular movies, I actually think framing the conversation that way doesn't get at the heart of the issue. I think the heart of the issue -- at least for me -- is that on a large scale, taking the film and television industry as a whole, there is a significant mismatch between the racial and ethnic demographics of what we see on the screen and the racial and ethnic demographics of our country. Now, again, I do not think there needs to be perfect alignment -- there are, after all, a lot more aliens, superheroes and dinosaurs in film than in real life -- and I get that movies are, by definition, fantasies that don't reflect reality. But it leads to the question, what does the significant under-representation of non-white people in film and TV say about our collective fantasies and aspirations, or the fantasies and aspirations the studio system believes we have or want?
We can talk all we want about the role of casting directors and whether they or producers, writers and directors are at fault, and whether the way casting calls are written makes sense. But I think the bottom line is that the people who finance and control the film and television industry believe that movies heavily featuring non-white actors will not make money. They may not personally believe that movies heavily featuring non-white actors are not interesting or worthy, but they believe the country as a whole will not go see those kinds of films in large enough numbers to justify financially backing many of them. In short, they are afraid to make the bet.
A similar story in a different industry: For many decades, there were no grocery stores in Harlem. People were afraid to open a grocery store there, believing it would be a terrible economic decision. Then, one day, PathMark was convinced to open a store on 125th Street, a main artery through Harlem. It quickly became one of the most profitable, if not the most profitable, PathMark stores in the country. This predated the gentrification that has happened in Harlem over the last decade or so, and in fact it was only following the opening of the PathMark that other national retail chains found the courage to open there as well. Now 125th Street features many national chains, including PathMark, Raymor and Flanigan, H&M, Foot Locker, Children's Place, Modells and many others. I'll leave the debating the merits of gentrification and the replacement of local businesses with national chains for another thread, but the point is people were afraid to make an economic bet, and then they did and a whole new market opened up.
The question is, what can we do to encourage studios to make the bet? Until they're ready to make the bet, things won't really change.
I don't fully know the answer to that question. I wish I did. I think part of it is being a public that is receptive to films and TV shows heavily featuring non-white actors. To do that, maybe each of us needs to examine our own perceptions about race and our own viewing habits.
I'm not sure how to accomplish the other half, which is convincing the studios that we're ready, that it's an economic bet worth taking.
Black or African American alone, percent, 2014 (a) 13.2%
