Opinion Writing & Critiques

"Mammy" in Gone with the Wind (1939) Only nine percent of black actors were represented in the top films of 2017. This was a decrease from 12.5% in 2016, UCLA reports in their 2019 Hollywood Diversity report . Black people have fought long and hard to share the same screen as white people. The fact that they are still underrepresented in film shows that the fight isn’t over. But another issue with black actors appearing in films are how they’re portrayed because I bet you out of that 9%, their roles were some sort of stereotype. In the film industry, minorities are often portrayed negatively or as stereotypes. Slaves, criminals, poverty-stricken, violent and other hardship-ridden lives are all common roles black actors have to portray. These negative depictions can have lasting impressions on people. As a society, we heavily follow the media and if all we are seeing are black people depicted negatively, these harmful stereotypes and racism will continue to li...

Article:  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/opinion/parasite-oscar-best-picture.html Photo Credit This opinion piece talks about the victory of Parasite at the Oscars and the different responses that came from it. While the writer includes their personal experience in the piece, it’s kind of difficult to figure out their angle. As I read it multiple times, I figured that their angle seems to be as international films are gaining proper recognition, Hollywood will continue to take Asian culture into their own hands.   The writer uses the examples of Jackie Chan in the Rush Hour movies and Bruce Lee in some of his most famous films. Both actors often play a stereotype (or someone from a totally different country they are from) which is seen as demeaning. There is research scattered throughout the piece from different sources. The sources they provided—I think—are credible, since some came credible news sites such as the New York Times and LA ...

Cher and Dionne, Clueless (1995) An angsty, teenage white girl tries to find herself as she goes throughout her high school years. She faces bullies, encounters her first love(s), deals with the reins of her parents and tries to figure out her future all while solving the meaning of life. But she can’t get through all of this without her trusty, bold black best friend who probably is light skin with curly hair (but that’s another argument for another day). This probably sounds like a show you are watching, right? Throughout film and television there has been a certain trope of the white, main character and their black, best friend/sidekick. It’s less likely to see a black main character with a white best friend although it does happen. Old, teen classics such as Clueless (1995), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) and some of the “ Bring It On” movies showcase the black best friend or secondary character trope. Newer series/movies such as The Chill...