Hollywood film industry with prejudice problems
‘Racism, in the form of labor exclusion and racially stereotyped roles, has defined the Hollywood film industry since its birth at the beginning of the 20th century” (Wang, 2016). In recent years, there has been greater attention to racism and sexism in Hollywood films, which can be reflected in those who act in front of the camera, who runs behind, and how people are represented on the screen. The faithful and precise representations of different cultures are important and necessary, since they help increase diversity, prejudice decompose, and reinforce cultural heritage.
Diversity allows the public to see people like them. According to an article by New York Times, one of the things that younger viewers want to watch on television is authenticity. Add people of different ethnicities, disabilities and sexualities allow people of these various groups to feel represented. It also shows different scenarios that face several groups and as the characters handle the problem. When done discreetly, it could even increase the awareness and understanding of certain problems that each group finds. The perception of diversity can several, but the numbers cannot be denied.
According to a study in the UCLA, the white actors exceed the color actors in the films almost three to one. The same study found that in films, men surpassed women almost two to one. There is no solution to repair the injustice that has existed in the distribution of exclusion. However, when becoming more aware and occupying roles that were once reserved for whites with color actors, the entertainment industry is moving in the right direction. Hollywood also has to adjust its creators, giving people in color the opportunity to tell their own stories.
Cinematographic stereotypes reflect and shape common prejudices. The perceptions can be influenced by the representations of Asians as nerds, black men as dangerous and Latin as burning. Prejudices can have a strong influence on how people behave and interact with others, particularly with those who are different from them. The common characteristics of prejudices include negative feelings, stereotyped beliefs and a tendency to discriminate against group members. Sociologists have discovered that prejudices break when people from various ethnic groups have increased contact between them. On the other hand, a study by Common Sense Media shows that learning the gender roles of films and television programs has real consequences in self – esteem, relationships and even in future children’s careers. The large number of Hollywood films create these false identities for each race. For example, Arabs in films are constantly represented as a wild terrorist who involves bombings, shootings and massive massacres. Similarly, the most common stereotype about Germans is that all are Nazis, or that they are all scientific. The negative result of this is that stereotypes revive and eventually begins to be embedded in the spectator’s minds.
Cultural heritage is important for the existence of a society. Therefore, now it is increasingly important to preserve it. This can be one of the country’s main income through tourism, it is not only previous history, but also one of the main identities of a nation. Cultural heritage can be managed and preserved in several ways. A form that is commonly used is through the creative industry. Cinema is an important means that promotes, preserves and reflects the culture and heritage of the country (Damasane, 2017). When the issues of historical identity and culture appear and repeated in popular films, it is possible to see the real pulse of a nation and understand a people, their culture and their history. The Pixar movie, Coco (2017), to provide millions of children of Mexican descent to see their stories, their culture and themselves on the big screen. Not only focuses a story around color characters, but also highlights the rich culture of those characters. And given the conflict in the USA. UU., Seeing the Mexican culture held, instead of demonized, is more than simply impressive: it is shocking (Herrera, 2017).
As Ellen Summerfield says in Crossing Cultures Through Film (1993):
Movies help create a unique environment for intercultural learning because it speaks both of our emotions and our intellect. Learning about stereotypes, ethnocentrism, discrimination and acculturation in abstract can be flat and not inspiring. But if we experience intercultural contact with our eyes and ears, we begin to understand it.
Cinema as a means to represent cultures is important because, in the first place, it helps generate empathy, awareness, understanding and opportunities from diversity. Second, it helps to end the prejudices generated by stereotypes, and impacts the development of children. And finally, it attends the preservation of culture, allows cultural identification, and supports learning on other cultures.
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