Racebending.com

March 10, 2013 • 92 notes • bleedingcool.com

The idea of the Little Guy is something that I am very fierce about, and there has never been a better Little Guy than Clark Gregg. That intrigued me, this world around the superhero community. It’s the people whose shop windows get blown up when the Destroyer shows up. It’s the more intimate stories that belong on television that we can really tap into the visual style and ethos, and even some of the mythology, of the Marvel movies. I think we’ve put together another really great ensemble headed by Clark.

- Joss Whedon on bringing back Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson for his S.H.I.E.L.D. series.

The Coulson character is great fun and it’s nice that there will be some new characters of color as part of the ensemble for S.H.I.E.L.D, but it’s tiresome to see Marvel constantly fronting white male leads. All ten of the released or planned movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe center around a white male lead, and here it is again—another ensemble with a white dude at the head. (And he’s supposed to represent the “little guy” in our society.)

There is such a diversity in gender and race that Marvel and Whedon could tap into when creating this series based on Marvel’s legacy alone. A S.H.I.E.L.D. character like Maria Hill, Jimmy Woo, Gabe Jones, Daisy Johnson, Marcus Johnson, Jessica Drew, or Abigail Brand could have headed the ensemble with Coulson in a “Nick Fury”-esque role.

Also, since it’s from a huge existing property that will get viewers no matter what, this would have been a great time to try an ensemble lead who was not another white dude.

September 19, 2012 • 392 notes • tvequals.com

tvequals:

[INFOGRAPHIC] Racial Diversity On TV (Fall 2012)

Once again, it’s time for our annual deep dive into the state of Race on TV.

Last year was our first foray into the sensitive topic of Race on TV and this year promises to be another challenge. Why you ask? Well, as much as some would like to think that ever since Obama’s election, race is no longer a factor; others, including yours truly, would beg to differ.

Last year, we discovered that things were pretty bleak out there in the Network TV world. With NBC leading the pack and CBS trailing at the bottom, it was heartbreaking to see that this supposedly “post racial” world in which all races are fairly represented in our five major networks just doesn’t exist yet. For minorities out there searching for someone that resembles them on the small screen, it can be a very difficult feat.

This year, as we wade through this uneasy exercise once more, let us keep in mind that the goal is not to bring affirmative action to TV but rather to highlight a reality that cannot be ignored. It’s one thing to believe there is a serious lack of racial diversity on TV but it’s quite another to see the numbers for yourself……..

These stats aren’t a perfect metric—there is no way the regularly tactless and racially problematic Glee gets an A in my book—but it’s a good look at how there can still be shows that have no people of color in lead roles, how most shows still just tokenize, and how sad that is.

June 6, 2012 • 113 notes

Study examines television, diversity, and self-esteem

A study of tweens found that television raises the self esteem of white boys—but lowers the self esteem of girls and children of color. The authors use cultivation theory and social identity theory to explain why. Full coverage at Racebending.com’s blog!

Co-researcher Nicole Martins explained the contrast between white male, female, and black male characters on television:

“Regardless of what show you’re watching, if you’re a white male, things in life are pretty good for [people who look like] you. You tend to be in positions of power, you have prestigious occupations, high education, glamorous houses, a beautiful wife, with very little portrayals of how hard you worked to get there.

“If you are a girl or a woman, what you see is that women on television are not given a variety of roles. The roles that they see are pretty simplistic; they’re almost always one-dimensional and focused on the success they have because of how they look, not what they do or what they think or how they got there.

“Young black boys are getting the opposite message: that there is not lots of good things that you can aspire to. If we think about those kinds of messages, that’s what’s responsible for the impact.”

Amy Jordan, director of the Media and the Developing Child sector of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, noted to CNN that pre-teen boys are exposed to a lot of television shows featuring superheroes.

Superhero television shows almost always feature a majority of white male main characters(even if they do have black or female characters, these characters are usually featured less often than white male characters, and nearly always in secondary roles. Including off to the side in promo pictures.) Kids notice when people who look like them are not as represented or are depicted as less important. It is significantly harder to find television shows featuring women or characters of color, particularly women characters of color, and that is what makes shows like The Legend of Korra–which targets the tween demographic–so important.

Read more at Racebending.com!