Racial Diversity in the Media

[MJ2.0]

Oct 28, 2015 20:52:51 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Oct 28, 2015 20:46:59 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

And it doesn't need to be part of the plot/story. It just is.

Unfortunately, I do not think we are there yet.
Getting there, but not quite there.

The short lived sitcom Happy Endings had a black male/white female couple. It wasn't part of the storyline - it was like that from the beginning of the show. Hilarious show BTW. But that has been portrayed a lot more than white male/black female couplings. I want more of those (mainly to give me hope that'll I'll find my yuppie J. Crew stallion someday ).

[muttleynfelix]

Oct 28, 2015 20:26:37 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

What the hell are you people talking about? Did I ever say they should be seen and not heard? Did I ever say they shouldn't be out in public? Did I ever say they don't have friends or hobbies?

I said it's NOT HEALTHY. It's shortening lives and killing people. Our children will die younger.

Well you did say they shouldn't be shown on TV because that is fat acceptance.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 28, 2015 21:09:15 GMT -5 muttleynfelix said:

Oct 28, 2015 20:26:37 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

What the hell are you people talking about? Did I ever say they should be seen and not heard? Did I ever say they shouldn't be out in public? Did I ever say they don't have friends or hobbies?

I said it's NOT HEALTHY. It's shortening lives and killing people. Our children will die younger.

Well you did say they shouldn't be shown on TV because that is fat acceptance.

Well, they shouldn't glamorize it. It's like glamorizing cigarettes.

My Big Fat Fabulous Lung Cancer on TLC.

[dannylion]

So, giving this some thought, just for the sheer glorious halibut:

Wasn't Dexter about a serial killer (of course, he was a thin serial killer, so ... )

And the Kardashians.  Oh, yea.  Most of them are probably considered of acceptable size. AND they wear designer clothes, so they must be of more value than some worthless fat people.  Really, they should be considered role models, what with being able to wear designer clothes and all. 

And the Duggars. Oh, yeah.  They're all okay. None of them is a horrible degenerate fat person.

And all those mean girls on all those "real housewife" or whatever shows.  Oh, but they're thin, so they're all right.  The behavior they model is of no consequence, as long as they look nice. 

Nope, you're right those awful fat people are absolutely the worst example of anything ever portrayed on television and "glamorizing" them will likely lead to the downfall of Western civilization and, probably, dancing.   Because, really, all anyone is really concerned about is their "health," right?

[Opti]

Oct 28, 2015 21:18:47 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 28, 2015 21:09:15 GMT -5 muttleynfelix said:

Well you did say they shouldn't be shown on TV because that is fat acceptance.

Well, they shouldn't glamorize it. It's like glamorizing cigarettes.

My Big Fat Fabulous Lung Cancer on TLC.

I'm really wondering what part of Mike & Molly glamorizes being fat. Is it the Overeater's Anonymous meetings? Living with Molly's Mom? Mike's childhood?

[Tennesseer]

One thing that annoys me is actors from other English speaking countries having to have an American accent on many TV shows or in movies.  There is no reason an actor with a British accent couldn't be a lawyer in an American court TV show (Linus Roache of the now cancelled Law & Order for example).

If an American accent is critical to a TV show or movie, fine.  Let the foreign actors work with a dialect coach.  But we are a country with so many accents, I don't really see an American accent as necessary if it is not critical to the plot/story.

[dannylion]

Oct 28, 2015 22:50:09 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

One thing that annoys me is actors from other English speaking countries having to have an American accent on many TV shows or in movies.  There is no reason an actor with a British accent couldn't be a lawyer in an American court TV show (Linus Roache of the now cancelled Law & Order for example).

If an American accent is critical to a TV show or movie, fine.  Let the foreign actors work with a dialect coach.  But we are a country with so many accents, I don't really see an American accent as necessary if it is not critical to the plot/story.

Among Brit actors, it is considered a tour de force to be able to render a theoretically undetectable "standard" American accent. 

(Among American language specialists, it is considered rollicking good fun to pick out the spots where they missed--and they always miss something, and nearly all of them hit the Rs too hard).

[Tennesseer]

Oct 28, 2015 22:58:25 GMT -5 dannylion said:

Oct 28, 2015 22:50:09 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

One thing that annoys me is actors from other English speaking countries having to have an American accent on many TV shows or in movies.  There is no reason an actor with a British accent couldn't be a lawyer in an American court TV show (Linus Roache of the now cancelled Law & Order for example).

If an American accent is critical to a TV show or movie, fine.  Let the foreign actors work with a dialect coach.  But we are a country with so many accents, I don't really see an American accent as necessary if it is not critical to the plot/story.

Among Brit actors, it is considered a tour de force to be able to render a theoretically undetectable "standard" American accent. 

(Among American language specialists, it is considered rollicking good fun to pick out the spots where they missed--and they always miss something, and nearly all of them hit the Rs too hard).

And that's okay if the actors want to give the American accent a go in a TV show or movie. But I don't think it should be a requirement for a show taking place in the modern U.S. unless the plot and its characters are historical in nature. And that applies too to shows and movies taking place in other English speaking countries. An American actor with his Midwest accent in an all British cast of Shakespeare's Richard III would sound completely out of place and time.

[Phoenix84]

Oct 28, 2015 19:49:50 GMT -5 quince said:

Oct 28, 2015 19:28:00 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

As far as tv goes, I really don't care personally. I don't really watch tv much, so I don't have a dog in the fight.

In principle, I think the writers should write whoever they think would fit their imagined role best. So I don't really think you can have too much or too little diversity, just what content creators want to create. I don't like ascribing some magical "number" to something like diversity.

I will say though, I don't like it when some people want to re write already established characters as another race. Like some people arguing James Bond should be cast as a black man for the next movie.

I think when it comes to diversity in media, it isn't just about roles being written for whatever race- It is about casting. Some roles are not written for ANY race (and unless there is some racial/cultural factor that is central to the character, not sure why you would have to specify race at all, other than keeping members of non-adoptive families plausible).  Non-specified roles often/usually go to white people, as do 'extra' roles, and a lot of the call for diversity in media is the desire to get rid of the idea that "white" is normal/default, rather than writing race-specific roles.

Interesting point. Many roles in media could be filled by any race. I often read books, and unless the author specifically mentions the race of a character, then the reader can imagine the character however they want.

So I guess that brings me back to my original question, if you have written a screenplay, and you have to fill your characters with people, and any race will do, how do you make that call?

[Phoenix84]

Oct 28, 2015 20:35:23 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

And here I thought this was a discussion on race and ethnicities on television....

P.S.
NO SOUP FOR YOU!

Aye, threads do have a tendency to go in unexpected directions, but I think the portrayal of obese people in media is related and worry of discussion.

[Phoenix84]

Some people seem to think that representation in entertainment equates to some sort of endorsement by society. Like some sort of "stamp of approval" that whatever group is "ok" or normal.

I don't agree with that philosophy. I think we should focus on good entertainment.

I don't think it's happened yet, but I don't want our entertainment and down time to become some kind of culture war.

[quince]

Oct 28, 2015 23:20:38 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Some people seem to think that representation in entertainmentequates to some sort of endorsement by society. Like some sort of "stamp of approval" that whatever group is "ok" or normal.

I don't agree with that philosophy. I think we should focus on good entertainment.

I don't think it's happened yet, but I don't want our entertainment and down time to become some kind of culture war.

Too late.

Apparently there are some people calling for a boycott of the new Star Wars movie because it features non-white actors. (I am thinking/hoping this is a hoax, because WTF.)

In the Hunger Games, there were people who were PISSED because Rue was cast as black (fitting her description in the novel, apparently).

People of mixed races kissing/being involved in TV and movie programming has been controversial in the past, and considered groundbreaking when first introduced.

As far as casting goes... I do think we are seeing more minorities being cast without their ethnicity being a plot point- I would like to see more of this. I would like to see casting directors pay attention to the demographics of their (current period) settings when making casting decisions. (I'm looking at you, everything set in Hawaii.)  I get historical settings being more limited in diversity. Science fiction ones shouldn't be, unless it is an actual plot point. (WTF Firefly, with people speaking Chinese but no Asian leads/guest stars? I love you anyway.)

At least it is now rare to cast white people as asian/black and have them made-up to jam them in the roles. 

[bobosensei]

I think diversity in television is a good thing.  And in roles where the character doesn't have a super specific backstory, I see no reason why they can't be cast with a different race.  My issue with diversity in the US is that lots of people only think of diversity as being black.  One of my favorite shows is fresh off the boat.  Why is that the only show about an asian family?

[movingforward]

Oct 28, 2015 20:52:51 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Oct 28, 2015 20:46:59 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

And it doesn't need to be part of the plot/story. It just is.

Unfortunately, I do not think we are there yet.
Getting there, but not quite there.

I think we are there for the most part (though it could be better).  I see lots of shows with mixed race relationships where it is never part of the story.  There are SOME people watching them that may not be there yet but I think most people don't give it a second thought. 


ETA:  I am not specifically talking about just married couples on TV but just shows where a person happens to be attracted to someone of a different race.  I never really see the show make it part of the story. I think that kind of died in the 90s

[Opti]

Oct 29, 2015 3:14:41 GMT -5 bobosensei said:

I think diversity in television is a good thing.  And in roles where the character doesn't have a super specific backstory, I see no reason why they can't be cast with a different race.  My issue with diversity in the US is that lots of people only think of diversity as being black.  One of my favorite shows is fresh off the boat.  Why is that the only show about an asian family?

There's Dr.Ken, which has a Korean family.

[muttleynfelix]

Oct 28, 2015 21:18:47 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 28, 2015 21:09:15 GMT -5 muttleynfelix said:

Well you did say they shouldn't be shown on TV because that is fat acceptance.

Well, they shouldn't glamorize it. It's like glamorizing cigarettes.

My Big Fat Fabulous Lung Cancer on TLC.

Along the same line 16 and Pregnant "glamorizes" teen pregnancy? Do you think the Biggest Loser glamorizes morbid obesity?

[movingforward]

Oct 29, 2015 8:40:55 GMT -5 Opti said:

Oct 29, 2015 3:14:41 GMT -5 bobosensei said:

I think diversity in television is a good thing.  And in roles where the character doesn't have a super specific backstory, I see no reason why they can't be cast with a different race.  My issue with diversity in the US is that lots of people only think of diversity as being black.  One of my favorite shows is fresh off the boat.  Why is that the only show about an asian family?

There's Dr.Ken, which has a Korean family.

Dr. Ken is funny too!

[Value Buy]

Oct 29, 2015 8:37:25 GMT -5 movingforward said:

Oct 28, 2015 20:52:51 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Unfortunately, I do not think we are there yet.
Getting there, but not quite there.

I think we are there for the most part (though it could be better).  I see lots of shows with mixed race relationships where it is never part of the story.  There are SOME people watching them that may not be there yet but I think most people don't give it a second thought. 

Yes.
Until my generation dies off, we will not be there.
Not making a negative statement, just stating our upbringing that is engrained in most of us. Our children and grandchildren have been taught and raised without the race color discrimination issues engrained in them.

boy, I am going to take some heat on this......

'Our" refers to the community "our" and not necessarily the personal family "our".)

[Cookies Galore]

Oct 28, 2015 21:04:22 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Oct 28, 2015 20:52:51 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Unfortunately, I do not think we are there yet.
Getting there, but not quite there.

The short lived sitcom Happy Endings had a black male/white female couple. It wasn't part of the storyline - it was like that from the beginning of the show. Hilarious show BTW. But that has been portrayed a lot more than white male/black female couplings. I want more of those (mainly to give me hope that'll I'll find my yuppie J. Crew stallion someday ).

I LOVED THAT SHOW!!

Bring it back, internet!

[Tennesseer]

Oct 29, 2015 8:43:56 GMT -5 movingforward said:

Oct 29, 2015 8:40:55 GMT -5 Opti said:

There's Dr.Ken, which has a Korean family.

Dr. Ken is funny too!

I like Fresh Off The Boat. Not sure about Dr. Ken though-he seems to try too hard. It comes across as forced. I do like Dr. Ken's wife in the show. Not necessarily in his show but in her work on Modern Family. She had some of the funniest lines that show has produced (IMHO). I was hoping she would get an opportunity to do more work. Just not sure Dr. Ken is the right vehicle for her.

[Cookies Galore]

Oct 28, 2015 23:10:42 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Oct 28, 2015 19:49:50 GMT -5 quince said:

I think when it comes to diversity in media, it isn't just about roles being written for whatever race- It is about casting. Some roles are not written for ANY race (and unless there is some racial/cultural factor that is central to the character, not sure why you would have to specify race at all, other than keeping members of non-adoptive families plausible).  Non-specified roles often/usually go to white people, as do 'extra' roles, and a lot of the call for diversity in media is the desire to get rid of the idea that "white" is normal/default, rather than writing race-specific roles.

Interesting point. Many roles in media could be filled by any race. I often read books, and unless the author specifically mentions the race of a character, then the reader can imagine the character however they want.

So I guess that brings me back to my original question, if you have written a screenplay, and you have to fill your characters with people, and any race will do, how do you make that call?

One would hope the best person for the role gets it after going through the auditions. Doesn't always happen for myriad reasons (studio wants a name that sells), but casting for an ensemble is so dependent on how well the actors interact. If you're casting a romance, you want actors who have chemistry. A comedy, actors who play well off one another.
You can have basic characteristics (tall, handsome, charismatic, burly, skinny, funny, serious, brooding, nerdy) that aren't race dependent.
I do think it is easy to let your subconscious take over and cast each role without thinking of the whole picture, and it's like "oh crap. I just filled the room with a bunch of white peope." There was recently a brouhaha with Philadelphia Magazine and their cover story about the best city schools. They used all white kids on their cover, and those kids were all from a school that is 60% non-white (the school district itself is is something like 15% white). The photographer just randomly asked kids (and their parents) for a group photo, and he didn't grab a single Asian, Hispanic, African American child.

[NancysSummerSip]

When I read the OP, I took it to mean something different.

I worked in the news media (print journalism) for over a decade, and still do some freelance. I don't watch much TV (DH has control of the remote in our house ) but I do watch the news. I've noticed more diversity in news and general program presenters over the last few years. Early on, most of the men and women were white and all had a cookie-cutter sameness about their looks. Now you are seeing more black and Asian newscasters and presenters and women who are not a size zero doing the news. And women are staying on TV well into their late pregnancies, which is something you never saw years ago. And a few of them have drawn a lot of criticism for being "huge" and "fat" on TV, when all they were doing was carrying an unborn child, or in this case, two of them:

www.littlethings.com/katie-fehlinger-bullied-newscaster/

I don't get the hate and bullying about how someone looks. I don't get glorifying it either. I don't look like your typical swimmer or triathlete, but I do both, and get bullied regularly.

I'd like to see whoever it is accepted for what they do and how they do it, rather than for how they look doing it. When I started working in journalism, it was a very Caucasian and male-dominated business. By the time I left, everything had changed. The staff was male, female, Indian, Asian, black, straight, gay, bi...you name it. White faces were not a minority, but they were harder to find.

I never thought of it as a good vs. bad thing, just a different thing.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Oct 29, 2015 8:45:47 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Oct 29, 2015 8:37:25 GMT -5 movingforward said:

I think we are there for the most part (though it could be better).  I see lots of shows with mixed race relationships where it is never part of the story.  There are SOME people watching them that may not be there yet but I think most people don't give it a second thought. 

Yes.
Until my generation dies off, we will not be there.
Not making a negative statement, just stating our upbringing that is engrained in most of us. Our children and grandchildren have been taught and raised without the race color discrimination issues engrained in them.

boy, I am going to take some heat on this......

'Our" refers to the community "our" and not necessarily the personal family "our".)

Yep, my kids are much more colorblind than DH and I are.  He and I are in our mid 40s.  That said, the kids are 6 and 7.5. 

[Tiny]

Oct 28, 2015 19:05:58 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 28, 2015 18:45:38 GMT -5 quince said:

Being morbidly obese IS OK. Not wonderful, not healthy, but OK. Just like being a person with any number of other flaws. As long as they don't include abusing or endangering someone else, a person's vices are their own business.

I'm guessing the more extreme attitudes of fat acceptance are pushback against people who think that someone being fat is a free pass to verbally abuse them.  

I'm not for accommodations except for actual medical disability, and I am for courtesy- if you can't fit into a seat on a plane, buy two, and don't assume it's OK to ooze over onto someone else's seat (yuk.). This also goes for people who are too big, but not obese- yep, perfectly proportional 6 1/2 foot tall people, you too.

But whoever people are, even if they don't fit into bodily ideals, they are OK. It is OK to be them. Corporations don't advertise plus sized clothes because "Fat acceptance", they do it because Fat people exist and buy clothing.  Supersizing (and large serving sizes) doesn't exist because fat people complain, they exist to sell more food. 

Folks should be encouraged to embrace themselves (while still being encouraged by the appropriate people to make healthier lifestyle choices, which is usually easier if you like yourself). The appropriate people are doctors and close family members who haven't been told to back off and mind their own business.

Having diabetes is OK. Going blind is OK. Having limbs amputated is OK. Being so big that your joints can no longer support you is OK. Being the first generation, ever, where your kids won't live as long as you is OK. Cardiac problems are OK.

It's all OK.  Embrace your adipose tissue!

Not to mention that 400 pound people once they get to their late 30's usually start to have issues with their joints, and skin where it rubs, and their health issues start to pile up - one on top of another.   Not to mention  they can't stand for very long (15 minutes or more becomes difficult), they can't walk very far (walking 100 yards could be a challenge), stairs start to become an obstacle.      

I will admit businesses accommodating - when my local "hair salon" went thru a re-model/refresh (it was 30 years old!) - they replaced all the salon chairs with "Big Chairs" - every single place you'd sit has been supersized to handle a 300 pound plus person.   The local veterinary office (stuck in the 90's)  also updated their lobby/waiting room - and it too got a compliment of bariatric chairs.    

From personal observation of lifelong morbid obesity - I'd say one's 20's and 30's aren't so bad... yeah there's the occasional embarrassment of not fitting in a theater, restaurant, or public transportation seat.  Maybe there was some embarrassment over having broken a chair or couch.  Maybe there was some discomfort of not fitting into a friend's car.  But, hey, they still participated in 'life'.   But then, at some point, they start avoiding things - because they can't stand for very long, or they can't walk, or stairs might be involved.   Then there's the worst part of all - being in your 40's/50's and being too fat to help your elderly parents with routine things - while you yourself need help with routine tings.

Being morbidly obese is NOT for the feint of heart.

[Tiny]

Oct 28, 2015 19:28:00 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

As far as tv goes, I really don't care personally. I don't really watch tv much, so I don't have a dog in the fight.

In principle, I think the writers should write whoever they think would fit their imagined role best. So I don't really think you can have too much or too little diversity, just what content creators want to create. I don't like ascribing some magical "number" to something like diversity.

I will say though, I don't like it when some people want to re write already established characters as another race. Like some people arguing James Bond should be cast as a black man for the next movie.

 I'm kind of ambivalent on this kind of thing.    James Bond is already kind of a 'stereo type' character AND the movies have moved the 'story' and the 'character' into "current time" if you will and the main character has already gone thru quite a few 'face changes'.   I could easily deal with a black or Hispanic or Asian or just not lily white James Bond as long as the story is set NOW or in the near future.    After all the 'man' James Bond would be close to 100 years old by now - Casino Royale took place in the 50's?  and I would assume Bond would have been in his late 20's/early 30's - probably more like mid 30's.  You can't stay young forever.     And if I'm going to "suspend belief' that the James Bond who did cold war spying back in the 50's  is the SAME James Bond today saving the world from annihilation - then I think I can stretch that "suspended belief' to handle him being Black, Hispanic, Asian, or some non-lilywhite skin tone... I could even be ok with a gender swap.  

Over all, I find the this kind of topic on perceptions and stereotypes very interesting!

 

[bobosensei]

Oct 29, 2015 8:40:55 GMT -5 Opti said:

Oct 29, 2015 3:14:41 GMT -5 bobosensei said:

I think diversity in television is a good thing.  And in roles where the character doesn't have a super specific backstory, I see no reason why they can't be cast with a different race.  My issue with diversity in the US is that lots of people only think of diversity as being black.  One of my favorite shows is fresh off the boat.  Why is that the only show about an asian family?

There's Dr.Ken, which has a Korean family.

Ah, I had to look that up.  I see it just started this year.  I live in Germany and don't have US cable I am usually a season behind. 

[Lizard Queen]

I don't like diversity just to fill a quota of some sort.  James Bond is British.  I have seen some black Brits more recently, but never a Hispanic or Asian one.  (Of course, there might be a very few IRL, but some on.)  I hate Modern Family, oh and there's this Disney show too.  I can't think of the name right now.  The diversity seems particularly contrived.  It just seems so ridiculously fake.  I think shows should try their best to represent the time and place that they're trying to portray.  I also think families portrayed should bare some resemblance, if they're not supposed to be adopted or mixed families.  I don't mean just the same race, but some actual resemblance.  Is that too much to ask?  I don't know.  It seems like there's just tons and tons of willing actors out there--seems like they could do better on that front.

And, the reality is, there are all sizes shapes and colors of people out there, at least in America.  For a show to seem more real, you'd think they'd want to represent that.  Instead, you have tons and tons of stick thin people, then a very few quite large people.  Well, I should say women, not people.  There's more variety among the men.  Maybe it's better these days.  I only watch a whopping 2-3 hours of TV per week, so I'm sure I'm missing a lot.

[Cookies Galore]

Oct 29, 2015 11:02:05 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I don't like diversity just to fill a quota of some sort.  James Bond is British.  I have seen some black Brits more recently, but never a Hispanic or Asian one.  (Of course, there might be a very few IRL, but some on.)  I hate Modern Family, oh and there's this Disney show too.  I can't think of the name right now.  The diversity seems particularly contrived.  It just seems so ridiculously fake.  I think shows should try their best to represent the time and place that they're trying to portray.  I also think families portrayed should bare some resemblance, if they're not supposed to be adopted or mixed families.  I don't mean just the same race, but some actual resemblance.  Is that too much to ask?  I don't know.  It seems like there's just tons and tons of willing actors out there--seems like they could do better on that front.

And, the reality is, there are all sizes shapes and colors of people out there, at least in America.  For a show to seem more real, you'd think they'd want to represent that.  Instead, you have tons and tons of stick thin people, then a very few quite large people.  Well, I should say women, not people.  There's more variety among the men.  Maybe it's better these days.  I only watch a whopping 2-3 hours of TV per week, so I'm sure I'm missing a lot.

While Great Britain is hugely majority white, there are a good number of African and Asian Brits, as well as Caribbean and Latin American descent Brits. Ben Kingsley, Naveen Andrews (Lost), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) are a few well-known British actors of South Asian descent. So long as the accent is British, I think any handsome guy could be James Bond. I wouldn't mind Idris Elba is that tux!

[Phoenix84]

Oct 28, 2015 20:56:13 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Oct 28, 2015 19:28:00 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

As far as tv goes, I really don't care personally. I don't really watch tv much, so I don't have a dog in the fight.

In principle, I think the writers should write whoever they think would fit their imagined role best. So I don't really think you can have too much or too little diversity, just what content creators want to create. I don't like ascribing some magical "number" to something like diversity.

I will say though, I don't like it when some people want to re write already established characters as another race. Like some people arguing James Bond should be cast as a black man for the next movie.

I never read an Ian Fleming/James Bond novel or book. Did Fleming write in one of his booksJames Bond was a white man?  

Or do we just assume James Bond is white because white actors have always portrayed the character.

Well, James Bond is a British secret agent. I'm sure there are black Brits, but let's face it, if you have a British secret chances are they'll be white, and the audience will expect them to be white. Furthermore, he's a pretty established character.

Could I like a movie with a black bond? Sure, would it take some getting used to? Yeah. But let me ask you this, what would be gained by casting bond as black?

However, if you want to take the bond concept of a secret agent, and cast other races, that would be interesting.

[Tennesseer]

Oct 29, 2015 13:41:30 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Oct 28, 2015 20:56:13 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

I never read an Ian Fleming/James Bond novel or book. Did Fleming write in one of his booksJames Bond was a white man?  

Or do we just assume James Bond is white because white actors have always portrayed the character.

Well, James Bond is a British secret agent. I'm sure there are black Brits, but let's face it, if you have a British secret chances are they'll be white, and the audience will expect them to be white. Furthermore, he's a pretty established character.

Could I like a movie with a black bond? Sure, would it take some getting used to? Yeah. But let me ask you this, what would be gained by casting bond as black?

However, if you want to take the bond concept of a secret agent, and cast other races, that would be interesting.

Bond, if nothing else, is a suave British agent. There are suave black British gentlemen. And as someone mentioned earlier, this is no longer the 1950s-1960s of Ian FLeming's James Bond.

Idris ELba has the suave but tough look too.