this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2024
10 points (100.0% liked)

News

22528 readers
2253 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Walt Disney Co on Friday said that remarks by activist investor Nelson Peltz criticizing the company for making movies dominated by female and Black actors is evidence that he shouldn't be on Disney's board.

Peltz, whose fight to join Disney as a director has become one of the year's most bitter and closely watched board battles, in an interview with the Financial Times said Disney's films have become too focused on delivering a message, and not enough on quality storytelling. He specifically took issue with "The Marvels" and "Black Panther."

“Why do I have to have a Marvel that’s all women? Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that?" Peltz said in the interview, published on Friday. "Why can’t I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-Black cast?”

Asked about Peltz's remarks, a Disney spokesperson responded: "This is exactly why Nelson Peltz shouldn't be anywhere near a creatively driven company."

top 34 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago (4 children)

I don’t know much about Peltz but I kind of agree that you don’t NEED to have all black or all women cast. The art should dictate it. But on the flip side, having an all black or all women cast isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Representation in media may not matter to some, but it can make a big impact on others.

Furthermore, most of Africa is black. What were you expecting out of Black Panther????

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

It's mostly not necessary, just like it's not necessary to have an all-white cast. In the last few years I came to realize that colorblind casting doesn't diminish great art, just like it won't help bad art to become better. I'm not saying casting should always be colorblind, but in sci-fi and fantasy movies I don't see skin color or gender matter at all.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It's been a minute since I saw Black Panther. But didn't they shoehorn Martin Freeman's character to add some white diversity as a token white guy?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 months ago

Everett Ross is associated with Black Panther in the comics as well... And is basically a token there. But his existence predates the Disney acquisition.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Sure, it isn't necessary, but would he say the same thing about an all white or all male cast? That's the default, so having something to show the default isn't the only option is good too. As a cis straight white man, I don't give a fuck if there isn't a straight white man in a movie. Why should I? I see myself everywhere being validated. Let's give other people extra space because they've been denied it for so long.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (3 children)

I get your point but I mean Wakanda is supposed to be the most technologically advanced society. Why shouldn't diversity sort of be a given in that context? Because only fellow Africans can be trusted to keep the place a secret?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They completely cut off their society from the rest of the world, it's not like any African gets a pass in, they don't allow anyone that isn't Wakandan. It was like, a pretty significant plot point.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Yea well like I said in the other comment, a society that advanced free from cooperation with other cultures or people seems unlikely. The point of their isolation isn't lost on me. Still I wouldn't know why zero tolerance towards that policy would be necessary or sustainable while thriving for technological innovation.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You think that part is 'unlikely' in a movie about people with super powers?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

You got me there ngl. I'm not saying Black Panther has plot holes, I'm not even saying that the cast should've been more diverse because Disney or whatever. I was just trying to level with @[email protected] saying the art should dictate the content instead of executives bending it to their will. In the case of Black Panther it was probably the art or the source material anyways so no real issue there.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

a society that advanced free from cooperation with other cultures or people seems unlikely

True. The writers probably agree. Hence Wakanda literally having been built on top of a literal mountain of magic space science unobtainium that makes science go brrr practically by just being there.

Oh, and with magic drugs that allow Wakandan leaders to not only single handedly beat up any would be invaders, but also share the wisdom and acquired knowledge of all their ancestors.

Seems quite less unlikely and unsustainable when you take into account those two little details. 🤷‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Not trying to point out lack of realism in a work of fiction anyways. I was just trying to suggest that diversity hires could've been the name of the Disney game on those movies just as they are on many others. When it comes to representation there's definitely no need to diversify a majority black cast. At least not for the sake of more caucasian faces. But I really do feel the words "the art should dictate it". Black Panther's source material was probably honored quite faithfully.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Well, yeah. Do you not know the history of Black Panther? You just talking out your ass? The whole idea was isolationism in the face of colonialism.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Seems kinda hostile. Africans can be born without pigmentation for one thing. And just because there are colonial powers doesn't mean a society has to be so bigoted (which they clearly aren't in universe) to see everyone who doesn't look like themselves as part of "the others". They allowed the Avengers in anyways. But my point was meant more like, technology thrives when cultures and people come together.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

That's cool. You can go make that thing because that has absolutely nothing to do with Wakanda.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It sounds like you’re implying Africans have an inability to develop a technologically advanced society on their own.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Well how far do you want me to go in refuting that? Would attributing the US space program to the leftover Nazi braintrust be too far? I'm saying what I have said. That no people on their own can truly thrive. We excel when we work together (the moral implications of working with ex white supremacists exist but don't negate that fact).

But yea sure we're talking about a work of fiction. I just thought that people here feel that vibe of Disney pushing diversity for the sake of diversity. I feel like that does raise certain valid points about artistic integrity. And if that makes me sound to you like the guy who can't stand the thought of a female Bond then that's you reading stuff into it that I haven't said.

To me turning Arielle black is like making Maleficent the protagonist. If something works (not for me personally but for audiences in general) then it will be rewarded accordingly. Whether i.e. The Marvels worked is up for everyone to decide.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Neither of those casts were all anything, apart from human.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Found the alien activist

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Fun story when they made that psycho Transformers movie with the laminated age of consent law and the product placement transformer made out of Oreo vending machines, Peltz's daughter is the teenager it's supposed to be legal to molest and Peltz was on the Oreo company board.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

People like this shouldn’t ever be considered ‘creative’. Dunno how we got here but glad they are choosing to reverse that decision.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Wait, what? What psycho transformers movie is this?!

Edit: nevermind. I looked up the scene. Whatever the fuck was that?!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I don't care if it's all women or all black, I just don't want another Marvel movie. Ever.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Why would you have a movie set in Africa have a nearly all black cast? He's seriously asking that? Apparently you don't need basic intelligence to be a billionaire. How often does he ask why shows like Billions or Succession have to be about white families?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

AGREED! Why should I use BLACK ACTORS just because the movie takes place in a country with MAJORITY Black People? And WHY on God's Green Earth should I cast WOMEN to play FEMALE Superheroes?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

If you’re angry about the critical and financial success that is Black Panther, tells me you’re not an investor, just a racist idiot.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

What all black cast is he talking about? And yes the marvels was all women but... They didn't even fucking gender swap the characters like Ghostbusters or something like that?

And out of all the fucking MCU it's the only movie with three female leads.

Edit- Jesus Christ I'm an idiot. It hit me. He's bitching that Black panther was about black people isn't he??

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago

He’s also upset that the black panther wore a black suit.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I mean why wouldn't the cast of the Black Panther be mainly black? That's just weird that you wouldn't have it that way. Also Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel are both female characters I don't know what this guy is after here. Why would he pick those examples?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Because whenever a movie or TV show or video game has anything except a cis hetero white man as the main character, people like this start screeching. They aren't satisfied with having people that look like themselves represented in the vast majority of main characters. They view any time a character not matching the above description shows up in some kind of media as discrimination against themselves. Any slight reduction in privilage they mistake for real discrimination. They mask this by claiming they're just concerned with the integrity of the art or some nonsense, especially the gamer gate type crowd.

Anytime a gay character or a female character or someone pops up they start yelling, "why does this character have to be gay? It must be lazy pandering at the expense of a good story." To which I would pose the same question back to them. Any piece of media featuring a straight cis white man, why does the character have to be a straight white man? Must be lazy pandering at the expense of story.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's more interesting to have a wide variety of characters and stories in media. Sometimes people are just gay, or are just straight, or just female, or just male. It might have a big impact in a story and it might not. It shouldn't be "unless this is a story specifically about the gay/female/black experience the character must be straight/male/white by default." If that is going to be part of that piece of media, great, but it doesn't necessarily have to be depending on the story being told. You'll never see this crowd upset with a straight white male character for these reasons though, very transparent.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 5 months ago

if you like any of these movies you're a baby