(aka how black people are represented in mainstream media)
i harmony, an unapologetically black wattpad user, have come to the unfortunate conclusion that black people aren't real. now, i know what y'all are thinking --- its probably four am and she's having one of her weird train of thoughts again.
( fyi, it's actually eleven so fuck you )
but think about it, yall. black people do not exist in mainstream media --- at least, not all black people! the black people that are usually cast are light-skinned, mixed-race or they'll cast a bitch who's 25% black and the other 75% aren't important because sHeS sTiLl BlAcK.
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the mortal instruments. divergent. the hunger games. the maze runner. the chronicles of narnia. a court of thorns and roses. throne of glass. the selection. harry potter. riverdale. teen wolf. shadowhunters.
these are all books and/or movies/shows that have majorly affected many of us in some sort of way. now think about how many black people there were in these shows/books/movies. see how many black people you can recall. not a lot, right? in fact, think about how many people of colour there were in general !!!! its still a startlingly low number.
books with casts like these are the reason why many think that a cast of all black people is a radical ( even racist ) idea !!! its because the idea of a conventionally attractive, all-white cast is something that we have seen since we were kids.
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now, name a black-lead show/movie/book.
for me, what immediately comes to mind is, black panther, the hate u give, when they see us, 12 years a slave, selah and the spades, blood and water, black lightning, da five bloods etc. how many of those shows are struggle-porn ??? ( a term i use which basically means a movie entirely about people, usually black people, struggling in life or facing discrimination ).
why are black people only represented "well" when the subject matter is struggle? when it is pain, when it is loss or hardship? and even THEN there still aren't that many black-lead...well...anythings.
