The Casting Games...?

Is it possible that some American audiences aren’t ready to accept diversity in films?  While we have made many social advances since the 1950s in regards to racial rights, it is clear that there is still a great deal of prejudice present in our society towards people depending on the color of their skin.  It could be argued that this prejudice exists because of a white privilege that is embedded in our society.  In “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” McIntosh identifies white privilege as “an invisible package of unearned assets” that are taken advantage of each day (1).  In the article, she later provides a list of forty-six unearned privileges that exist in western culture.  I would like to add one to the list:

47.  I can go to a movie theater, watch a film, and see that the majority of the actors and actresses have the same color skin as I do.

In 2012 when The Hunger Games film was released, some fans complained about the casting and a year later with the release of Catching Fire, the second film in the trilogy, the same racial disputes remain.  Twitter and other media outlets have become a place of venting and disputing, and it is clear that the conflict is because people are upset about the race of the actors playing Rue (in Hunger Games) and Beetee (in Catching Fire).  I had my own problems with the casting of the film; however, I was more angered that the casting of Katniss, Gale, and the characters of District 12 were inaccurate because in the skin they were depicted as having a darker skin tone.  However, many viewers of the film were dismayed at the fact that the casting directors chose people of color to play feature roles in the film, thus indicating how deeply white privilege is embedded in our society.  People have assumptions (because of their white privilege) of what the characters will look like so much so that they misread the book and misinterpret character appearances.     

Despite this casting conflict, I highly recommend that anyone who has not already read the books and seen the movies do so.  They present such wonderful commentary on western culture and are a must read.