Some of the Things That Are Happening:
Looks like LGBTQ+ representation in films is going down, with numbers dropping below those of 2012.
There has been a wonderful conversation going on at HowlRound about decolonizing theatre, and it's worth a read whether or not you are a theatre artist. This piece on what it even means to decolonize the creative process is a great start.
This is a fantastic piece about whiteness and how it continues to center itself. (And by "it" and "itself" I mean the I/we of me and my fellow white folk who center whiteness above other elements of identity.)
This Twitter thread from Josie Duffy Rice outlines a major problem that has occurred on the left: sharing outrage stories without actually looking into their background, which means we are sometimes getting outraged about things that didn't actually happen (or at least not the way we are presenting them). It's sloppy at best, and dangerous to those we should protect at worst.
A teenage hockey team in Canada was bullied for being First Nations, called savages and subjected to "Indian cries", and the refs did nothing about it.
A self-described pedophile who called Hitler a "white-supremacist hero" is running for office in the States. Honestly, at first, I was ready to give him a chance to be one of those people who suffers from attraction to children but doesn't act on it - a complex issue that I think needs more support in our society to prevent them acting on it - but it turns out he is the dangerous creature you hope that those men don't stumble across. BAD NEWS.
Bill Clinton doesn't see his affair with Monica Lewinsky any differently in light of #MeToo. I mean, I guess he's never had to.
In the fall, the ban on women drivers in Saudi Arabia was officially lifted, and this month it went into effect. Here is a feature on 10 women who got licences for the first time.
Action Item:
Look at the media you read, watch, or listen to. How much of it was created by people who are different from you? Whether that difference is based on sex, race, ability, ideology, or something else, take some time to reflect on the stories and art you surround yourself with and try to find some new perspectives. It will likely make your entertainment a lot more interesting, if nothing else, because variety is interesting. (Psssst - if you are white, do make sure you specifically look for some racial diversity in your media. Don't use other forms of diversity as a cop out. It's important.)
Not sure where to start? You can seriously just do a search for podcasts/TV shows/books by _____. I can almost guarantee someone has made a listicle.
Sign up for my email newsletter for a weekly digest and BONUS CONTENT!
No comments:
Post a Comment