Our reading states that there are more than 40 million African Americans in the United States and yet our media does not reflect this. According to a recent study by Children Now, the 8 to 9 PM television-viewing "family hour" is the least ethnically diverse, with only one in eight programs having a mixed cast. This sends highly skewed messages about diversity in America to viewers.
The Screen Actors Guild, which collects ethnicity data on all casting roles in TV and film, reported that roles for African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans for the first time declined in 1998, in spite of the increasing visibility of this issue.
Kenan Thompson, a cast member on Saturday Night Live, recently announced that he will no longer play black female roles until there are black, female cast members. In the 38 years "SNL" has been on the air, TV Guide notes, the series has only had four black female cast members: Yvonne Hudson (1980-81), Danitra Vance (1985-86), Ellen Cleghorne (1991-95) and Maya Rudolph (2000-2007).
His announcement comes at the heels of comments from fellow cast member Jay Pharoah regarding the hiring, or lack of hiring, black cast members. Last month, Pharoah told MSNBC's theGrio that "SNL" producers "need to pay attention” to diversity and suggested they hire black female comedian Darmirra Brunson.
As comedian W. Kamau Bell told Salon last month, the need to diversify at SNL and other comedy stalwarts isn’t just about who they hire but about who makes up the pool of potential talent. Bell also noted that diversity of perspective is important, that having comedians of various backgrounds — not just black and white — leads to jokes of various styles that speak to a wider array of audience members. The gist of it is that any place that so predominantly draws from any one group of people is likely to stick individuals who don’t fit into that group into token or translated roles, parts that see the minority group through the eyes of the majority, rather than for themselves as people.
So maybe there’s something more concerning than the fact that, if Thompson and Pharaoh won’t play women, Saturday Night Live will have no impressions of famous black women. A truly diverse SNL would be one where a black, female comedian also plays characters who require her acting ability and sense of humor, not just her race.
This coming Saturday SNL booked Kerry Washington from the show Scandal. Skeptics have suggested that the Kerry Washington announcement — the show’s decision to feature a woman well known for breaking racial barriers — was meant specifically to calm fans whose anger about diversity on the show was stoked by Thompson’s comments. (It seems unlikely that she was cast within the last two days, and this timing, about three weeks in advance, is fairly standard for SNL‘s hosting announcements, but it is possible that the current firestorm inspired the exact moment the news was announced.)
I believe we should be concerned about having the casts on TV programs reflect the ethnic diversity that exists in society at large, and ensure that news reporting is fair, balanced and color-blind.
What can be done to change this?Here is a link to the interview Kenan Thompson gave to TV Guide: http://www.tvguide.com/News/SNL-Diversity-Issue-Kenan-Thompson-1072056.aspx
This issue is complicated by the fact that Kenan Thompson, while saying that he will no longer play women’s roles, has said that the lack of black females among SNL cast members is due to a lack of viable candidates that fit that description. He stated, “It's just a tough part of the business. Like in auditions, they just never find ones that are ready." By saying that the lack of diversity isn’t an oversight, but actually more like a necessary evil as a result of a dearth of talent, it excuses the casting decisions. He should be supporting, and even advocating for, possible additions to the cast that would close this diversity gap.
ReplyDeleteIf SNL was examined according the Excellence model, it would probably be found quite lacking in the diversity department, which would show how major improvements would be necessary to extend its reach among key demographics. If SNL wants to continue to be a timely popular culture reference, it should use the opportunity provided by Kenan Thompson and Jay Pharaoh’s refusal to do a nationwide search to recruit new cast members in order to fill this void.
The only way to change the culture around casting is from the inside. More actors and actresses, as well as directors, must fight for diversity among casts. Consumers can participate in the debate as well by supporting television programs and movies that celebrate diversity.
I agree with Jennifer's use of the Excellence Theory. Utilizing talent from all ethnic demographics would certain engage a wider audience. Incorporating viewpoints from different cultures could certainly enrich the content provided by SNL each week.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I would not advise being reactive to this particular situation. In the long run, I think cultivating a greater diversity for the show is in its best interest. But immediately reacting to this situation by hiring ethnically diverse comedians to ameliorate this issue would make SNL seem very shallow.
Just as companies (hopefully) seek to achieve diversity in various aspects, goals for casting should include honoring diversity as well as talent. Again, as Jennifer said, the change has to come from the inside, as well as from consumers providing external pressure to move casting in this direction.
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ReplyDeleteYou know what they say about "anything worth trying," and Saturday Night Live ought to consider enriching its cast with a wide array of diverse characters. The show's ratings and quality (as based upon the reviews of critics) have been on the decline for years, and increasing efforts to reach a broader audience couldn't hurt.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a 2012 write up in the Los Angeles Times, the show, which is only two years away from marking its 40th anniversary, costs NBC $3 million per episode. And although the show does have something to show for that money with consistant popularity among the 18-49 crowd, overall ratings have ranked the show at the bottom of NBC's programing for almost a decade (Blake, "'SNL' Cast Gets Sketchier...").
Could the show's lack of diversity be playing a role in these sour ratings?
Perhaps. The popularity of internet and cable over the past couple of decades has greatly expanded our media choices. We can now truly choose media that we feel best represents who we are and what we value. This certainly includes searching for people who look like us and share our backgrounds. A quick glimpse of the current cast on Saturday Night Live doesn't offer up much in terms of diversity. Simply looking at the pictures, it appears there are three people of color and five women (one woman of color) out of a cast of 14. That could be a little bit isolating. And how can it compete?
However, this isn't unique to SNL. Although editing was once viewed as a "woman's job" and some of history's most acclaimed Hollywood writers were women, women's voices and stories are all too absent in today's film and television landscape. The same holds true for people of color. And god forbid we talk about women of color- only 10 Hollywood pictures have been directed by Black women, released nationally, and received proper funding since 1991 (Brown, "Hollywood's Most Overlooked Resource").
"Talent" is not something merely ascribed to one specific group of people, and it is not acceptable to claim the pool just isn't there to select from. It would be in SNL's best practice to consider diversity in casting and writing.
References-
Brown, Lamonia. "TheGrio." TheGrio. N.p., 19 Feb. 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. .
Blake, Meredith. "'Saturday Night Live' Cast Gets Sketchier at an Awkward Time." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. .
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ReplyDeleteI would say the excellence theory is also applicable here, but this whole situation is based on our culture and nation's history. For years I have heard people say that minorities do not have the same equality as white folks, because there are more white folks. Can you imagine? Does that mean that in 2042 minorities are going to hold all of the nation's wealth? I doubt that.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to this article, we all know that a majority of America's poor are people of color. This inadvertently ties into education levels, and the ability to even learn how to act, let alone afford to be able to train in the profession. And then they wonder why there are not enough black actors or actresses. In response to your question about what can be done to change this dynamic, I have seen a few Hispanic organizations, for example, focus on recruiting Hispanics into newsrooms for a greater push in news diversity and reporting. I think this approach could work well in the entertainment industry as well. Although it should be open to all underrepresented groups.