Call 2 Action

It’s no secret that the white man dominates all of the West, if not the world. It’s also no secret that this isn’t anything new-- supremacy of white complexion, religion, and culture has existed in both practise & ideology long before 17th century colonialism.  What is new? Technological media. From social media like Instagram and Twitter to cinematic media like the MCU and Elden Ring, humans are constantly expanding in the realm of entertainment. This provides a platform not only to people you never want to see like James Corden, but also people that come from cultures that have been historically swept under the rug, so to speak. So; What do we want? 

What do we want? 

In a society with so much emphasis on entertainment, seeing oneself on the big screen is an insurmountable feeling. Not only does casual representation feel good, but it also changes the way we see other people around us. Disney-Pixar’s Turning Red gave many non-Chinese viewers a fun, cute, and informational look into the complexities of Chinese culture and the stress of generational trauma in immigrant families. Alice Oseman’s comic-turned-Netflix-original Heartstopper presents gay love in an innocent and pure way, which combats the expectations surrounding MLM (men loving men) relationships of being impure or inherently sexual.  What we want is representation. Studies show that representation in popular media changes the perception of not only outsiders or non-minorities, but people who belong to these groups as well. Seeing anyone other than a white man in a position of power inspires young ones and gives them a foundation for their hopes and dreams, and it is the children who are always the most important to the future of a society-- with better, diverse representation (such as GBH’s Molly of Denali), we are directly inspiring a new generation of doctors, teachers, artists, and others that offer fresh perspective and great determination to their field. 

How do we get it done?

It’s pretty clear that there aren’t any SONY or Disney big-shots waltzing around Tumblr-dot-com for some good user-based criticism. The only celebrity that we know of who hasn’t been scared away from this hellsite is resident Beloved Neil Gaiman (author of American Gods, Good Omens, Coraline, and many others).  However, it’s also clear that these industry titans don’t exactly care about the voices of minorities as they’re too busy exploiting people for profit. So, what can we do about this?  There are a myriad of acceptable answers, the first and foremost being: Make the representation you want to see. It’s an oversimplification for sure, but it doesn’t mean that it’s ineffective. Independent, self-published books are a good source of perspective and understanding. So are comics, whether you post them digitally on Tapas or Webtoon, or prefer to keep them on your Tumblr art blog. It’s absolutely not the same thing as representation in media that is consumed in droves and twittered about constantly on social platforms, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t see it. Even if only a single person comes away with a fresh perspective and hope in their heart, it has been a successful endeavour.  If you aren’t a creator and can afford to support creators bringing representation into the media, donating financially to independent artists helps to provide the equipment needed in order to create. Patreons, Kickstarters, and Kofi are all great places to start. If, for any reason, you can’t support queer and POC artists financially, there are always alternative ways to show your appreciation. Boosting artists on social media and drawing attention to disparities in media representation help spread reach across larger audiences. Additionally, if there are shows/games/movies that you think do a good job of representing groups of people, Tweeting your appreciation goes a long way. Often, execs look at social media like Twitter to gauge engagement on their show. Shows with low engagement are more likely to be cancelled prematurely. 

Steps for actionable change

Change isn’t something that can be secured through logic alone. Sudbrink, author and trainer with over 20 years of experience in management, simplifies change in people to five steps. Translated into applicable terms, these steps are: 

Step 1: Awareness  Knowing that there is injustice.  Step 2: Desire  Wanting to fight injustice. Step 3: Knowledge  Understanding the injustice; what it is, who or what is causing it, the context behind it, and how to help.  Step 4: Action  Taking action to fight injustice.  Step 5: Perseverance  Continuing to fight injustice.  Fighting oppression, tyranny, and injustice is much easier said than done. It is not something that can be done alone. Do your part in mending the disparity between cishets in media and queer + BIPOC voices in media in any way you possibly can, even if it’s simply supporting queer and BIPOC projects or spreading awareness. Remember: Awareness is the first step!