Topic: The Outrage in Fantasy Adaptations
In this week’s Coffee & Conversation, we’ll discuss people’s outrage about Black actors being cast in fantasy adaptions like The Little Mermaid and Lord of the Rings.
Suggested Reading:
1. Fear of a Black Hobbit (The Atlantic)
“These fantasy adaptations are not stories set in universes where race works similarly to how it does in contemporary society and where it should influence casting choices. There are a number of reasons these reactionary backlashes happen so often. The first, obviously, is that some people lack the imagination to see themselves in protagonists they do not aspire to resemble, at least in their mind’s eye. Another is that some conservative outlets see the screen as just another front in the culture war.”
2. The racist backlash to The Little Mermaid and Lord of The Rings is exhausting and extremely predictable (Vox)
“Framing the mere existence of nonwhite characters in media as an inherently political stance is itself an ideological agenda. Moreover, it contradicts the long legacy of fantasy adaptations deviating from canonical descriptions of characters, and fans usually not minding — as long as the casting still reinforces a white, male-centric worldview.”
