S
I'm going to explain my problem with diversity on modern television by using the example of the Netflix television series "Bridgerton".
Bridgerton is a historic drama that takes place in 19th century Victorian England that follows the story of several aristocratic families. The cast is very racially diverse with the main characters being not only white but also, Black, Asian, Indian, etc.
Apparently, diversity only matters as far as the people depicted and not the cultural context of the show. The show takes place in Europe, the fashion is European, so is the architecture and basically the whole aesthetic.
When POC say they want to see more diversity on TV, what they mean but will never admit is that they want to see more POC integrated into stories that feature a European setting. Black women would much rather watch a TV show where a black woman is depicted as the queen of England rather than the queen of some African kingdom. POC want to see themselves reflected in worlds built by whites but they aren't as eager to see themselves reflected in worlds built by their own people.
Media outlets will gladly put POC in shows that have stories taking place in Europe or are otherwise inspired by European culture but they won't consider shows that take place outside of Europe. They know that nobody will care about a TV drama about some 17th century African villiage. Not even black people.
Bridgerton is a historic drama that takes place in 19th century Victorian England that follows the story of several aristocratic families. The cast is very racially diverse with the main characters being not only white but also, Black, Asian, Indian, etc.
Apparently, diversity only matters as far as the people depicted and not the cultural context of the show. The show takes place in Europe, the fashion is European, so is the architecture and basically the whole aesthetic.
When POC say they want to see more diversity on TV, what they mean but will never admit is that they want to see more POC integrated into stories that feature a European setting. Black women would much rather watch a TV show where a black woman is depicted as the queen of England rather than the queen of some African kingdom. POC want to see themselves reflected in worlds built by whites but they aren't as eager to see themselves reflected in worlds built by their own people.
Media outlets will gladly put POC in shows that have stories taking place in Europe or are otherwise inspired by European culture but they won't consider shows that take place outside of Europe. They know that nobody will care about a TV drama about some 17th century African villiage. Not even black people.
