Is this a joke? Seriously. I'm as liberal as they come and even I think this is a stretch. It's Canada. They have like 3 black people. (Okay, googled and it's 2.5% of the population, but still...) The odds that none of Scott's friends would be black are pretty good. And considering 4 other minority races (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, & Jewish) as well as both gay men and lesbians (and Vegans) are represented, calling the movie out for lack of diversity just because none of the minorities in it are black... that's just self-centered.
That is weird. Weirder? one imagines one in ten of the staff working on the film was Black. Why didn't anyone say anything before this? Maybe some Black actors/extras were left on the cutting room floor during editing? (not good enough, but plausible). Although using the 8.4% to say 1 in 10 should be Black is a narrow fallacy -- Toronto is really just a series of neighborhoods some of which are insular and densities vary considerably. It is quite possible that Pilgrim would have no Black friends (not likely, but possible) no Black folks in the crowd at concerts, on transit, downtown, and etc. would be very odd, though. This Torontonian hasn't seen it yet, so I can't confirm your meter (metre?) reading.
"Toronto is 8.4 percent black, which means 1 of every 10 people in Scott Pilgrim should be black"
I haven't seen the movie, nor am I familiar with Toronto's layout, but that statement would only be true if population distribution by ethnic origin was even across the area of Toronto. I suspect, however, this is not the case.
Secondly, the movie is a comic book adaptation; hardly an accurate portrayal of reality to begin with.
You have to ask if you would have rubber-stamped racism in the 50s. There's a tendency to fashion excuses for the movie. Why do that? I like it, but I can see a better presentation for it.
Is this a joke? Seriously. I'm as liberal as they come and even I think this is a stretch. It's Canada. They have like 3 black people. (Okay, googled and it's 2.5% of the population, but still...) The odds that none of Scott's friends would be black are pretty good. And considering 4 other minority races (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, & Jewish) as well as both gay men and lesbians (and Vegans) are represented, calling the movie out for lack of diversity just because none of the minorities in it are black... that's just self-centered.
ReplyDeleteToronto is 8.4 percent black, which means 1 of every 10 people in Scott Pilgrim should be black
ReplyDeleteThat is weird. Weirder? one imagines one in ten of the staff working on the film was Black. Why didn't anyone say anything before this? Maybe some Black actors/extras were left on the cutting room floor during editing? (not good enough, but plausible).
ReplyDeleteAlthough using the 8.4% to say 1 in 10 should be Black is a narrow fallacy -- Toronto is really just a series of neighborhoods some of which are insular and densities vary considerably. It is quite possible that Pilgrim would have no Black friends (not likely, but possible) no Black folks in the crowd at concerts, on transit, downtown, and etc. would be very odd, though.
This Torontonian hasn't seen it yet, so I can't confirm your meter (metre?) reading.
"Toronto is 8.4 percent black, which means 1 of every 10 people in Scott Pilgrim should be black"
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the movie, nor am I familiar with Toronto's layout, but that statement would only be true if population distribution by ethnic origin was even across the area of Toronto. I suspect, however, this is not the case.
Secondly, the movie is a comic book adaptation; hardly an accurate portrayal of reality to begin with.
You have to ask if you would have rubber-stamped racism in the 50s. There's a tendency to fashion excuses for the movie. Why do that? I like it, but I can see a better presentation for it.
ReplyDelete