CT: For Pete's Sake

Oh guys, I really try not to do this but today's post is going to be a little bit of a rant. Because it seems like every time I open up the news on my phone I want to bang my head against the ground. 

Let me explain, before you decide that I'm the crazy one, prone to fits of outrage at the littlest provocation.

It seems to me that we're in a very important moment culturally, especially inside the entertainment industry. All the norms that have gone unchecked before are now being questioned. Representation in all forms is a hot topic and finally, finally it seems like we're going to see some change. For as long as I've wanted to be a writer people have been telling me "Hollywood is such a boys club." What they mean is that the vast majority of the decision-makers in Hollywood are white men. So all the stories that get funded are stories either about white men or about everyone else from a white man's perspective. Obviously, obviously there are exceptions to this, and I'm not saying that there haven't been some beautiful works d art to come out of this system. 

But it means that there are so many stories, so many kinds of stories, about so many kinds of characters, that we're missing out on. There are so many artists who aren't being heard because their work doesn't come from the easy perspective. Little C and I come up against this problem all the time. We get told that genre writing (sci-fi, horror, etc) isn't done well by women, or we go to see a movie and wonder if the writer has ever even met a woman. And comparatively we're hugely privileged. I can only imagine what it's like to be a person of color or a member of the LGBTQ community going to the movies or watching TV. Or heaven forbid, trying to create movies or TV. 

All of that is why the conversations happening in the industry right now are so exciting. When a movie has zero women that accomplish, oh, anything (looking at you, Star Trek Into Darkness), people are mad. When a movie completely ignores the existence of huge swaths of the population in favor of focusing yet again on the straight white dudes, people raise a conversation about it. We're starting to finally get some of the stories that haven't been told before. And for Cait and I, it's thrilling. This is probably a gimme, but we freaking love stories. And it's so, so boring to see the same thing over and over. The more different kinds of people telling the more different kinds of stories the better! And yes, the very small changes we're starting to see have made things a teeny tiny bit difficult for those of us of privilege, just in that we're not represented in every single piece of art produced. But I cannot stress enough how much I feel like it's important for the entertainment industry to shift towards spreading out the opportunities to create. It is in all of our best interests as artists and as humans to hear these stories. It's in all of our best interests to find equality. 

So here's what has filled me with an animal rage in the last several months. Every so often (usually just about the time I've calmed myself down from the last one) some idiot actor or actress or filmmaker opens their stupid mouth and argues against opening up opportunities. And a lot of these are actors I like! Matt Damon tries to explain diversity to a black, female filmmaker. Jeremy Renner says that whether he gets paid (a lot) more than his female costars isn't really his problem. Chris Hemsworth dons some incredibly offensive Native American makeup for a party. And now Meryl Streep defends yet another all-white panel discussion by saying (bafflingly) that we're "all Africans". 

I mean, for Pete's sake people. This isn't that hard. 

Here's my point. We're at an incredibly important moment in history. Conversations are happening right now that have the potential to shape the creative arts for the next generation. And as those with privilege, we have to understand that the way we enter these conversations means something. People are going to remember what is said and done. And when what you say is incredibly stupid/racist/sexist/homophobic, you're going to be remembered not for the art you've created but for the stupid, stupid stuff you've said. 

So white, rich, undeniably privileged creatives? Let's think some of these things through before we say them. So that we don't all look awful for the rest of history. 

Rant over. 

Much love,

CT