White Actors Need Not Apply. Reverse Racism in Hollywood. Part 1

We’ve been itching to write about Hollywood. They are the people that create the “movie magic” for the entire world and are synonymous with American culture. The place is a powerful center of soft American influence on the planet and one grand moneymaker. Hollywood is the face of America to the world.

A true New York story:  First-time guests from faraway land, staying with us, once looked out the window onto a quiet street and exclaimed: “Where are the screeching police cars, gang shootouts, fires and explosions? The roving helicopters overhead? Is this the real America?” We both had a hearty laugh, but it illustrates one important point – people around the globe subconsciously see us through film, made in Hollywood.

If anyone resembles “royalty and nobility” in the USA (officially we have none), it would be Hollywood’s rich and famous, actors and producers, eagerly followed on social media by millions of people. It is a well oiled, 50 billion dollar a year machine, an industry where production risks pay back handsomely at the box office. Occasionally they make mistakes, lose money on a flop of a movie, but always find a way to recoup their losses. The general public, of which we are a part, have little knowledge of how the deals are made; what hoops actors of all calibers have to jump through to get the picture parts. But we watch the movies and all of it matters little when we walk away shaken and oftentimes a bit wiser, thanks to the magic of moving images.

Lately, news had been leaking out of Hollywood that made us think not all is well in that little place. Reverse racism had gotten a solid foothold there. People in the movie industry – all those white producers, actors, directors and screenplay writers – are frightened as they are being pushed out. Hollywood eliminates the “white privilege”. Noxious poisonous atmosphere of BLM ideology reaches the upper echelons of the Hollywood studios. The movie bosses are scrambling to meet the new ‘norms’. What are these norms?

Middle-aged, heterosexual white males need not apply.

One-two punch knocked some air out of Hollywood a bit earlier:  “Me Too” movement accused a number of powerful personalities of sexual harassment and violence towards women. Very few accused ever went to court; the rest were tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. The accused (not tried in real courts) were mostly ‘canceled’ – stripped of their positions, fired, maligned and disgraced in the social networks and MSM. These people are unlikely to work in the industry any time soon. This caused panic among the Hollywood elite. Soon it was COVID’s time. The virus scare stopped production all over the place.

Then came racial riots in the aftermath of G. Floyd’s death in 2020; BLM burst onto the public scene. And Hollywood was made acutely aware that they are not doing enough to rid itself of the ‘institutional’ racism. To those who forgot what it means: “institutional racism is the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in our society to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color”. We learned that “institutional racism exists in institutions where the power to enforce and perpetuate policies and practices is invested in white people”. BLM and its adepts could not spread their discriminatory, racist, segregationist theories alone. They needed a vehicle. So they found one in liberal Hollywood, scared to death. Now most major studios like Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix support BLM with money and promote their hateful ideology.

Disney, as an example, is not only looking forward these days. They are looking back in time, at their own cartoons made in another, politically incorrect era. Destroying old assets would be unwise, so they now include these warnings to the watchers: “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.” They want us to “acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together”. In other words – enjoy Disney products but be ashamed of our collective cultural past that cannot meet today’s ugly agendas of racial diversity or minority inclusions. Farewell, 1941’s “Dumbo,” 1953’s “Peter Pan,” and 1970’s “The Aristocrats.” Other studios would undoubtedly follow suit. That’s Hollywood!

To fight an enemy, you got to have one. If none exists, make one up. That role went to white men in the movie industry. Studios no longer hire them to be screenwriters, directors, producers, etc. Those positions are going to the people of color, women and minorities of all sorts. White people are blacklisted (pun fully intended) for speaking out against blatant discrimination; anyone trying to uphold one’s dignity is branded ‘racist’ and is instantly accused of being defender of the “white privilege”. Black producers of Hollywood make their preferences known:  Where choice exists, they will hire only black actors. Their white brethren need not apply. Any white producer advocating hiring white only personnel would be instantly made into a pariah. Black ones get away with blatant discrimination and are proud of it. Oh, and forget about work if you support Trump and the Republican Party.

This story and another one describe what happened at the Oscar’s ceremony in 2016. The host, an American actor, who is black, Chris Rock, made it a part of his monologue to accuse Hollywood of racial discrimination, much to the consternation of mostly white audience. He wanted more work for the black performers. “”We want opportunity,” he declared. “We want the black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors. That’s it. And not just once. … All you guys get great parts all the time. But what about the black actors?” He made his point and made an impression on the bigwigs. Perhaps this started the chain reaction we are witnessing today.

The un-cultural shift is such that at least one studio (we never learned which one) is looking to do an all-black movie, where all actors and support team is comprised of only black people. Some white men and women, Hollywood professionals, are now being relegated to the secondary roles. They will be paid, but not mentioned in the movie credits. If this is not racism, we don’t know what is.

Back in September of this year, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that brings us Oscar nights, instituted new rules, in line with racial intolerance winds blowing in Hollywood. To be eligible for an Oscar, a movie must meet at least two out of four new “diversity and inclusion” conditions. One of the leading or supporting actors must belong to an underrepresented racial or an ethnic minority. If this norm cannot be met, then at least third of the actors involved must be women; and represent racial, ethnic, LGBT minorities or handicapped actors. The same applies to directors, screenwriters and composers and to movie’s technical and support personnel. There’s more to it.

End of Part 1/3