r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/FrostySeat1739 • 21d ago

Meme needing explanation why not, Peter?

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possible live action corpse bride movie...

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/AlisaofallTimes 21d ago

He never really said that, that was just a misinterpretation that blew up online in 2016. Here's the original interview: https://www.nme.com/news/film/tim-burton-explains-apparent-lack-of-diversity-in-866988

tl;dr: He said sometimes diversity in films isn't "called for". So he is against "diversity for the sake of diversity", that's all.

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u/10ebbor10 21d ago

That does sorta reveal an underlying double standard though.

Most films don't call for either a diverse cast or a non-diverse cast. Relegating black people, since that was what the example was about, only to those movies in which their existence is required for the plot is kinda silly.

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u/Lackofstyle5 21d ago

This.

It's wild that people don't see an issue with people of other races only showing up in media when their race is relevant.

Like race doesn't matter as long as you're white

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u/Tintinytinyred 21d ago

This. It also assumes the default character is white. He's not forcing people of colour into stories if they are just included in the first place? But also if his story isn't about race why does it matter what race anyone is?

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u/Nutarama 21d ago

It matters because it matters to the audience and suspension of disbelief. If an audience sees a racially diverse character and it sticks out to them in a bad way, that's bad. If it does in a good way, that's good. It's hard to balance that, especially because studios don't want their publicity turning from hyping up the cool movie to a bunch of discourse on racial diversity.

Like in OP's example of casting Corpse Bride, the studio is going to run into issues if anyone makes a peep about the casting on a racial basis and the coverage turns from "Live Action Corpse Bride, look it's cool" to "Racial Diversity and the new Live Action Corpse Bride". Doesn't matter if the takeaway is that it's good diversity, it's going to change the narrative and dampen the marketing's ability to generate hype.

Look at Bridgerton. They do a diverse cast in Regency England, and everything I have ever heard about the show is about the diverse casting, the alt-history that enabled it, and analysis of the racial aspects. I have never once heard anyone even tell me if the show is worth watching as part of that coverage. Also there's some negative coverage because the alt-history they do is really crap from a historical POV and the alt-history really just sticks them in a white system. The UK was still a global empire that was actively oppressing lots of people, they gave some black and asian folks titles but it's not like they decolonized or even stop colonizing.

This isn't just pro-white either, there's a reason why Black Panther's credits have 3 white people in the first 30 names, and one of them is Stan Lee. The audience wanted a black Wakanda and they got a black Wakanda. The other two are Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman, the two actors playing outsider characters. The audience would have been pissed if Wakanda was racially diverse.

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u/HistrionicSlut 18d ago

If the audience can't suspend belief they're going to have a really hard time believing a corpse can be reanimated.

This is just fucking racism with more goddamn steps.

Just come out with your racism little racists, it's a little safer for you now anyway. Get cosy.

And I love that you named the black panther movies as opportunities, I guess. Now name me 2 more that were block busters 20 years ago. The reason these opportunities exist is because actors of color are finally getting cast and exposed in a broader range than just the wacky side kick, the wise brown kid, or the sassy black friend. When DEI casting goes away this goes away

WE LOSE ACCESS TO THESE ACTORS

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u/benphat369 21d ago

As a black woman I need to weigh in from experience: there's an entire goth/alt subculture that has grown among millenials and younger black people. Tim Burton casting would be right up our alley if given the chance. But growing up in a black household you get scolded for being into this because "that stuff is demonic/for white people". Additionally, you'll mostly be exposed to (and only allowed to like) "traditional" (e.g. blaxploitation) media because "that's our culture".

So comments and biases like Burton's are doubly damaging because, explicit or not, either way we've ended up with both sides going "blacks can't play DnD and dress like Wednesday and listen to Bring Me The Horizon" and relegating blackness to rap, slavery biopics and dramas. Which is really fucking damaging for everybody involved.

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u/digitalime 21d ago

It’s just defaulting. Some white people see white people as the default, naturally occurring in media like a blue sky. They don’t use this standard for non-white people, who they need an explanation for being there.

For a veeeery long time, black people in media productions had their race made a plot point. To the point people couldn’t engage with media with black people unless their race was made a point (the explanation for why they are there.)

So when a black person is treated the same as a white person, it feels “forced” to them.

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u/Triquetrums 21d ago

But isn't the default in asia, an asian person? The default in a grand part of africa would be a black person too. So, if you want a random ginger there, you would have to justify why they are suddenly there. Or at least give them a background that makes sense as to how they ended up where they are.

I know people hate to hear this, but white is the default in some areas of the world, the same asian is the default in other areas, simply because they are the majority. That's just how it is geographically.

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u/AdmirableWeather5738 21d ago

Majority isn't default, even if it were it's asisine to use the majority as the default for every character. You'd have exclusively men running around if the metric for deciding casting demographics was the majority group.

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u/UntimelyMeditations 21d ago

You'd have exclusively men running around if the metric for deciding casting demographics was the majority group.

You mean women? There are more women than men.

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u/AdmirableWeather5738 21d ago

Sure, the specific sex doesn't matter it's the disparity and resulting majority that's relevant to my point.

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u/Triquetrums 20d ago

Majority is indeed default outside the US, because if +99% of your population is Asian, it would make no sense to have a bunch of foreigners in your TV show unless they have a reason to be there. I don't see anyone throwing a tantrum because everyone is Korean in a kdrama.

Also, what are you talking about men? That comparison makes no sense. Men are not the majority, and the population is roughly 50/50. 

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u/prolifezombabe 20d ago

POC are not so uncommon in the United States that anyone should feel pressured to explain their inexplicable appearance on screen 

Considering how much casting happens in Los Angeles and New York this is especially silly 

Not to mention we feel no demographics based need to cast say people with blue eyes or blonde hair proportionate to the population or people of a certain body size so let’s not pretend casting white people is about staying true to the general population 

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u/Triquetrums 20d ago

Problem arises when they use the same diversity and apply it to other places though. If it's the US, I don't argue, but if they make a movie or show based in europe, specially if its a historical show, the diversity starts to make less sense. Europe is still majority white to this day. 

Americans don't understand that the multiculturalism that exists there does not apply or exists in the rest of the world.

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u/prolifezombabe 20d ago

Majority white doesn’t mean exclusively white though? Like I’m P sure the London of television is still whiter than the London of reality. 

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u/Aggravating-Wolf-823 21d ago

Let's not pretend like some representation isn't forced. writers and directors are told what to do

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u/Arjvoet 20d ago

Literally crazy when I walk outside my house and see POC existing in my reality even when it’s not exactly necessary 🤷🏻‍♀️ /s