When does representation become overrepresentation?

submitted by jacques1102 from self.TumblrInAction

For me personally if a show wanted a gay couple or a trans person it would be one thing.However, i'm noticed a few shows that put way more LGBTQ characters than what would be seen in real life.Especially if the show takes place in a small town.For example, there's this one show(can't remember the name of it.)that had like 10 characters that are either under the lgbtq umbrella or are hinted to be.I kept thinking to myself"How many people does this show think would be gay in a small town like this"?I remember going to school in a very liberal part of New York and literally only one person out of 40 students turned out gay.So yeah,that's where i feel overrepresentation becomes a problem.Especially since i saw a study that said a lot of americans think gay people make up 30% of the U.S population.

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[–]loubag1997 17 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 0 fun18 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

It’s interesting, because it’s almost a case of media influencing reality.

Yes LGBT are overrepresented in media, but at the same time we’re seeing statistics coming out that show a massive 50% of Zoomers (Gen Z) identify as LGBT now, compared to 2% of Boomers and 9% of Millennials.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/gen-z-sexual-orientation-gay-b2196813.html

So because LGBT is now seen as cool or hip, everyone wants to be it even if they’re not. This is where the generic term “queer” comes in and the whole trendy “she/they” thing.

[–]Newzok 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah everyone is queer now. Which means nothing.

[–]cephyrious 13 insightful - 2 fun13 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Yeah, some shows are definitely overdoing it. Like Sandman, that showed both gay intimacy and lesbian intimacy in the first few episodes, whereas heterosexual intimacy was not shown at all, just that two people met and then years flash by and there suddenly was a baby a while after so you have to infer that there was indeed intimacy.

Last season of Star Trek Discovery, you have the main characters (both black) who are a couple. Beyond them there is a gay couple, a starting relationship between two of different species, a nonbinary+nonbinary/boy(?) couple, a man who is willing to risk destroying earth to be with his male friend, and that's the end of (romantic) relationships.

It's as if white heterosexuality just can't be shown. Ridiculous.

[–]jet199 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Sandman was ridiculous because it just straight out swapped straight relationships with gay and didn't even consider there would be different dynamics involved so the relationship made zero sense. They did put a little dig against the woke author in there as well though.

[–]Newzok 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Ooh what was the dig? I'm not watching it.

[–]IX-Hispana 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

It's not about a number but intent. When a director is speaking of what he knows or has lived, with honesty, then there is no limit. Take Pariah (2011) for instance. 100% black cast and it makes sense.

When a rich liberal who lives in a 90+% white gated community makes characters minorities because "diversity is our strength", then even one is too much.

[–]OuroborosTheory 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

it also runs squarely into another mandate of current cultural politics: you ALSO can't voice/write/be the coffee boy for a studio that produces a character unless you share your traits with them: usually what happens is that the character just ... isn't in the show any more, period

then the pendulum swings and all the criticisms that were forbidden in 2020 come out--"oh, you assume minority viewers can't understand a character unless you spoonfeed them?" "isn't this just more tokenism from rich white lady/guilty MBA antiracism?"

on edit: or when they just forced an 18yo actor to out himself as bi because the howling mob of teenyboppers accused him of "queer-baiting" them by being straight in private

[–]LyingSpirit472 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Even that's not the worst it can be.

It'd shock me if right now we're not already getting gay producers/casting directors going to straight actors/actresses and going "Well, you're best for the part...but unfortunately, the character is gay and we just can't cast a straight actor to play the part. I'm sorry, here's the casting couch...you're going to have to prove to me you're gay or I can't give you the part..."

[–][deleted] 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The entire idea behind "representation" is a bit flawed. Not the basic idea of "people like to see positive roll models from X group" that's more or less true. But the idea that you have to ensure that there's a bunch of diversity in every show and you tick the boxes, that's just tokenism and invariably comes down to writing for stereotypes.

Why include a gay character in a show if they have nothing to contribute to the plot? Why bother developing a characters romantic interests if it doesn't matter to the story.? It just feels shoehorned in and devoid of creativity or purpose.

Right now it's all a marketing tactic. Make a big deal about your show being diverse or what not. Then manufacture a bunch of fake online outrage over that and do the whole "racists and homophobes are triggered by our show" thing. It's marketing.

You want to make a show that is 100% gay or 0% gay and frankly I don't give a fuck either way, but if you're marketing your show on either the gay or lack thereof angle, it had better be a tongue in cheek comedy or else I'm going to go straight in and assume that you've got nothing worth mentioning about it.

It's like those Disney Live-Ass remakes they've been doing. Almost shot for shot copies creatively bankrupt films. How do you market those? Online outrage machine. Lephrou, he's gay now, not ambiguously comic relief gay no now we treat the audience like they are retarded and can't figure it out unless we beat them over the head with bad jokes about it. Naturally all those complaints online are from racists.

Little Mermaid, cast a black woman, whatever, OMG we triggered the racists online and she's getting all sorts of hate mail for it! Dude nobody cares about or even wants to see that crappy movies except for weirdos anyway. How many of those comments and mails are real? How many are Disney employees masquerading as racists to stir up buzz?

Make something good and people will go to see it. Think diversity of characters alone is enough to carry a movie? This isn't Captain Planet.

[–]fuck_redditThou/Thee/Thy 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

There was a VERY interesting survey about the American public’s perception of demographics v. the actual stats. I think the results were like: black Americans think 50% of people in America are black, the average American thinks 10% of Americans are millionaires, and that hundreds of unarmed black people are killed by police each year. “Representation” heavily distorts the perception of the average person.

[–]IkeConn 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

When you elect a Democrat.

[–]Oyveygoyim 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Imagine a jew defender complaining about something that the jews are forcing upon everyone lol

[–]jacques1102[S] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Fucking stalking my comments now?

[–]Oyveygoyim 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Just calling out your hypocrisy.

[–]clownworlddropout 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

When it involves affirmative action.

[–]jet199 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Which is what is happening at the moment.

Many governments' rules on tax credits and companies' own guidelines state that to get funding projects must have both cast and crew which represent the demographics of the modern population. This is affirmative action by the backdoor as people are being given jobs (and not being sacked for terrible behaviour) just so the production can tick a box. I never thought I would see people chosen for a role solely for their race or sex rather than ability in the UK in my lifetime but that is exactly what's happening behind closed doors now.

[–]deusex 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

A shit show is a shit show. I give no flying fuck if the entire cast is a bunch of dudes identifying as trees or lamp posts. If it's shitty writing, I will tell.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Shouldn't we be normalizing trans-representation in media so that we can limit the number of casualties in the trans-genocide?