Luke Cage Is Too Black?

Luke Cage is a Netflix hit.  It has has everything a show needs...except white people apparently.  This has some people in an uproar, crying that there aren't enough whites in the show.  This writer only can only ask whether or not it's really that bad.  No, this writer isn't talking about the lack of white people in the show.  This writer is talking about a show about a successful show with a heavily black cast.

Decade after decade after decade, many shows have had all-white casts or shows with little or no diversity.  A lot of these shows were hits.  Other shows had mostly white casts with the occassional token of some other race (They weren't always black).  These charcaters were (and still are) written as idiots, not normal, or barely human.  Yeah, it sucks, but that's the vision of the people who created it.  Fair enough.

So with respect to the vision of the creator or creators, shouldn't it be possible for them to create a world and include who they want or don't want, whether or not that happens to be whites.  Just look at classics such as Dennis The Menace or The Brady Bunch.  Those shows seemed to be lacking diversity, but people enjoyed them nonetheless without complaint.  While people have complained about being underrepresented in their favorite shows, those same people will find a way to enjoy it whether or not diversity increases.

Personally, this writer has enjoyed many shows and movies where his people were barely there, tokens, or weren't represented at all.  As a fan of anime, this writer's people aren't really there and that isn't always a bad thing in a medium where the creators pretend they don't know what's offensive and what isn't.  This is so, because when they do create such characters, they're usually offensive and the creator hides behind the lie that they didn't know it was offensive.  At times like this, this writer would prefer it if his people weren't represented in the medium at all.

Here's an example of what this writer means about being better to not be represented at all.  Let's say the creators say, "The people are right.  We need a white character to be as be a presence as Luke Cage."  Then the writer would proceed to creator a toothless, beer-drinking Klansman who lynches black men, rapes black women and children, and sleeps with his own sister when he has a moment to spare.  Obviously (hopefully), white viewers would be angry (and rightfully so) and complain about being represented by this character.  Let's also assume the creator turned around and said, "If you don't like the character, deal with.  You asked for a token and we gave you a token."  You'd rather not be represented at all if the creators pulled a stunt like that.  You might even (and probably should) stop watching although.

In the end, it doesn't matter what the make up of the cast and characters, the show is good.  As stated before, there are plenty of great shows with little or no diversity.  Luke Cage just happens to be one of those show.  In other words, let's stop complaining, grab some snacks, and enjoy the show.  Or tune out.

Until next time...