Blatant racism among readers of The Hunger Games...

[Gunboat Diplomat]

There have been some rather racist tweets about the casting choices made for The Hunger Games. Here are a couple of examples:

Now, obviously there's no shortage of racist people in the world and pointing some out is hardly news. Plus, we can probably identify with complaints of unfaithful casting. Niether Harvey Dent nor The King Pin were black, for example. However, what makes these complaints noteworthy is that these characters were accurately cast! That's right, Rue is black in the novel that these tweeters have allegedly read. So where does this bitterness come from? How did they not notice this when they read this book?

Here's another example of what I'm talking about:

It's pretty obvious that this tweeter didn't think the actress who played Rue looked little, blonde or innocent. Here's what she looks like, by the way:

...so she's not blonde but, then again, neither was she blonde in the novel so... what's her problem again?

There were complaints of other characters who were not inaccurately cast but Rue is a fan favorite, so she received the most numerous and bitter comments...

In conclusion, either these "readers" are racist bigots who suffer from poor reading comprehension or they're really racist bigots who want all characters to be white, reality be damned!

 

[australopithecus]

I think racist is a bit strong. Example, when Hitchikers Guide...was remade I was surprised that Mos Def was cast as Ford, I'd never imagined Ford as a black dude (probably because I grew up with the awesome and superior BBC adaptation), but it wasn't a bad thing and he was a great Ford Prefect. When people read books they visualise the characters I would argue from their own reference points. Cant blame people for being shocked when the movie casting conflicts with their own perceptions.

Except the blatantly racist people. They're just cocks.

 

[WarK]

Stories and how we imagine them reminds me of this scene from A Time to Kill

 

[nophun]

Rue is characterized as having "Dark brown skin and eyes". That is some pretty terrible reading comprehension.
All of those comment are blatantly racist. No one is just in shock of a character's race. They are showing disapproval.

 

[Gnug215]

It's pretty clear that the people who in that "racism mosaic" up there are saying they won't watch the movie because Rue is black are racist. I mean, so frigging what? Don't they watch ANY movies with black people in them or what?

Or is it somehow pivotal that Rue specifically NOT be black? Is the fact that she's described as innocent looking the problem? Can't black people look innocent or what?

What head-shakingly idiotic nonsense is this??

I actually thought the world had moved on. I mean, I'm not so naive as to think people aren't still racist, but this looks like young people, and it's so blatant and pointless.

And a few of them are going "... not to be racist, but..." BUT WHAT???

 

[Laurens]

And a few of them are going "... not to be racist, but..." BUT WHAT???

Sentences that begin with 'I'm not racist, but...' almost invariably end with something racist, and adding such a caveat doesn't change that.

 

[DepricatedZero]

I'm not racist, but I try to be understanding of the ignorance that racist people labor under.

:3

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

People always complain about key things being different than what they imagined/read in the novel sets.

But when it comes to the look of a character, it's suddenly racist?

When I was a kid reading the first Harry Potter book, I honestly pictured Dumbledore as this older chubby fuck in a green suit with white hair and beard.

 

[malicious_bloke]

If the change fits with the overall feel of the adaptation, I don't see the problem.

I don't like the idea of altering the ethnicity of characters to fit with some predefined pattern of diversity among the cast, however. Admittedly, when I first saw Spartacus: Blood and Sand I did a bit of a double take when Oenomaus was introduced. He really doesn't look like a Gaul to me. But then Peter Mensah is awesome and terrifying in equal measure so the change from history was more than justified IMO

 

[DepricatedZero]

Avatar the Last Airbender

All I have to say about movie adaptations

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

Avatar the Last Airbender

All I have to say about movie adaptations

What's that?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with an Alien origin in the upcoming adaptation by Michael Bay not a good enough reason for you?

 

[Gunboat Diplomat]

I think racist is a bit strong. Example, when Hitchikers Guide...was remade I was surprised that Mos Def was cast as Ford, I'd never imagined Ford as a black dude (probably because I grew up with the awesome and superior BBC adaptation), but it wasn't a bad thing and he was a great Ford Prefect. When people read books they visualise the characters I would argue from their own reference points. Cant blame people for being shocked when the movie casting conflicts with their own perceptions.

People always complain about key things being different than what they imagined/read in the novel sets.

But when it comes to the look of a character, it's suddenly racist?

When I was a kid reading the first Harry Potter book, I honestly pictured Dumbledore as this older chubby fuck in a green suit with white hair and beard.

If the change fits with the overall feel of the adaptation, I don't see the problem.

I don't like the idea of altering the ethnicity of characters to fit with some predefined pattern of diversity among the cast, however. Admittedly, when I first saw Spartacus: Blood and Sand I did a bit of a double take when Oenomaus was introduced. He really doesn't look like a Gaul to me. But then Peter Mensah is awesome and terrifying in equal measure so the change from history was more than justified IMO

I think you guys misread my post. Please read it again...

The point is that these characters were accurately cast. For example, Rue is black in the novel! That is what I think is racist, Hytegia. This is not an example of "altering the ethnicity of characters to fit with some predefined pattern of diversity among the cast," this is fans being upset that the ethnicity of characters weren't altered to be more white, like they imagined in their heads...

Is reading comprehension this low? ...of the tweeters, I mean... although I'm a little annoyed that my post wasn't read right...

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

Pretty sure she was blonde in the novel.

:I

 

[Gnug215]

Rue is characterized as having "Dark brown skin and eyes". That is some pretty terrible reading comprehension.
All of those comment are blatantly racist. No one is just in shock of a character's race. They are showing disapproval.

Pretty sure she was blonde in the novel.

I haven't read the books, so...

Maybe she has dark brown skin and eyes, AND blonde? (Hmm, I assume you mean blonde hair, or...?)

Someday I'll write a book, and I'll not give ANY descriptions revealing the ethnicity of ANY of my characters (why would that even matter? As if people (normal, reasonable ones) actually give a flying fornication about that), and then when the inevitable movie adaptation comes along, it's gonna fuck with everyone's heads.

Well.... not everyone.... because normal, reasonable people will not give a rat's ass about it.

 

[nemesiss]

Avatar the Last Airbender

All I have to say about movie adaptations

What's that?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with an Alien origin in the upcoming adaptation by Michael Bay not a good enough reason for you?

bitch please

streetfighter II
mortal kombat
superman returns
sin city
double dragon
mario brothers
dragonball evolution
GI Joe
harry potter
lord of the rings
wolverine
kasshern

 

[tuxbox]

Rue is characterized as having "Dark brown skin and eyes". That is some pretty terrible reading comprehension.
All of those comment are blatantly racist. No one is just in shock of a character's race. They are showing disapproval.

lmfao! Racist suck ass!!

 

[Laurens]

People always complain about key things being different than what they imagined/read in the novel sets.

But when it comes to the look of a character, it's suddenly racist?

When I was a kid reading the first Harry Potter book, I honestly pictured Dumbledore as this older chubby fuck in a green suit with white hair and beard.

I think the fact that people are refusing to go and see this film, or rejecting it outright based not on bad reviews from critics or a dislike of the books, but rather because one of the characters is black, does give some indication of prejudice.

 

[televator]

Yup, I'd call it racism. No question. People don't have problems with a bad guy in the movie being played by a black guy despite the character not original written that way, but when it's a beloved "innocent" little girl, oh how dare you... Only white girls are innocent. Of course. :roll:

I remember watching a documentary where a producer admitted that movies without white male leads tend to make less money than those that do. So that's generally where he'd consider a movie to be safe to invest in. So for movies that don't have that planned producers will insist that the lead role be cast by a white male. That's not as troubling to me as the fact that the general public at large is actually choosing to pay to watch "generic white male lead movie" over anything that strays from that. Even if you watch a large film or TV show from a generally non-white country, you'll see that actors (especially protagonist roles) tend to be light skinned.

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

People always complain about key things being different than what they imagined/read in the novel sets.

But when it comes to the look of a character, it's suddenly racist?

When I was a kid reading the first Harry Potter book, I honestly pictured Dumbledore as this older chubby fuck in a green suit with white hair and beard.

I think the fact that people are refusing to go and see this film, or rejecting it outright based not on bad reviews from critics or a dislike of the books, but rather because one of the characters is black, does give some indication of prejudice.

I refuse to see Teenage Mutant (Alien Offspring) Ninja Turtles.

 

[Laurens]

I refuse to see Teenage Mutant (Alien Offspring) Ninja Turtles.

Which is due to a prejudice that you have against the changes made to the concept...