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The world falls deeper and deeper into 'PC' madness with the announcement that the producers of The SIMPSONS will no longer be using white actors to voice black characters. What complete and utter tosh. Am I a racist? No, I simply believe that regardless of the colour of the character (I thought they were all yellow on the show anyway), it shouldn't matter what colour the 'voice actor' is - not just on The Simpsons, but on any animated show.
So, for example, if a black actor voiced BRUCE WAYNE/BATMAN, I wouldn't mind at all as long as he had the right voice for the part. It's acting, right? If actors only played roles that were restricted to a reflection of themselves, it wouldn't be much of a stretch, would it? Does this mean that should The HUNCHBACK Of NOTRE DAME ever be remade (and if so, the word 'hunchback' would probably be substituted by 'bellringer'), only repulsive, hunchbacked actors (and those two impediments don't automatically go hand-in-hand) would be considered for the role?
And what about NANCY CARTWRIGHT - a woman who not only voices the boy called BART, but also around another five male characters on the show? Hey, Nancy, you're denying work from male actors, so how about a little consistency from the show's makers? These days, if a man was voicing a female cartoon character, there'd probably be a right ol' stushie over it from female actors, claiming they were being denied the opportunity of work.
Also, as most of the show's characters are yellow, should white actors - or any actor who isn't yellow - even be working on it? Yes, it is a daft question, but I ask it simply to highlight the absurdity of such a notion. If a white actor can voice a yellow character, then why not a black one? When it comes to cartoons, shouldn't the suitability of the voice be the only thing that counts, irrespective of race, creed, colour or sex? When is sanity - or even common sense - going to be restored to our ever-increasingly insane world?
Also, as most of the show's characters are yellow, should white actors - or any actor who isn't yellow - even be working on it? Yes, it is a daft question, but I ask it simply to highlight the absurdity of such a notion. If a white actor can voice a yellow character, then why not a black one? When it comes to cartoons, shouldn't the suitability of the voice be the only thing that counts, irrespective of race, creed, colour or sex? When is sanity - or even common sense - going to be restored to our ever-increasingly insane world?
So, Crivs - any thoughts on the matter one way or the other? Give it laldy in the comments section.
Kid, first let us not fight but discuss.
ReplyDeleteThey are right. In a perfect world it would make no difference, who did what.
In our world it is an admission that black actors are not hired to do black characters. Or voice overs or any of the things that skin color does not matter. There are enough white actors doing voices that we don't have to be concerned about who does Bart. But while they showed diversity on screen, the Simpsons did not have it behind the scenes.
Kid, I have seen too many movies where American Indians are played by Jewish actors or Asians by white leading men. (see Breakfast at Tiffany's with Mickey Rooney.)
By saying nothing is wrong with white guys doing everything leads to unemployment for black and Asian actors. It is NOT a level playing field and we should support those who try to make it one.
Fight? When do I ever fight, BP? I'm always open to a good discussion, but here's what I think you're overlooking.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, actors, whatever their colour, are not entitled to be given work just because they chose acting as a profession. Too often today, it seems that some actor with a sense of entitlement is bleating on about not being given work. Whether you're black, white, yellow, or red (or any shade in between), you're not entitled to demand a job just because you want it.
Actors are there to supply a demand. If a writer writes a story that is turned into a movie or TV show, then the roles are assigned to those actors best able to fill the requirements of the character as written. If the writer has not written a black character into his story then so be it. They are not obliged to cater to any specific group in order to satisfy that group's outlook, demands, or expectations - they need only meet their own aspirations in regard to whatever story they want to tell.
If black actors (or any group of people of whatever colour) want more roles, then black writers (or writers of any colour who wish to) should write more stories featuring black characters, and black film producers (or producers of any colour who wish to) should produce more movies, etc., etc., featuring more blacks. That will lead to more opportunities for them.
However, if I were a writer or movie producer, I should be allowed to write any book or make any movie I choose, without constraints placed upon me to specifically cater to the tastes of any other group that falls outside of my area of knowledge or interest. I do not believe that anyone should be allowed to demand that their tastes or interests should be foisted upon anyone else in order to provide entertainment for them or anyone else.
And I am not saying that white guys should be allowed to play anything or everything. What I'm saying is that the colour of an actor's skin is irrelevant and shouldn't matter when it comes to voiceovers. For a black actor to say that too many whites are getting roles is just as racist as it would be if the reverse were true. White actors don't get work just because they're white, so I very much doubt that black actors don't get roles BECAUSE they're black, it's for some other reason entirely. To give black actors (or Asian, or whatever) a role in a movie or TV show just because they're black is tokenism at best, or racism at worst. (Continued...)
It's probably just a case of supply outstripping demand. If I decide to become a dentist in a town that is already oversubscribed in the dentistry department, I need to look for another source of employment, not demand that other dentists should be limited in how many patients they can treat just so I can make a living. Not enough roles for blacks, hunchbacks, dwarfs, giants, handicapped actors, etc.? Then tough sh*t, find something else to do. And I'd say the exact same thing if black actors in roles outnumbered whites. I reiterate - colour should not be a consideration, especially in the field of voiceovers.
ReplyDeleteWhat the producers of The Simpsons are proposing is 'positive discrimination', and when you positively discriminate on behalf of one group, you negatively discriminate against another (or several others).
Acting by its very nature can never be a level playing field, because it's dictated by 'market forces', not racism. I'd imagine there are far more white actors than any other colour (in the West at least), so to deprive a white actor of a role solely to give it to an actor of another colour is racism, pure and simple. Remember Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot, where he played a handicapped person? His performance was more of a remarkable feat of acting BECAUSE he was acting. An actual handicapped person wouldn't have had to act so much or so well. Tom Hanks in Philadelphia? The current school of thought says that his role should've been played by an actual gay actor, though nobody objects when a gay actor plays a heterosexual character.
And remember, however many white actors there are who are lucky enough to be given work, there's a far higher number who are unemployed and never 'get the breaks'.
Let the chips fall where they may - that's life.
Can you tell me the black voice-over actors who are doing white people?
ReplyDeleteNo, but neither can I tell you the white voiceover actors who are doing black people.
ReplyDeleteBut yours is a rather glib and superficial response that ignores the pertinent points of the carefully-considered reply I made to your previous comment. BP. The fact is, there seems to be many more voice actors who are white than black, even just going by the fact that out of around 15 voice actors that Mark Evanier interviewed on his blog recently, only two of them were black.
Animation studios usually use a small group of regular actors, who do more than just the one character. It's all down to cost and expediency, and sometimes dictated by just who's available.
Are you saying that white (or any other non-black) actors shouldn't be given roles (in cartoons or anything else) so that black (or any other non-white) actors can be given them?
If so, that's racism.
Oh, one more thing. I doubt that any black actors are passed over for voice roles because of their skin colour. For you to suggest that white actors are passed over just because of theirs is hardly an ideal solution. Like I said, that's racism. So it's okay to be racist when it comes to whites, eh? Tsk, tsk.
ReplyDeleteDid a quick Google search, BP, and black actors HAVE voiced white characters in cartoons. Phil LaMarr, Cree Summer, and Kevin Michael Richardson to name but three.
ReplyDeletePolitical correctness is a nasty business,and it is a business.
ReplyDeleteI reckon I have to come out of comment retirement to support your opinion here,Kid.
You put forward a fair argument which i doubt anyone will touch, as it is such a hot potato.
Racism is racism.
Thanks, Baab. BP is a well-meaning fellow, but I don't think he's thought through the full implications of what he's saying. Of course, he's entirely entitled to say it as well as think it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I should have said that only three of the 15 voice actors taking part in ME's panel discussions were black, not two.
While I'm here, statistics say that 72% of people in the US are white, with only 13.4% being African-American. Therefore it's hardly surprising that the larger percentage of the population is going to be more prominent when it comes to being represented in movies and on TV. It merely reflects the reality of the situation, it's not racist. Or are you saying, BP, that 13.4% of the population should receive 50% representation?
(Amended for typos and clarity. FOURTH time lucky I hope.)
James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader, a white character, and was the absolute perfect choice for the role.
ReplyDeleteI feel that if Star Wars was being made now, that would cause all kinds of debate and vitriol and distract from how effective Darth is.
I hope no-one thinks I'm trying to trivialise this emotive and serious subject, but if I was casting voice actors I'd be looking for the performers based on their ability and suitability for the role, irrespective of what colour they are.
In my first response, the line 'White actors don't get work just because they're white, so I very much doubt that black actors don't get roles BECAUSE they're black...' would perhaps be a tad clearer if it said '...black actors don't NOT get roles BECAUSE they're black...', etc.
ReplyDeleteI trust you know what I meant though.
And that's exactly what I meant, DS. And that's undoubtedly how most white actors who voice non-white roles got their gigs (and vice versa). Either that, or they were already part of the contingent of voice actors who were voicing for a show. Producers tend to employ those who they know will do a good job, regardless of their colour. They also have to work within a budget, which results in not being able to afford having a different actor for each part, with some actors having to voice more than one character (IF they're voice is suitable).
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone care about The Simpsons anymore? That show hasn't been part of the zeitgeist since the '90s. It should have been put out to pasture long ago.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll find that more people care about it now, CJ. That might've been the thinking behind their announcement.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Simpsons things is daft and no one protesting for BLM agrees with it. It's another stupid story to discredit the movement. But that doesn't mean you're not a racist. You've proven time and time again you're a racist, a sexist, a bigot, an Islamophobe, a homophobe and basically a disgusting excuse for a human being.
ReplyDeleteAnd how do you know that no one protesting for BLM agrees with it? Have you spoken to all of them? And where's the proof that I'm a racist, sexist, bigot, Islamophobe, and homophobe? It only exists in the depths of your fevered imagination. Would a decent person indulge in the vitriol you've just expressed? A case of motes and planks methinks.
ReplyDeleteThe entire industry knows what you are, “Kid”. Ah yes, calling you for what you are makes me the unpleasant one. Harhar poor little racist doesn’t like being called a racist. And just because I haven’t spoken to all BLM protesters (a stupid point to make and shows how much your grasping at straws) doesn’t mean it’s not true. You’re everything I described you as and everyone knows it. You’re a laughing stock, a gammon, a hate-filled little man with no life, no friends, and no career. Your type, racists/sexists/homophones are pathetic. Your time is up in this world, all you’ll have is this blog.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, 'The Captain' is back. Let's demolish your vapid raving bit by bit, shall we?
ReplyDeleteThe entire industry is unlikely ever to have even heard of me, so your very first 'point' is - pointless. And how me saying the colour of a voice actor's skin shouldn't matter when it comes to the characters he or she plays makes me a racist isn't exactly a rational or logical conclusion, o mad one.
Also, my point was far from stupid as not having spoken to all BLM protesters, you can't possibly know what each of them thinks or whether what you say is true or not. In fact, many black actors believe that only black people should portray black animated characters, and it's because of those sentiments that the producers of The Simpsons have decided to go down that route.
No life, no friends, no career? All I have is this blog? Sounds like a perfect description of YOU, otherwise you wouldn't be wasting your time here.
Now I've indulged your bitter, twisted, ridiculous ranting all I'm going to, so there's no point responding with more unhinged lunacy as it won't get published. If your wife hasn't already left you (if so, take solace in that you still have your inflatable boyfriend), then ask her to request your doctor to increase your medication.
Back to oblivion with you - or the asylum - I don't much care which.