White is seen as the standard, as what's normal. So is being hetero and cisgender (your gender identity is the same as the sex you were assigned at your birth). Everything else that deviates from that so-called "norm" is different, is an Other. Some"thing" to throw in some diversity. By marking everyone non-white non-hetero non-cis as "exotic", "something else" media naturally makes them outcasts.
We'd rather not admit that we find it hard to differentiate between our reality and the one media portrays but it really is. We get that there are no dragons in real life but when it comes to the more subtle topics such as representation our mind tends to get clouded, to remain ignorant.
There are so many different kinds of people apart from that white hetero cis person but in most cases (almost all) their existence, their reality, remains unacknowledged. Sure, you get some fancy sidekicks like the funny black best friend or the quirky lesbian but that's it. Usually they are reduced to stereotypes which undermine their existence, validity, their uniqueness as a person. Why is it always the white person that gets real character development, whose feelings are portrayed like those of a real human? By ignoring all that potential of stories about real people different from that damned "norm" with real problems we create an alternative (white) reality in media which does not correctly portray the world as it is.
It is important to properly, accurately represent all kinds of people in the media because it shows that they are real, that their feelings and experiences are valid, showing them as they are: real people who are part of our society that should be acknowledged instead of conveniently ignored.
(Fun fact: This would make it so much easier for people who do not know this sort of reality to understand, to become more sensible. Of course, this should not be the main aim of it all but it would sure be a nice side effect.)
But most importantly of it all: it matters most how people are represented. A cis director casting a cis actor for a transgender role will never truly grasp and show the reality of a trans*person. Let the people who are actually living that live portray it. (Yes, I'm looking at you, The Danish Girl)
We'd rather not admit that we find it hard to differentiate between our reality and the one media portrays but it really is. We get that there are no dragons in real life but when it comes to the more subtle topics such as representation our mind tends to get clouded, to remain ignorant.
There are so many different kinds of people apart from that white hetero cis person but in most cases (almost all) their existence, their reality, remains unacknowledged. Sure, you get some fancy sidekicks like the funny black best friend or the quirky lesbian but that's it. Usually they are reduced to stereotypes which undermine their existence, validity, their uniqueness as a person. Why is it always the white person that gets real character development, whose feelings are portrayed like those of a real human? By ignoring all that potential of stories about real people different from that damned "norm" with real problems we create an alternative (white) reality in media which does not correctly portray the world as it is.
It is important to properly, accurately represent all kinds of people in the media because it shows that they are real, that their feelings and experiences are valid, showing them as they are: real people who are part of our society that should be acknowledged instead of conveniently ignored.
(Fun fact: This would make it so much easier for people who do not know this sort of reality to understand, to become more sensible. Of course, this should not be the main aim of it all but it would sure be a nice side effect.)
But most importantly of it all: it matters most how people are represented. A cis director casting a cis actor for a transgender role will never truly grasp and show the reality of a trans*person. Let the people who are actually living that live portray it. (Yes, I'm looking at you, The Danish Girl)
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