"Diversity for diversity's sake"

Comments

• AHR

  2011-10-08 13:16:10 edited 2011-10-08 13:16:34

  

  
  

  ...and yet no facial structure differences. How pathetic. 

  
  

  /art snob.

  
  

  Yes, some do skin color, but not everyone does, and that JBM.
• Gelzo

  2011-10-08 13:18:31

  Pony Sleuth

  You brought up skin tone specifically. Facial structure is a different case. I used Lucky Star specifically because it's not an anime where you would expect even that level of detail.

  
  

  Like I said. Sometimes details are left out, other times they are used.
• Malkavian

  2011-10-08 13:18:36 edited 2011-10-08 13:19:31

  MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!

  Lucky Star isn't quite same face, but I seriously can't tell a difference in skin complexion at all.
  
  I actually think Superman: The animated series was pretty good about skin complexion, ranging from pretty pale to tan to rather dark skinned (causing people to think the series' Lex Luthor was actually black)
  
• DYRE

  2011-10-08 13:19:36

  I can.  Though admittedly it's very subtle.
• RedEyedAbyss

  2011-10-08 13:19:39 edited 2011-10-08 13:20:03

  It's like that gag in Pokemon where Brock insists all the Officer Jennys and Nurse Joys are different, then points out barely noticeable features. Who knew that show could be ahead of its time?
• AHR

  2011-10-08 13:20:13

  My point was people are under utilizing things that can easily diversify their cast and add many qualities to their art and story.
• MadassAlex

  2011-10-08 13:20:49

  One foot in front of the other, every day.

  I'll just leave this here.
  
  In my opinion, race is probably best done as an afterthought unless the narrative hinges on some sort of tension related to it. That way, you can create a character is race neutral as possible, assign them a race and then think of the challenges they might face or the privileges they might get. A trap many writers fall into is allowing race to play a larger defining aspect of a character than it has to, especially in a contemporary, globalised setting.
  
  Ethnicity certainly does impact people, but it'll impact people differently, even people of the same race. Someone interested in history will consider race from a different perspective than your average punter, for instance, and a geneticist will consider it (or near-disregard it) differently again. Some people might even divide race differently. To many, white is just white, but ask someone from the UK about divisions between different white people and you'll get a very different perspective. Probably at the expense of the Welsh.
  
• MoeDantes

  2011-10-08 13:22:40

  no longer cuddly, but still Edmond

  NuDoctor Who

  
  
  What, was there no racial diversity in the series before NewWho?
  
  I'll be greatly surprised if that was the case.
  
  @anime image
  
  Wait a minute... I've seen these girls before. Now where do I recognize them from.... It's odd, but I recall the blue-haired one used to be someone important...
• Malkavian

  2011-10-08 13:22:58 edited 2011-10-08 13:25:42

  MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!

  ^^I'll definitely agree with you, but there seem to be a subset of thought that a black or hispanic character needs to be intrinsically tied to their culture and ideas for there to be a 'justification' of their race.
  
  "What's this? Young Justice has a calm Voice of Reason character that's black? He's not actually black at all!"
  
  ^There was the occasional black person, but never major characters. And as much as I love the Talons of Weng Chiang, it's not exactly an example of positive racial diversity.
  
• Gelzo

  2011-10-08 13:24:11

  Pony Sleuth

  Malk, does this make it more clear?

  
  

  

  
  

  ^^If you want every detail, just stick with live action.

  
  
• Gelzo

  2011-10-08 13:25:02

  Pony Sleuth

  Hmm... I think I used the dropper tool on the wrong pixel.