Lack of representation = systemic racism: Footloose is Exhibit A

[Anonymous]

It must be exhausting to constantly have “representation” on your mind.

Watched any NBA games lately?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There were black people in Kansas in the 80s.

Regardless: go back and watch movies from the 1980s, and you’ll notice a total lack of any diversity. The lack of *any* representation—even a token amount—is glaring.

Plenty of Rita schools in the 80s were almost all white. And even if they weren’t kids still segregated themselves. My school I’m the 80s I’m NC was like this.

[Anonymous]

My family is from rural Kansas. There weren’t black people in their town. It was a farming town and pretty much all white. Theirs was settled by Germans and still had a lot of German customs. If there were 8% blacks in Kansas, they were more likely in the big cities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished rewatching Footloose.

Filmed in 1984 when 12% of the American population was Black, yet there are zero Black kids in a movie about dancing.

Remember the big dance scene at the end? They had white guys breakdancing. This was at the height of the breakdancing craze btw. All white cast, and they didn’t even bother to add any Black or brown dancers in the big school dance. Zero.

Pretty shocking.

So what. Move on. It’s a great movie. Not every fictional movie, tv show, play, etc. has to have a diverse cast just because. You’ll always have outrage if you see everything in life with a racial lens. Get outraged about something else like how Roe vs. Wade was overturned, how many people will go hungry tonight in the USA, or the lack of gun control.

[Anonymous]

Football and Basketball are all black and white. Where is the representation among Latinos and Asians. Pales in comparison.

And don’t get me started on all the TV ads. The United States is almost 60% white, yet all we see now is black actors in just about everything. I get catalogues at home with all black models. That in itself shows a lack of diversity. Diversity is just a code name for hire more African Americans and disregard everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished rewatching Footloose.

Filmed in 1984 when 12% of the American population was Black, yet there are zero Black kids in a movie about dancing.

Remember the big dance scene at the end? They had white guys breakdancing. This was at the height of the breakdancing craze btw. All white cast, and they didn’t even bother to add any Black or brown dancers in the big school dance. Zero.

Pretty shocking.

There is a lot of racism and other issues from the 80s. Everyone has to acknowledge that b/c it is patently obvious. That doesn't mean I don't love the movies or still watch them.

One of my all time faves is 16 Candles. I know just about every line. But, damn, some of that is SUPER cringe. Like, how did we not all see it or acknowledge it for what it was. THe whole Long Duck Dong thing. And Samantha being mortified that her friend may have suggested she "do it on a cloud" with a black guy. . . . Plus the lack of representation that OP notes.

It’s fiction. It’s funny as hell. No one’s cares that is didn’t have every single person represented there. It’s a great movie. Get mad at something else that’s way more important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family is from rural Kansas. There weren’t black people in their town. It was a farming town and pretty much all white. Theirs was settled by Germans and still had a lot of German customs. If there were 8% blacks in Kansas, they were more likely in the big cities.

Exactly. Context of the place and time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just finished rewatching Footloose.

Filmed in 1984 when 12% of the American population was Black, yet there are zero Black kids in a movie about dancing.

Remember the big dance scene at the end? They had white guys breakdancing. This was at the height of the breakdancing craze btw. All white cast, and they didn’t even bother to add any Black or brown dancers in the big school dance. Zero.

Pretty shocking.

So what. Move on. It’s a great movie. Not every fictional movie, tv show, play, etc. has to have a diverse cast just because. You’ll always have outrage if you see everything in life with a racial lens. Get outraged about something else like how Roe vs. Wade was overturned, how many people will go hungry tonight in the USA, or the lack of gun control.

First: I don’t see or search for race all the time.

Next: Perhaps ask yourself if essentially ignoring (at best) black people for so long…including Hollywood not bothering to include them on screen in even a token way in the bulk of movies…might have prompted some anger that we are still dealing with today?

Geez, it’s almost like you’ve been asleep for the last 20 years..or even the last few.

Re: Roe - Poor blacks who lack access to healthcare have essentially lived in a world without access to abortion for generations. Talk about a rich white women outrage.

Ditto for gun violence.

And food insecurity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family is from rural Kansas. There weren’t black people in their town. It was a farming town and pretty much all white. Theirs was settled by Germans and still had a lot of German customs. If there were 8% blacks in Kansas, they were more likely in the big cities.

Exactly. Context of the place and time.

But Hollywood wasn’t making documentaries. They were making movies for the mass market…or should have been.

Go read the thread on You are So Not Invited to my Bat Mitzvah where everyone criticizes the Jewish posters who said the diversity in Hebrew school in the movie wasn’t realistic. The posters say, “It’s not a documentary! It’s a movie for everyone!”

[Anonymous]

There are still only about 12-15% black people in the population and yet they're on TV and in movies like 50-80% of the time. Massive over representation now.


There should be more Hispanics on the screen than blacks if you want to correlate this with demographics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family is from rural Kansas. There weren’t black people in their town. It was a farming town and pretty much all white. Theirs was settled by Germans and still had a lot of German customs. If there were 8% blacks in Kansas, they were more likely in the big cities.

Exactly. Context of the place and time.

That’s not an excuse to people who raise this issue. The past must be reimagined to confirm with DEI standards because that is how it always should have been. If you object to that you’re a racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family is from rural Kansas. There weren’t black people in their town. It was a farming town and pretty much all white. Theirs was settled by Germans and still had a lot of German customs. If there were 8% blacks in Kansas, they were more likely in the big cities.

Exactly. Context of the place and time.

That’s not an excuse to people who raise this issue. The past must be reimagined to confirm with DEI standards because that is how it always should have been. If you object to that you’re a racist.

Let’s do a movie about slavery and make sure the slaves represent the demographics of America: 60% white, 25% Hispanic, 15% mix of blacks, Asians and Indians and all others.

But ten it would kind of miss the point but it would be demographically correct.

[Anonymous]

I remember when they were outraged Dunkirk had no black characters.

A friggin WW2 movie in Europe where the English were trying to escape for their lives……and they’re mad because that historical story has no major presence of black people. Truly insane how DEI is a de facto cult. You can’t even tell stories from history now as they were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when they were outraged Dunkirk had no black characters.

A friggin WW2 movie in Europe where the English were trying to escape for their lives……and they’re mad because that historical story has no major presence of black people. Truly insane how DEI is a de facto cult. You can’t even tell stories from history now as they were.

Ok.

I’m the op if this thread…surprised to see it pop up again!

I’m fine with historical films using actors that make sense rather than inserting diversity for the sake of diversity. But any slavery-era film will have black and white actors. And black men did fight in WWII.

But if you rewatch mainstream movies from the 1980s primarily made for a teenage audience—like Footloose—you’ll realize Hollywood made a choice to not include black actors in even a token way. It begs the question…why?

The dance scene is what is most stark, particularly given this was the era of dance films and breakdancing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when they were outraged Dunkirk had no black characters.

A friggin WW2 movie in Europe where the English were trying to escape for their lives……and they’re mad because that historical story has no major presence of black people. Truly insane how DEI is a de facto cult. You can’t even tell stories from history now as they were.

Ok.

I’m the op if this thread…surprised to see it pop up again!

I’m fine with historical films using actors that make sense rather than inserting diversity for the sake of diversity. But any slavery-era film will have black and white actors. And black men did fight in WWII.

But if you rewatch mainstream movies from the 1980s primarily made for a teenage audience—like Footloose—you’ll realize Hollywood made a choice to not include black actors in even a token way. It begs the question…why?

The dance scene is what is most stark, particularly given this was the era of dance films and breakdancing.

Would you be upset if it were a film about an academic team? You know black people do things besides dance, right?