After «Green Book» won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2018, I opined on whether a movie with a diverse cast meant much towards the …
After «Green Book» won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2018, I opined on whether a movie with a diverse cast meant much towards the goal of representation in film if said representation was problematic in and of itself. In the movie, actor Mahershala Ali portrays a role that fits perfectly into the trope of the «magical negro,» a Spike Lee-coined term that describes an all-knowing Black character whose sole purpose is to better his or her white counterpart. These characters lack agency and only further the character development of the film’s white protagonist, leaving many people of color to wonder what the value of this representation actually is. Is progress being made, or is Hollywood only interested in optics? Two years after the movie’s release, a similar problem is brewing in Washington. Despite President Donald Trump’s laughably bad coup attempt, President-elect Joe Biden has moved forward in selecting his team, and pundits are praising the group announced thus far as extraordinarily diverse. That may be the case in a technical sense, but some of Biden’s picks conjure a common worry about true progress in this country. Minorities can promote bad policy too, after all. And considering some of their roles in the administration, I am hard-pressed to drum up excitement for these appointments. Optical Illusion The path to whimsical diversity leaves us with a glaring problem. People of color are being asked to get excited for the nominations of minorities who, in their official capacities, will work to advance policies that often result in the harm of communities of color here and abroad. Take Joe Biden’s selection of Gen. Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense. Austin is a retired general who once commanded US offenses in the Middle East, and his appointment is being heralded as a sign of a progressing nation because, if confirmed, he’ll be the first Black man to hold the position. But how much value can I put into an appointment who has worked to worsen the world’s political landscape? More worrisome than Austin’s leadership of our doomed participation in the Middle East are his actions in retirement. Austin sits on the board of Raytheon, a defense contractor responsible for arming conflicts around the world that have led to an untold number of civilian deaths.
