Why do some people have a problem with race swapping when it comes to movies?

Question

Effably · Accepted Answer

Representation really matters, although more for teens and adults than children so the focus on children's stories is odd when really we should be recasting Friends. Everyone should be able to have good stories where they feel represented.

So what grinds my gears is that rather than making those stories, we change older ones. It lacks creativity and takes representation from one group to give it to another instead of creating more works and actually increasing the amount of representation available.

My issue with it is not that X is now a different race but that they didn't just make a new story with whatever more diverse cast they like.

Its like we got a box of infinte toys, imagination, and instead of bringing out a few more for people to play with we rotate one toy around for people to take turns. Even if the nice thing to do is to be happy someone else is having fun with the toy, we all could be having fun.

I think that for many it is this method of taking away rather than providing more that annoys people the most about race swapping characters.

And then there are of course exceptions like raceswapping Cleopatra while claiming it is historically accurate and just outright misinforming people about history. And it is so dumb, especially given how many cool actually black queens there have been. Now put this in opposition to inventing a fictional historically inspired setting in say feudal England with a diverse cast and you won't get any backlash, Bridgertons or alike. Because most people are not actually upset about there being people of this or that colour in a setting. Most people are upset about the method behind it.

My personal pet peeve is Wheel of Time. One of the first fantasy epics I read as a kid. It is a story that already features a truly diverse cast, more women than men as leads, plenty of different racial representation and heavily explores these concepts. In fact its one of the major themes of the story and arguably the main theme!
But the directors rather than reading the books and just... including these future main characters representing X or Y a bit earlier, went ahead and race swapped and shifted everyone's roles so the first group met would be diverse. When the first group's homogenous appearances is one of the main plot-hooks for that very early part of the story.
Like really, the characters they want are already in the books and also really cool. Just give them some screentime because seeing what they are up to at the same time would have been so appreciated by fans. And what this bit of me ranting is meant to say is, sometimes the annoying part is just that it can be very poorly done and serve no real purpose.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Because it's deliberately changing the script for one reason and one reason only. If society wants stories with non-white characters, them write new material with non-white characters rather than disrespecting the original story and its author for the purpose of DEI.

If Walt Disney came back to life today and saw what his legacy company has been doing with his films, he would be back in his grave the same day after suffering a massive heart attack.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Disney's latest dumpster fire is a great example of what's wrong with race swapping. One of the many changes Disney made to Snow White was to completely change the story so they could cast a brown skinned women as SNOW WHITE. I mean WTF?

But they made so many other changes to what was Disney's most beloved story of all time, and every one of them damaged the remake in ways that incrementally destroyed the story.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to bring myself to spend another dime on a Disney product. Yes, I'm that disgusted.

Don't fuck with the classics!

Puppystarfish23 · Accepted Answer

It's lazy and disrespectful. Disney was more diverse when they weren't trying. It's like hear we couldn't be bothered to make a movie about a black or Asian princess so will just get a white character and replace them for a different race even though the story is from a white story teller and white culture.

Why not make flimed created by different races by people of different races. Look at black panther for example. People love them flims because it's actually something new and exciting instead of just the same old story but with a different race

Cinematic Lily · Accepted Answer

Some people have a problem with race swapping in movies due to concerns about cultural authenticity and representation. They argue that changing a character's race can dilute the original narrative and cultural context. Others feel it could lead to missed opportunities for creating new, diverse characters and stories. It's often a nuanced debate that touches on the importance of authentic representation and storytelling in the arts. 🎬

BCA6010 · Answer

It shows a clear disrespect for source material or history, which invariably leads to suspicion about the quality of other aspects of the movie. Sometimes, it actually fundamentally changes the point of the character in the case of fiction, and causes additional problems throughout the story. "Black Snape" in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series is one such example.

This is already an era in which about 90% of movies that go to theaters are sequels/prequels, spinoffs, or remakes. Ultimately what people want are NEW stories. Sinners for example is still doing very well despite unsubtle messaging in large part because it's something different. People would much rather see a movie like that than a bastardized Snow White and the Communist Call to Action.

Cormac995 · Answer

Because it's racist pandering. They're not doing it because they actually care, they're doing it to be self-righteous and appeal to a larger market they think exists but doesn't. I'm fine with and encourage diversity in the film industry but it has to be diegetic to the story, or it hurts the immersion of the film.

Often times race swaps are completely shallow. All they do is make the guy black or something, but they do nothing to change the character beyond that. It's hollow token representation which in my opinion is worse than doing nothing because it's condescending. They highlight nothing beyond the skin color 90% of the time.

Also, I feel like it's weird how many red heads are getting recast as black people in these movies because when you realize what "Ginger" is an acronym for it starts to look like it's some sick Hollywood insider joke which it might be. It's abundantly clear there's a shaming culture in a lot of these circles.

Look at MTG and making the Aragorn card Black. What does that add to his character other than he's black now? How does it alter his character? How does it represent black people? Are you saying just being black skinned is representation because to me that sounds like judging someone based on their skin color.

This isn't a race swap but it's a great example of how brain dead and tone-deaf Hollywood is so I'm going to add it. So, in Star Wars the clone wars last few seasons Disney funded them, and they insisted that two characters called the Montez sisters were added for "Latino representation" That's specifically what they were added for.

So, do you know how they were introduced? They're thieves that stole and scammed their way into buying a ship which they then use to pick up a massive load of spice (Basically space meth) and smuggle it to the dealers. Then when they finally do the right thing and dump the cargo, they only do it because they're shamed by Ashoka and worried there will be consequences.

So, can you explain to me how this helps with Latino representation when we literally had someone running for office who says Mexicans are rapists, thieves and drug dealers? CAN ANYONE ELSE SAY TONE DEAF?

ohsheeT · Answer

Better question is why do they have any type of problem with anyone or any thing I honestly feel people with problems like this are straight up follows they are Ignorant because they don't know the human body. We live in a world of very harsh conditions. With elemeit. Will change you our God. Our loving God made it so that human body. Good adapt to any part of the climate. We went to while on this Earth. And many many many many millimeter thousands of years people adapted to their climate that they lived in. But here's one even better. Here's one even better. Common sense would tell you.
People with dark rich skin. I've been here thousands of years before white people. And?
If you know anything about God whatsoever, you would know that he was dark-skinned, he was black it.
Was written. So if you have a problem if you are racist.
If you are ignorant, read a book.

Because if You don't like colored people. And you are a racist then you are against God too

The world can be a fucked up place and then you die. And then you get a chance to speak. What are your words going to be?

EzraIsShy76028 · Answer

Most common and most sensible explanation is that instead of creating original characters of certain races or cultures they just simple turn White characters into that race or culture. Like they can't think of any original ideas so they just swap the character's race.

So we get things like, random theoretical list, not necessarily has happened or not, if you Google these you might or might not get actual results: Black Elsa from Frozen, Mexican Mr. Incredible, Asian Superman, Indian Goku, Native American Sailor Moon, Black Eric Cartman, Chinese Peter Griffin, Indian Homer Simpson, etc.

Inconsiderate to all those cultures. Just there to tick off a box.

Of course, swapping people of color into White people does happen sometimes, though it's most often (rightfully so) universally condemned, and thus less common. At least in the modern world.

But swapping White people into people of color is about equally as bad. There are way more White characters than of other races, yes. Unless you count anime where the default character is Japanese, not White. But even if people of color are less represented, they deserve their own original characters instead of just the "leftovers" of other characters.

Lliam · Answer

Ir's pandering to 14.5% of the population. It is eliminating white characters and replacing them with other races, particularly blacks.

It insults people's intelligence to have historical figures like Spartans, Roman Emperors, Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth I, Alexander Hamilton, etc. played by black actors. It's not like races are interchangeable. People notice the absurdity. Why not cast Vercingetorix, Leif Erikson, Joan of Arc or Napoleon as black?
Why not classic fictional characters like King Arthur, Ivanho, Sherlock Holmes, Captain Nemo, Phileas Fogg, The Three Musketeers, ...
And then there are European fairy tales. Would any of those characters been black.
How insulting to name a black princess Snow White? Did a Danish author envision the Little Mermaid and her family as black?

I am 100% in favor of blacks and other races on film. There are fabulous non-white actors. And there is are so many stories that could include blacks and non-whites.
Why not write some original stories about the numerous black heroes in history. The list is endless and they have been mostly ignored.
Why not also create some new fictional stories. Moana is a good example.
I would celebrate such films.

But simply doing remakes of classic stories and films but race swapping the characters is a form of historical revisionism. It's lazy, ludicrous and insulting. It does a disservice to the stories and to viewers.

Why is it honorable for blacks to play Europeans? It would do a much greater service to blacks if their own amazing and honorable heroes were celebrated.

Anonymous · Answer

I don’t see an issue with ‘race swap’ to be honest, though I do have a bone to pick with the movie industry making soulless remakes / reboots that don’t have the same creativity, talent, or special charm that the original (s) had.

People forget why do these industries pump out these? The answer is simple, money.

When money coming in surpasses amount spent on advertising and production then that is positive money flow, once it exceeds the amount spent in all those areas then it is negative.

Companies want the positive, so if it be positive it will set a standard for the industry especially a giant like ‘Disney’. Though a lot of speculation went into Snow White where people paraded the idea that remakes are becoming less popular which isn’t true.
Let’s discuss what is true: Production and advertising exceeded the profits made at the box office which was negative, you would think this would set a new standard however that isn’t the case.
Due to the movie industry being backed up as a whole during The Global Pandemic, it set CGI, filming on location, and other parts of the production to a grinding halt which sabotaged the profit margins by having to pay even more money just to achieve a 2025 release date.

Since these are contributed from The Pandemic, we can assume that this industry standard loss isn’t going to be permanent which will enable ‘Disney’ to continue to make these sorts of remakes for the foreseeable future with their current sights on a Moana live action remake.
People buy so, industry will churn them out to meet demand. Once people stop buying tickets, the industry will leave it behind.

IHaveRespawned · Answer

There becomes an obvious pattern/occurance of this over time to where it is blatently intentional. To a degree, I believe the leftist mob is engaging in "white genocide", where they are trying to rewrite white characters into different races and scrub predominantly white influences and cultures. They want to elimate strong white communities and push their DEI agenda in every facet of this nation. It also harms the originality of films and shows. I can understand creating new works of art with characters of other races, but to repeatedly replace white characters with other races is careless, insulting, and yes, racist.

RavVid · Answer

It could be because it looks exactly like what it is. Woke DEI. Which immediately invites disrespect and contempt. And consequent poor box office as a results.

Casting an African as Cleopatra was signalling the series was invented bullshit and while we don't expect historical accuracy out of movies we do want some patina of it. If I was Julius I would be wanting to know why my children by Cleo were darker skinned than she was.

Of course it is well known that the Ptolemies were Greek and practiced incest to keep the blood line.

In most movies it doesn't matter who the plays the character and they could be any phenotype but they need to be believable Race swapping an historical character is not believable.

DJB72 · Answer

It's a sign of stagnant creativity to remake a classic story - Snow White, Little Mermaid, Ghost in the Shell, etc - and swap a character that - based on the ethnicity of the original authors (Teutonic, Danish, Japanese) is of a particular ethnicity and replace them with an actor or actress for DEI points. How pathetic that an original story couldn't be written.

I don't want to see a black prince shouting "Rapunzel, let down your weave!" (Thanks Wayne Brady) and I won't take my kid to such a film.

I WOULD take him to see a well written movie with a lead character who is fully developed and not a swapped out stereotype irrespective of the skin palette.

I'm white. His mum wasn't. I don't give a fuck about skin colour as long as it's not for points.

overlord337645 · Answer

For me personally I feel like I get very stuck to how I see things the first time and it takes quite a while to adpot a new idea or image of something in my mind and while I cannot speak for everyone I can say it is less about race and more about the idea we grow up seeing and that goes both way if they had started with x race instead of y race for a character i would likely find it hard to switch over due to the idea imprinted in my mind or just likeing how it already is and feeling like a chance is nice if people want it but also that im so used to the current way it is

NicholasRedone · Answer

It's more for me about "being true to the character" - now I'm not against the latest Snow White or this upcoming Mermaid - however did I feel motivated to go out to see the new Snow White "when I learnt some details, like anyone could google, or watch the trailer, or interviews, about "the story being different, not the casting as such" - that's the big ticket item for me 🎫 🎟️ if the story isn't to my tastes, whether the woman is white or brown or black, or Asian, I could watch Snow White if I liked the story yet it sounded like "it's a miracle they even kept the, well I have to be PC nowadays and say the people, in the movie" referring to those wonderful singing people 😁

RingOfFire · Answer

Because it's historical revisionism and that is never acceptable. It's propaganda for the agenda of the Democrat left which uses race as a weapon to divide Americans and this kind of thing is done intentionally to stir up racial anger where none exists.

It's one thing if you create a new character and they are black for example, and quite another if you take the historical character like Snow White and make her black. The latter is historical revisionism designed to create racial anger and rightly criticized.

Hellraiser1984 · Answer

What if we race swapped traditionally non white characters with white actors? Racism they'd cry. But if you take say Batman and make him black it's be ok to people because it's not racist to them it's empowering minorities. Whites cannot say no to something like that without being called a racist. Yet if minorities say no to casting a white actor as a traditionally minority character it's an outrage. I'm for it going both way just to be fair. If jim carry wants to play Blade the vampire hunter fine. You want Beyonce to play Barbie fine.

AviatorTom · Answer

For historical movies, it's like rewriting history. I'm pretty sure Alexander Hamilton was not black.

For classic stories like Cinderella or Wizard of Oz, it's less of a problem, but still somewhat confusing.

I wonder what people would say if a movie about Martin Luther King Jr's life had a Chinese male lead?

dragoblack · Answer

Arial being black i honestly don't have a problem with, because of the area it actually takes place, it makes sense... it's the rest that doesn't make sense like making snow white a black woman or even if they did black actors for a live action frozen. It's a matter of cultural location and story source. But it's also an issue of skin-washing. I understand inclusivity, but skin-washing characters isn't the way to do it. There are plenty of mythos & legends from black countries, contenants, & nations that should be told, that are not. Hell, from what i have discovered, africa and native Australia has an insane amount of amazing lore & legends, which in recent years is getting animations, cameos, & references.
Enough of this skin washing reboot shite and bring out the representation legends!

strateguy632 · Answer

I see it as excluding whites. Because the ONLY major change was excluding the white but still a remake.

They should make a new story film about a latino and Asian! But not swap out the white.

I also agree with other reasons written here many answers here, many problems.

Kaneki05 · Answer

More like why do some people not?

It's a typical division from the original source, which one wouldn't do if they respected the original.

Also very often than not it's a sign post they will change other things also, making a personal own terrible story which ruins many other things, rather than making it true to the source like it should be.

Spencer10 · Answer

If a persons gender or race is integral to their character then of course it matters. Otherwise I really dont care.

Anonymous · Answer

Because the only reason they do it is to force another race into something that doesn't need it. Pick the most talented person for the part, regardless of race. You don't have to go back and redo everything that was already good just because it fits your twisted agenda. If you just deal with people as they come along, you will get the percentages they are in society anyway.

TheSpaceGnome · Answer

I hate when characters are changed in general in a way that isn't plot related.

Not just race swaps, but for example for animated characters swapping voice actors and they sound different. Or if the origin or story changes.

Just make a new character if you want it to be different.
Redoing existing characters is lazy and might as well be IP theft in my opinion.

Twalli · Answer

Never really got it. Halle was pretty good as Ariel, and Ariel isn't real or described in exquisite detail. It really shouldn't matter.
Now, while I did enjoy the remake of The Lightning Thief that Riordan did take part in, I still have issues with him having a black girl play Annabeth. I know he created her and thus has creative license over who she is, but when she's described as a blonde surfer girl, a black girl with black hair doesn't work based on his description.

OneViewpoint · Answer

I have no idea. A good story is a good story. Great actors are great actors. A Black Cinderella doesn't threaten me at all. An action film starring Benicio Del Toro has always been fantastic. Killers of the Flower Moon? Outstanding!

lyrem04 · Answer

I understand that for some movies where the race matters race swapping is wrong like the black Cinderella one… but with Ariel people were doing the absolute most it’s literally just a fish… so it didn’t matter.

Anonymous · Answer

It's lazy, disrespectful to the source material, and it's done for literally two reasons, political clout, and virtue signaling.

Don't believe me? Then ask your self why no one is replacing traditionally black characters, or traditionally Mexican, or Asian characters with white people.. It's because the outrage would be FAR worse.

But everything Disney has made recently has flopped.

Maybe_Maybe_not · Answer

Since no one said it yet: Using the term race to talk about ethnicity is a  very dated approach  to the topic.

seeyounexttuesday · Answer

Because the characters being race swapped have their looks already established, and in the most ridiculous cases were actual historical people who lived. Ann Boylin was white. Not black.

Babebytheshore85 · Answer

Because the character should stay original. You wouldn't want Martin Luther king portrayed by a white man would you?

Phoenix98 · Answer

People like keeping characters true to their origins and there is nothing wrong with that I don't think any characters of any race should be race swapped.

SmokinAces2000 · Answer

The same people complaining about the little mermaid didn’t bat an eye when ancient Egyptians or Asian people were depicted by white people and the funny thing is those stories actually involved the characters race.

Nikki1989 · Answer

Racism appears in many forms, and this is just another example.

jshm2 · Answer

They don't.  It's the changing of the story and narrative to accommodate the "new" character, that upsets them.

Agape93 · Answer

Because it doesn't fit with what people want, it may not make sense and nobody wants forced diversity. Nobody.

CupcakeTheDestroyer · Answer

Because it usually doesn’t match with the source material they base it off of.

Grond21 · Answer

It's just racism in another form. Dressed up all pretty to convince people it's not.  To add insult to injury, when people call it out, they are insulted for noticing.

Dargil · Answer

People have attached certain cultural stereotypes to racial groups that can be a form of bigotry. Infatuation and love can overcome them.

DrPepper12 · Answer

Bruh. These are the same people that made Jesus white...

WonderingManII · Answer

I think people just like the originals, and they don't like them changed. I don't think it has anything to do with race.

FunkyMonkee · Answer

Race swapping? You mean like in, "White Chicks"?

Anonymous · Answer

I don't think it's the fact that it's race swapping. I think it's the "white culture appropriation". And you you don't get any whiter than Disney and the little mermaid.😆

PeterLegg91 · Answer

Because some movies are classics and should be left as classics, when you remake them with a black artful dodger black miss honey etc it ruins them

Kelly6 · Answer

Swapping a race of sane character is wrong. But can create a new character. People hate when they swap a race or actor too.

Jackblue · Answer

The problem isn't the race swapping it is the hypocrisy of cancel culture.

EmmiL · Answer

Because it makes no sense. It's changing history

notadumblonde · Answer

We need more movies new and original stories.

WhitneySnow · Answer

I have no idea

Hispanic-Cool-Guy · Answer

Immaturity. Worried by fictional ish.

In_Trance · Answer

Because that's what the media tells them to do

Anonymous · Answer

Because it's not authentic/original.

Bklynbadboy12 · Answer

cause there idiots she did an amazing job

Emma06 · Answer

Cause they feel inadequate can’t compete.

Why do some people have a problem with race swapping when it comes to movies?

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