Using Rings of Power to Explain Race is a Social Construct

(Note on spoilers: This discussion is spoiler-free.) I've written at length about how I dislike casting POC in roles that are written to be white. Does this extend to Rings of Power? There has, after all, been a massive backlash against this very aspect of the show. I also had that same initial knee-jerk reaction, …

Diversity is about more than just representing different skin colors: it’s about representing experiences

Coco, Black Panther, and Crazy Rich Asians are hailed as the most successful recent "diverse" films. I'm here to note the irony that they are not diverse at all in the usual understanding of the word. The first is a movie set in Mexico with only Hispanics (specifically mestizaje Mexicans, ignoring the actual diversity in …

Black Panther: Follow-up Thoughts

After my initial reaction to Black Panther, I've had some more time to process everything and so, I'm writing another review that's more structured. There are some new points and mostly old points, but my thoughts are better organized here: Yes, the hype surrounding Black Panther has everything to do with the all-black cast, black director, black …

Black Panther: THAT Good!

Spoiler Warning! This is an in-depth spoiler review. Wow. I was blown away by this movie. Because there is so much to dissect and break down and I have so many thoughts and I'm just going to barely scratch the surface. I'm going to assume anyone reading this is already familiar with the cultural importance …

How Do You Make a Post-Racial Fantasy World?

You know how they say that generally Fantasy stories are set in the past and Sci-Fi stories in the future? I’ve been wondering though, if we want to create a Fantasy world set vaguely in the past, then how should we represent the past? Because the past isn’t sunshine and rainbows. Do we sanitize the …