When
was elected president, I thought racism was over, but apparently it's still going strong. (Thanks, Obama.) America was founded as a nation of immigrants, but the melting pot has always been boiling. Past injustices aren't easily forgotten. Today race continues to pervade everything. NFL players kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality. White supremacists march to protect Confederate statues. Even Eminem is making "woke" songs.
Hollywood has also been criticized for diversity issues. In 2015 and 2016, only white actors were nominated for the top four categories at the Oscars. There are frequent instances of "
", where white actors take roles meant for non-white actors. Even
, for dragging their feet on producing superhero movies starring black, Hispanic or Asian actors. There's more diversity on the big screen than ever before - and Black Panther looks awesome - but there's still a long way to go.
With so many problems in America, there's only person who can save us: Batman! Actually, Christian Bale. You may not recognize him these days, because the chameleon-like actor totally
for an upcoming role as Dick Cheney. Sporting a shaved head and a few extra pounds, he stopped by the talk show AOL Build to promote his upcoming Western drama Hostiles. During the chat, Bale brought up diversity in America, and its importance in positions of power, claiming the country would be better off without 'white dudes' running everything:
"Our culture will be so much richer the day that we stop saying ‘Hey it’s all white dudes who are running things.' Whether that be Hollywood, whether that be Washington, you know. We’re going to get, in Hollywood, so much better films and so much more interesting stories being told and America will become the America that the rest of the world sees it as, that makes it unique … that we recognize makes this such a beautiful, brilliant country.”
Bale's comments sparked a bit of controversy, and created some very interesting comment sections on the Internet. Some people criticized him for dissing 'Murica, since he is from Jolly Old England, but don't throw your The Dark Knight Blu-Ray into a bonfire just yet. In the interview, he went on to note that America is “a country of inclusion" and he fell in love with her. “It’s the reason why I moved [my family] here,” Bale said. “It’s the reason why my kids have American accents.”
While the white dude's white dude comment might rub some white dudes the wrong way, Christian Bale's not wrong. America's amazing diversity is what makes the country unique, and the culture is richer when a variety of voices are heard. (Also, we might get some more interesting movies.) Racial issues are often uncomfortable to discuss and racism will never disappear (unless we can elect Barack Obama president again). But it's great to discuss these issues and hopefully we can keep taking steps to make sure more diverse voices are heard.
