#supposedtobeblack

I wrote a couple of days ago about the wonderful novel “Tuareg”, which unfortunately was made into a movie in 1984 - casting the titular African tuareg with Mark Harmon wearing blackface. 

Now, having read “Pay it Forward”, I decided to check out the movie adaptation from 2000. Only to find that the teacher, who is an African American Vietnam war veteran who lost an eye and is disfigured by severe burns on his face and arm, is played by Kevin Spacey. With both his eyes intact. What, Hollywood, are one-eyed vets with scars too “eww” for you and your romantic stories? Not to mention that Spacey is far from resembling anything darker than an egg shell. 

I know this is not a new phenomenon and that I am not reinventing the wheel by calling it out, but two movies in such quick succession really made me aware of the problem. Finally. Who knows how many more adaptations are out there with the same or equal racial (/ ableism) issues?

Can we, as the audience, change anything about it?