this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
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[–] Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago (6 children)

But why though? Why the insistence on portraying people in documentaries or biographies as someone completely different? Why not do a biography on a black dude or black lady who can be played by such instead of trying to change the race of historical figures for fun?

[–] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 49 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Holy shit man. That joke was strapped into a car, stuck on a rocket, and blasted so far over your head it's circling the sun.

[–] david@feddit.uk 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah, thank you I needed that laugh. Sometimes things make me snort or chuckle or "ha", but that was a proper full laugh, thank you.

[–] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

That's awesome, glad to help!

[–] Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] WarmSoda@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

Yes, they made a joke. And you didn't get it.

[–] Rufio@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, the joke is that it would trigger the snowflake right wingers

[–] Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 year ago
[–] Balinares@pawb.social 41 points 1 year ago

He's an African actually, look it up.

[–] root@socialmedia.fail 19 points 1 year ago

But why though?

To upset you, personally.

[–] Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

People don't generally do that. If you're referring to Hamilton, it was not a documentary or a biography. And historically white people did that all the time in plays/movies for entertainment, so why get all angry about it now that it's not white people?

[–] Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Queen Cleopatra is a very recent example.

[–] Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_race_controversy Her race is actually heavily debated by historians, so that's not a very clear cut example.

[–] maynarkh@feddit.nl 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

From the article you linked it seems that historians by and large agree she was of Greek descent with a bit of Persian ancestry, and a bunch of laypeople are heavily debating them on it.

[–] Kikkertje@aussie.zone 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Netflix's Cleopatra comes to mind.

[–] Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_race_controversy Her race is actually heavily debated by historians, so that's not a very clear cut example.

[–] PreachHard@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Actually reading that article you linked it doesn't seem that debated and there isn't really any evidence of her being black.

[–] Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're right, based on that article. It doesn't matter, I'm just pointing out that it wasn't just a random choice to make her black. I'd argue they should have made her Iranian to be more accurate, but the claim is that people are randomly just changing skin colors in documentaries all willy nilly and so far the only example is a weak one.

[–] PreachHard@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah you're right, it's one of those small complaints that's gonna always come from a small group of people. It's just media; people get so nuts about this site like everything should always cater to them...

Gets weaponised too I've seen people try to link this bullshit to "wokeism." As if that's the fucking problem with Hollywood.

[–] ThoughtGoblin@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, if we're talking Hamilton it's even further, being pretty clearly a commentary on the whole "founding fathers freeing everyone while most of them owning human beings they refused freedom to" thing.

[–] Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

I brought up Hamilton because it's particularly not a documentary

[–] fiat_lux@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Nobody seemed to mind when the History Channel docuseries FDR came out with a British actor without a mobility disability as FDR.

Why is it that the series produced by an black female actor starring a black female actor needs such stringent accuracy controls?

[–] Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 year ago

Never heard of it. How many alien conspiracies does it contain?

[–] squaresinger@feddit.de 3 points 1 year ago

Well, it's not the biography of whoever is going to play him either, hence the only authentic choice would be him being played by himself.