Casual racism or AIBU

[Kooksadooks]

Hello. I have a lot on my mind today but hope you are having a nice New Years Eve…
We (me, DP, MIL, FIL, DS ect) were sat around the TV over Christmas period.
The Channel 5 advert featuring Anne Bolelyn played by black actress Jodie Turner-Smith comes on and MIL starts complaining that she ‘doesn’t understand all this’ and ‘Anne Bolelyn wasn’t black’ and doesn’t understand ‘why white people cannot play black people’…
I bit my tongue, I appreciate that I am surrounded by people who agree with her and there’s no point in arguing with them about what I think, also not wanting to cause drama over Christmas but AIBU to feel uncomfortable at MIL’s comments?
I mentioned it to DP afterwards and he agrees with MIL

It's racist, they wouldn't give half a shit if a white actor played the role of a black person. My ILs are the same, and I'm black 🙃

If it was a comment in isolation I'd say ignorance rather than racism, but I'm assuming this is part of a bigger issue? Lots of "in my day" type comments, moaning about taking the knee etc?

You can't choose your in laws, but you can choose your partner. I'd be talking to him about his views on equal opportunity and deciding if you're compatible or not.

I’m sorry @Lacedwithgrace that your inlaws are like this

I'm black and I agree with your MIL. Anne Boleyn wasn't Black so should be played by someone who factually represented who she was re: ethnicity . I'd feel the same if someone white came along and played Martin Luther King or Mary Jane Seacole or Harriet Seacole or Mahatma Ghandi, etc.

On it’s own it’s not unreasonable of racist. If black actors can play real life characters who are white no reason why vice versa doesn’t work. I don’t generally overly hold that actors must have the same characteristics as those they are playing though (eg gay actors must play gay roles, etc). They’re actors and are pretending to be someone they are not - that’s the job (obviously some are better at it than others).

YANBU, it’s very easy for BAME people to be excluded from period dramas on the grounds that the people were white so I think the trend for casting BAME actors is a good one. It is jarring now when you watch a film with only white people.

Hopefully shows like Bridgerton make it more common.

It’s not casual racism it’s racism.

@toddybell - I so agree though that no matter how good an actor is it’s hard to see them as the character if they look completely different (eg black person as Anne Boleyn, Chinese person as Martin Luther King.

I’m from a mixed race family and I agree with your MIL

@OnceuponaRainbow18

It’s not casual racism it’s racism.

Was about to say this. Nothing casual about it.

@phishy jarring for who? I don’t think it is. It’s appropriate for the time.

@RussianSpy101

I’m from a mixed race family and I agree with your MIL

Me too

But Ann Boleyn wasn’t black. It’s historically inaccurate to have a black actor play Ann Boleyn. This is the same nonsense as having a female James Bond - he wasn’t written as a woman. It’s just embarrassing virtue signalling to do this sort of stuff. Have stories of real black people ceased to exist? Is it impossible to write a story starting a real female spy? It’s actually racist to give minority and female actors the crumbs off the table, because it implies their own stories are not worthy of being told. It’s not racist to call out this nonsense.

Can I just point out that there's no such thing as 'casual' racism.

But that aside I don't think a Black actress should have been cast in what was ostensibly billed as a series about Boleyn. White people cannot play Black characters because doing blackface is racist.

Thank you for your responses, it is interesting to see the wide range of opinions and I guess it comes down to the individual whether they feel uncomfortable by that comment, but no it is not a comment in isolation which is why it had that effect on me. Happy New Year

In the musical Six the wives are played by women of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, but then this is presented as a leap from reality with the modern costumes and rock/pop music.

The same with the Tudors where Henry wasn't a red head (plus the other historical anomalies) but it was a cracking good romp.

I guess it doesn't really matter does it? We know Anne Boleyn wasn't black, but her ethnicity didn't define her so in telling her story you don't have to be physically accurate.

As for your PIL I would think they should challenge why it sits uneasily with them, and I'm betting that if they looked closely there would be a degree of casual/inherit racism there, I'm not sure that they would want to examine themselves though!

I’m mixed race and also agree with your MIL. We should have colour blind casting or non-colour blind casting. It cannot just work in favour of one ethnic group.

She was the best thing in that drama. A great performance in an otherwise bland production from what I've seen.

The reality is that you can't separate the differences in what it is currently acceptable for white and other ethnicity actors to play from the years of discrimination that black and minority ethnic actors have experienced and the lack of opportunities to play major roles.

I do think there are better ways to move forward from than shoehorning diverse casts into historical dramas set amongst the 16th century English royal court, but I suspect that is more to do with what audiences will watch in this country. It would be great to see more diverse historical dramas in terms of subjects as well. I found the Steve McQueen films very interesting, thought-provoking and enjoyable.

Your MIL’s argument falls down on the point that the actor playing Anne Boleyn is acting!

I’m pretty sure that one of the requirements for David Tennant to play Dennis Nielsen WASN’T that he had actually lived as a serial killer for a while…

I agree with @toddybell.

@toddybell

I'm black and I agree with your MIL. Anne Boleyn wasn't Black so should be played by someone who factually represented who she was re: ethnicity . I'd feel the same if someone white came along and played Martin Luther King or Mary Jane Seacole or Harriet Seacole or Mahatma Ghandi, etc.

White actor Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for playing Mahatma Gandhi!

@phishy

YANBU, it’s very easy for BAME people to be excluded from period dramas on the grounds that the people were white so I think the trend for casting BAME actors is a good one. It is jarring now when you watch a film with only white people.

Hopefully shows like Bridgerton make it more common.

Britain didn't suddenly become multi-cultural in the 1950s though. There were black people here in Tudor times. Not marrying into our royal family, but participating in everyday life.

I think representation is important, but, it should be accurate. Anne Boleyn wasn't black so she shouldn't be played by a black actor. Mary Seacole wasn't white and shouldn't be played by a white actor.

The story of Anne Boelyn has been done to death, I think a new adaptation is positive. Same if they have a black James Bond. They are interpretations of characters as they've been done so many times before.

If you want to watch a traditional adaption there are dozens to choose from.

This is different to if they suddenly made Legolas black in Lord of the rings - there's only one interpretation of that so they should stick to the source material.