Actor says lack of diversity on British TV can push people to ISIS, relig extremism

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ro...sis-982914

EXCERPT: Riz Ahmed, who saw his international star soar in 2016 thanks to major roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jason Bourne and HBO's The Night Of, has warned that a lack of diverse voices and stories on British TV screens could push those from minority backgrounds towards fringe groups and even extremism. Delivering the annual diversity lecture from U.K. network Channel 4 in British Parliament, the actor – who has used his growing celebrity status to eloquently highlight issues concerning race and racial profiling – said that U.K. TV had so far "failed" to ensure groups felt represented.

[...] Echoing the lecture given by Idris Elba last year, Ahmed said that actors from diverse backgrounds were forced to head across the Atlantic to find decent roles. "We end up going to America to find work. I meet with producers and directors here, and they say ‘we don’t have anything for you, all our stories are set in Cornwall in the 1600s’...."

I would disagree about how someone can apply diversity on television and then suggest that lack of it causes Religious Extremism.

The Main reason for disagreeing is that British Television was dominated for a number of years by having only a limited number of television Channels (I remember when they added the fourth one) Television was 24/7 all channels signed off for the night. Diversity therefore was extremely low.

ISIS didn't exist back then, but if the absence of diversity truly caused people to think like that, then they would existed somewhat sooner.

It looks like special-pleading wrapped in identity-politics. This Ahmed guy just wants more roles and job-offers from British TV.

(Mar 5, 2017 03:57 AM)stryder Wrote: I would disagree about how someone can apply diversity on television and then suggest that lack of it causes Religious Extremism.

The Main reason for disagreeing is that British Television was dominated for a number of years by having only a limited number of television Channels (I remember when they added the fourth one) Television was 24/7 all channels signed off for the night. Diversity therefore was extremely low.

ISIS didn't exist back then, but if the absence of diversity truly caused people to think like that, then they would existed somewhat sooner.

Even white or Euro-ethnic British actors still take turns crossing the pond and English Channel in droves, so there's apparently a limited number of programs for accommodating everybody in the business, no matter what the era. Which isn't surprising, since given the global spanning nature of the Anglophone world, there are plenty of markets to profit from what is being produced. For instance, the "Doc Martin" crew tends to put out a measly six or so episodes every two years(!), and yet even the show's fans in America patiently endure the wait.

Hordes of Canadian and some Australian actors have to also oscillate between their countries and the States, to ensure steady work. Or the Canadians get to be employed in their own Vancouver by Hollywood studios that film up north because of the cheaper production costs.

(Mar 5, 2017 09:15 PM)Yazata Wrote: It looks like special-pleading wrapped in identity-politics. This Ahmed guy just wants more roles and job-offers from British TV.

Nailed it.

(Mar 5, 2017 01:12 AM)C C Wrote: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ro...sis-982914

EXCERPT: Riz Ahmed, who saw his international star soar in 2016 thanks to major roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jason Bourne and HBO's The Night Of, has warned that a lack of diverse voices and stories on British TV screens could push those from minority backgrounds towards fringe groups and even extremism. Delivering the annual diversity lecture from U.K. network Channel 4 in British Parliament, the actor – who has used his growing celebrity status to eloquently highlight issues concerning race and racial profiling – said that U.K. TV had so far "failed" to ensure groups felt represented.

[...] Echoing the lecture given by Idris Elba last year, Ahmed said that actors from diverse backgrounds were forced to head across the Atlantic to find decent roles. "We end up going to America to find work. I meet with producers and directors here, and they say ‘we don’t have anything for you, all our stories are set in Cornwall in the 1600s’...."

what drives cult membership ?

what is a minority ?

Stolen from Wiki: 

Quote:Cultural assimilation is the process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. ... Whether or not it is desirable for an immigrant group to assimilate is often disputed by both members of the group and those of the dominant society.

Whether I wanted to assimilate or not in any country I move to, shouldn't be a problem, right?

(Mar 6, 2017 08:40 PM)RainbowUnicorn Wrote: what drives cult membership ?

Apparently any type, degree, and manner of dissatisfaction or personal peeve can be opportunistically touted today as being responsible for increasing the roll calls of threatening cults / organizations.

The malicious exploitation of social-utopian engineering via such self-serving scams -- as played out in the media or general chattersphere (whether confined to lone individuals or groups) -- jeopardizes social-utopian progress with a bankruptcy in its credibility. (I.e., causing its projects, movements, agendas, and propaganda to be viewed with ever increasing skepticism and cynicism).

(Mar 6, 2017 10:09 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: Stolen from Wiki: 

Quote:Cultural assimilation is the process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. ... Whether or not it is desirable for an immigrant group to assimilate is often disputed by both members of the group and those of the dominant society.

Whether I wanted to assimilate or not in any country I move to, shouldn't be a problem, right?

Diverse cultures can only successfully coexist if there is an underlying unity, but once that unity (national identity, pride, etc.) becomes the enemy (by way of phantom institutionalized wrongs and grievance culture), cultural diversity becomes an ever increasing threat to local peace and national security.

(Mar 6, 2017 10:54 PM)Syne Wrote:

(Mar 6, 2017 10:09 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: Stolen from Wiki: 

Quote:Cultural assimilation is the process by which a person or a group's language and/or culture come to resemble those of another group. ... Whether or not it is desirable for an immigrant group to assimilate is often disputed by both members of the group and those of the dominant society.

Whether I wanted to assimilate or not in any country I move to, shouldn't be a problem, right?

Diverse cultures can only successfully coexist if there is an underlying unity, but once that unity (national identity, pride, etc.) becomes the enemy (by way of phantom institutionalized wrongs and grievance culture), cultural diversity becomes an ever increasing threat to local peace and national security.

Off topic: Hey, when did I get another beaker

Returning: So if I were to move to Baghdad from Canada, increasing Iraq's cultural diversity by 1, I would be considered a threat to local peace if say for instance I strolled down Main St. carrying a placard espousing the virtues of atheism? By not assimilating, I'd be creating fear amongst local populace? Now if I was to assimilate, become one of the dominant religion etc., then would fear be replaced by simple ordinary distrust, IOW's less fearful than not assimilating?