Racial Discrimination In Hollywood
Luc Brubaker
November 4, 2014
The golden age of Hollywood may have ended in the 1960s, but it seems Hollywood’s not-so golden attitudes about gender and races are still stuck in that era. The 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report presented by Dr. Darnell Hunt examines the gender and race of actors, directors and writers of film and television. It reveals an industry that is still dominated by white men, with women and minorities dramatically underrepresented both on and off screen. Through the five theories of ethical reasoning, we can investigate the moral injustices in the film industry, as the study took a comprehensive look at diversity in the entertainment industry and examined 172 films released in 2011 – the top 200 grossing movies, excluding the 28 foreign films in that mix – and 1061 television shows from the 2011-2012 season from broadcast and cable networks, including dramas, comedies, and reality television, but excluding sport (Hollywood Diversity Report, 2014).
Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means of deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be random and aimless. Therefore, the five ethical theories should be significantly applied to any aspect of individuals’ lives. The utilitarian ethical theory is founded on the ability to predict the consequences of an action to a utilitarian; the choice that yields the greatest benefit to the most people is the choice that is ethically correct. Deontologists believe that people have a duty to act accordingly to a rules-based thinking, regardless of the good or bad consequences that may be produced. Deontologists live in a universe of moral rules, where it is believed that humans have a duty to do the right thing, even if it produces a bad result. The ethical concept of Virtue is an approach that deemphasizes rules, consequences, and particular acts and places the focus on the kind of person who is acting. A person's character is the totality of his character traits. Our character
November 4, 2014
The golden age of Hollywood may have ended in the 1960s, but it seems Hollywood’s not-so golden attitudes about gender and races are still stuck in that era. The 2014 Hollywood Diversity Report presented by Dr. Darnell Hunt examines the gender and race of actors, directors and writers of film and television. It reveals an industry that is still dominated by white men, with women and minorities dramatically underrepresented both on and off screen. Through the five theories of ethical reasoning, we can investigate the moral injustices in the film industry, as the study took a comprehensive look at diversity in the entertainment industry and examined 172 films released in 2011 – the top 200 grossing movies, excluding the 28 foreign films in that mix – and 1061 television shows from the 2011-2012 season from broadcast and cable networks, including dramas, comedies, and reality television, but excluding sport (Hollywood Diversity Report, 2014).
Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means of deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be random and aimless. Therefore, the five ethical theories should be significantly applied to any aspect of individuals’ lives. The utilitarian ethical theory is founded on the ability to predict the consequences of an action to a utilitarian; the choice that yields the greatest benefit to the most people is the choice that is ethically correct. Deontologists believe that people have a duty to act accordingly to a rules-based thinking, regardless of the good or bad consequences that may be produced. Deontologists live in a universe of moral rules, where it is believed that humans have a duty to do the right thing, even if it produces a bad result. The ethical concept of Virtue is an approach that deemphasizes rules, consequences, and particular acts and places the focus on the kind of person who is acting. A person's character is the totality of his character traits. Our character