Home / Fall 2015 / Racism is not so far far away

Racism is not so far far away

Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens." (Lucasfilm)

Written by Mayah Cantave, Asst. Opinions Editor

The release of the new Star Wars movie has created a ton of buzz and controversy. On Twitter people seem to be upset with the upcoming movie claiming it is “anti-white” and promotes white genocide.

The #boycottstarwarsVII was created to prevent the release of the movie.

The boycotters’ anger stems from the fact that an African American actor, John Bodega, will be playing one of the movies main heroes. This is absolutely ridiculous.

Bodega is not the first black actor to become a Jedi in the series.

In the previous Star Wars movies, other black actors have held prominent roles. For example, the easily recognizable, Samuel L. Jackson played Jedi Master, Mace Winds. Darth Vader the villain that everyone seems to know is voiced by James Earl Jones who is a black man.

If the use of black actors upset Star Wars fans, they’re really going to be upset at the fact that Star Wars creator George Lucas, a white man, is married to a black woman.

The angry fans claim that Star Wars is “anti-white” because none of the leading actors are white.

In regards to the backlash of the movie, the movie’s director, JJ Abrams gave his opinion on the subject in a recent interview.

“Everyone belongs, and there is nothing more important than embracing,” said Abrams. “When you think about the Force, [it’s] about embracing everyone.”

The best thing about the Star Wars trilogy is that the movies have always been racially diverse. Who knew there should be a cap on how many leading actors should be of a different race.
It’s a shame that people still view minorities as being lesser. Race does not determine the worth of an actor or of anyone.

Check Also

Lady Blazers Win Outright GSC Championship

The Lady Blazers are outright Gulf South Conference Women’s Basketball champions after their victory on ...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *