Fandom: Tin Ear, Part 2

[nebroadwe]

Regarding the Avatar live-action casting call for extras and its tin ear ... it gets worse, according to this report from the day of the call:

"We're trying to create these four different nations so we're looking for different skin tones, and features, and bone structures," [casting director Deedee Rickets] said...

One middle-aged black woman, clad in a denim jacket and black slacks, raised her hand. "Are you at a disadvantage if you didn't wear a costume?" she asked, evidently concerned about her "non-ethnic" outfit.

"Absolutely not!" Rickets reassured her. "It doesn't mean you're at a disadvantage if you didn't come in a big African thing. But guys, even if you came with a scarf today, put it over your head so you'll look like a Ukrainian villager or whatever."

Riiight. Because, of course, all exotic foreign cultures are interchangeable: Belgians are Ukrainians are Koreans are Kenyans. And everyone looks exotic in a headscarf. What is this woman thinking? Surely she cannot be unaware of the kerfuffle surrounding the casting of the leads, so why hasn't someone sat her down and pointed out the need to tread lightly? (It's probably too much to ask at this point that the production staff actually be culturally sensitive, but at least they could try to fake it.) Augh. Must write more letters!