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‘Power Rangers’ Writer Says ‘It Was a Mistake’ to Cast Black and Asian Actors as Black Ranger and Yellow Ranger: ‘None of Us’ Were ‘Thinking Stereotypes’ (variety.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by Skavau@lemm.ee to c/Television@lemm.ee

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[–] Sibshops@lemm.ee 28 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but if there's no stereotype being reinforced beyond a color match, it’s not automatically problematic.

I feel like if a criticism can be levied here it can also be levied to Black Panther or Barbie.

[–] tiramichu@lemm.ee 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

"Yellow" isn't just a colour match though, there are very significant historical prejudices with the association between 'yellow' and 'Asian'

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Peril

[–] Sibshops@lemm.ee 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Oh I completely agree that there are harmful historical associations, like the "Yellow Peril" stereotype, and that we need to be aware of it. I'm just saying that not every color/race pairing is promoting those stereotypes.

I'm wondering if using those pairings in a positive way can subvert the old associations, like how Black Panther reclaims blackness as power, or how Barbie's pink means something more empowering.

In Power Rangers, all the characters were portrayed as heroes, respected equally by the team. So while the color choices might not have been intentional, the show, for the most part, didn't show the characters in a negative or stereotypical way. That doesn’t mean we shouldn't be aware of broader sterotypes. It just may mean the it wasn’t necessarily harmful in this case.