When did we become so sensitive?

 I wonder what the future of movies will be. 

It’s barely about good stories and great acting skills now, and more about trying to keep a group of people happy. 

Acting used to be about a person able to play a part different from their true personality. We had actors play a character from a different ethnic and cultural group and even those who would often play characters who preferred a different or same gender as their partner. 

It’s called acting, isn’t it?

But then a few people made a fuss about inclusivity and while that is a good practice, it was also misused. 

It became more about hiring people with little talent just so that the movie or TV show wouldn’t receive any backlash. 

It reminds me of a time when in a school play, a girl was cast simply because she was fair. She fumbled through her lines, couldn’t act, and had no stage presence. But her skin color landed her a part. 

Eventually, when the girl almost wept with frustration because she was given a part that she actually didn’t want, she was replaced. The thing was, no one had asked that girl if she wanted the part. She was fair, and so she was given the part. 

The girl was relieved to be let go and replaced by a girl who could at least act. 

At the end of the day, acting skills took the play forward and made it a success. 

If only more people realized that it is okay for another actor of a different background to play a part of a character so different from them. 

A few months ago, a few actors were let go or quit because they were voicing characters on popular animated shows, and…shocking…they were not a girl or a boy in real life. 

Isn’t that what acting is all about? Playing a part different from one’s personality?

So as not to offend people, these people had to quit from their jobs to appease a few people who cared about such matters. 

It is no surprise then, that original stories have taken a backseat and all we see on screen is rehashed stories. Or reboots. Or requels. Because at least those stories from the past were accepted without backlash and therefore deemed safer. 

Unfortunately, this practice would ultimately mean that writers will be discouraged from producing new, inventive, amazing stories. We will be stuck watching the same story over and over only because it is less likely to offend a few people. 

Just when did we become so sensitive?