Amazon Studios Attack on Film, TV, the American Family, and Western Civilization
DEIA and the Elimination of Talent
As a grandfather, I have a duty to preserve and present the good, the true, the beautiful, the virtuous, the value of hard work, and the importance of holiness and innocence to my grandchildren.
In other words, I have a responsibility to pass on over 2,000 years of Christ’s teachings, tradition, and wisdom drawn from Christian Western Civilization as applied to daily life to their life and faith formation.
Marxists for 150 years have always sought to destroy:
Family
Religion
Property
Marxists know they must destroy peoples connection to the divine, they must destroy the nuclear family, and they must destroy your ability to own stuff. They focus 365/24/7 on the destruction of those three things and always have. The Amazon Studios assault is just the latest version of their Godless evil.
Reviewing the Amazon Studios DEIA Inclusion Policy, I find the exact opposite of that duty being mandated by Amazon Studios that, through its products, are designed to attack everything I hold sacred in trust for them.
I did not know about Amazon’s DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) Inclusion Policy Marxist propaganda until I was assaulted by a their commercial while watching a history show on the Peloponnesian Wars on YouTube.
The first 10 seconds of their ad showed adult women mouth kissing and other perversions of shiny happy people in rainbow colors, the opposite of the medical and other realities that that lifestyle causes its followers. This just came up on the screen and my grandchildren could have seen their perversion.
The end of the commercial stated they were the Amazon Studios, so I decided to find out who they are, what they were pushing on the American family, and why.
Maybe not be coincidence, while working out at the gym two days after seeing their immoral commercial, a Rumble podcast called Film Threat came up by accident on my cell phone. The host, Chris Gore, talked about the DEIA Storytelling rules at Amazon Studios and I made the connection with the perverted Amazon ad I had seen on YouTube two days earlier.
WOW!!! With some brief research, I found out about the corporate communism they are mandating to anyone who wants to do business with them, and ultimately on the American family. It is the current version of a Maoist Marxist Cultural Revolution custom built to confuse and destroy American families.
Amazon Studios is Hiring Creative Talent via Identity rather than Creativity or Talent
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10
As with so many corporations that mandate DEI, identity trumps talent at the Amazon Studios. Below you can read their clear statement that, to do business with them, membership to an identity group is required and more important than talent, experience, or creativity.
Amazon’s DEIA Inclusion Policy: Casting
”…we aim to include one character from each of the following categories for speaking roles of any size, and at minimum 50% of the total of these should be women: (1) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender non-conforming / non-binary; (2) person with a disability; and (3) three regionally underrepresented racial/ethnic/cultural groups (e.g. in the US, three of the following: Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Middle Eastern/North African, or Asian / Pacific Islander or Multi-Racial). A single character can fulfill one or more of these identities.
”…the minimum aspirational goals for casting across speaking roles are 30% white men, 30% white women and non-binary people, 20% men from underrepresented races and ethnicities, 20% women and non-binary people from underrepresented races and ethnicities. …We also aspire to cast at least 10% of our roles with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender non-conforming / non-binary; and 10% with people who self-identify as a person with a disability.
”…at minimum 50% of the total of these should be women: (1) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender non-conforming / non-binary; (2) person with a disability; and (3) three regionally underrepresented racial/ethnic/cultural groups (e.g. in the US, three of the following: Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Middle Eastern/North African, or Asian / Pacific Islander or Multi-Racial). A single character can fulfill one or more of these identities.
“…the minimum aspirational goals for casting across speaking roles are 30% white men, 30% white women and non-binary people, 20% men from underrepresented races and ethnicities, 20% women and non-binary people from underrepresented races and ethnicities. ….We also aspire to cast at least 10% of our roles with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender non-conforming / non-binary; and 10% with people who self-identify as a person with a disability.
Amazon’s DEIA Inclusion Policy: Behind-the-Camera
Each film or series with a creative team of three or more people in above-the-line roles (Directors, Writers, Producers) should ideally include a minimum 30% women and 30% members of an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. We will give priority consideration to people who have been historically marginalized within the industry, including but not limited to disability, sexual orientation, religion, body size, age, nationality, gender identity, gender expression and people at the intersection of multiple underrepresented identities. This aspirational goal will increase to 50% by 2024. On creative teams with fewer than three people, we prefer that at least one Writer, Director, or Producer be a woman and/or a member of an underrepresented racial/ethnic group.
For series, across a full season of episodic content, we will aim to have a team of credited Directors, Writers, Producers, and Creators that includes a minimum 30% women and 30% members of an underrepresented racial/ethnic group. We will give priority consideration to people who have been historically marginalized within the industry, including but not limited to disability, sexual orientation, religion, body size, age, nationality, gender identity, gender expression and people at the intersection of multiple underrepresented identities. This aspirational goal will increase to 50% by 2024. A single team member can fulfill one or more of these identities.
”…when storylines or the top billing characters involve underrepresented communities (women, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, sexual orientation, gender identity, people with disabilities), we aim to have a minimum 30% of above-the-line staff hires (Directors, Writers, Producers, and/or Creators) who identify with the identity groups being depicted on screen. This aspirational goal will increase to 50% by 2024.
Amazon’s DEIA Inclusion Policy: Below the Line Roles
For open positions, we aim to staff department heads and seconds in the following areas to meet the overall aspirational goals of 30% white men, 30% white women and non-binary people, 20% men from underrepresented races and ethnicities, and 20% women and non-binary people from underrepresented races and ethnicities.
Reporting and documentation provides Amazon Studios with an understanding of (1) plans outlining how the production intends to meet the expectations of the policy; (2) whether inclusion expectations were met on an Amazon Studios production; and (3) an explanation for any impediments that were encountered in an attempt to meet the aspirational goals.
NOTE: Like good corporate Marxists, Amazon Studios mandates that anyone who wants to do business with them must document their adherence to their corporate communism. Details follow.
Amazon’s DEIA Inclusion Policy: Reporting & Documentation
Amazon Studios will provide a report template for each company to indicate whether the expectations were met. This report must be submitted within one month of completion of principal photography and will include:
i. Gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability data on production-specific, above-the-line talent (Directors, Writers, Producers, Creators, credited actors) as well as below-the-line positions (department heads and seconds.)
ii. A full description of the film and episodic content that’s been created (i.e., storyline), and percentage or number of characters identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender, including non-binary, and those with a disability.
iii. The number and list of diverse suppliers hired for the production (including women-owned and minority-owned businesses).
Amazon Studios as Another Tenacle of the Communist Octopus
Marxists figured out decades ago that the classic Marxist working class versus wealthy bourgeoise construct that was so successful creating communism in Russia, Europe, Latin America, and Asia did not appeal to Americans.
So, they invented cultural Marxism as a sneaky way to inculcate communism into the American body politic without Americans realizing it until it was too late and they were in power. As always, the Satanic lie to cover this plan is the Marxists disguise their strategy by dismissing anyone who identifies it as an alt-right conspiracy theorist.
Marxists, as part of their successful chaos strategy, invent new ideological stratagems to infiltrate American life to destroy the American family, the last remaining obstacle in their plan for Godless world domination. DEIA is the latest version of that stratagem.
NOTE: To get an idea of just how deeply Amazon Studios/MGM adheres to the communist ideology outlawing free thought, creativity, 1st Amendment Constructional rights, or American freedom via corporate mandates and a system of financial rewards for goodthink and punishments for crimethink, see the section from their Storybook Gender, Sexuality, Romance & Humor rules at the end of this Substack. It is identity politics in extremis.
Amazon Studios informs anyone who wants to do business with them to read and follow the Playbook. Here is how Amazon Studios describes their Playbook.
“We created this Playbook to help disrupt the biases that occur across the lifecycle of a series or movie, from the first inkling of a concept to viewers streaming the content on Prime Video. By using the Playbook, you should gain an understanding and resources to meet the Amazon Studios Inclusion Policy. The Playbook will help you think about your story, casting, crewing up, and how to track and report your inclusion successes.”
Amazon Studies references another communist tenacle they instruct anyone who wants to do business with them follow.
Given that some of the language in this Playbook may be new or unfamiliar, we suggest reading over the Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity (TTIE) factsheet to improve your familiarity with these topics.
And what are these factsheets? According to TTIE:
“The stories and characters TV writers create impact popular culture narratives, entertain audiences, and change minds.
As working TV writers, we understand the immense power we wield with our narratives. The stories and characters we create impact popular culture narratives, entertain audiences, and change minds. That is why we’ve partnered with a number of social justice researchers and organizations to produce #WriteInclusion Factsheets: Tips for Authentic Representation. Our highly vetted and research driven one-pagers help storytellers craft non-stereotypical representations about historically excluded characters and stories, and are designed as a tool to guide storytellers away from harmful stereotypes and call in more inclusive, authentic narratives.
This work transforms the expertise of community leaders and researchers – such as Storyline Partners, Color of Change, the ACLU, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), GLAAD, and Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) – into easily accessible guidance that TV writers, executives, and producers can understand and immediately put to use. Globally, this work also strengthens relationships between content creators and community leaders to nurture emerging partnerships and more authentic, accurate storytelling practices.
A former human resources manager has instituted these policies at the company. Her name is Latasha Gillespie, (She/Her) and she self identifies as Global Leader | Media Executive | Speaker | Moderator | Host | Conversation Curator | DEIA Expert | Former HR and Mfg Exec. She did the DEI schtick at Caterpillar and then Amazon. She was an HR flack from a manufacturing company who figured out a good grift. She/Her is now dictating to those with actual talent in the film and TV industry…though she has no background in film or TV. Go figure. Hear her full story here.
There are many tenacles to this Hollywood corporate Marxist octopus too long to include here, but here is another. The Annenberg Foundation and USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is another.
These Amazon Studios rules will only hire film and TV writers who will follow their communist dictates, and who know the power of storytelling to change people and history. And, yes, as they clearly state and have been clear about for years, they are coming for your children.
The blazing insight of Andrew Breitbart’s that “Politics is downstream of culture” teaches us we do not have to accept this Hollywood communism. We can fight it. We can counter their narrative. We can tell true, human, real American stories, not lies.
Here is a good article that provides instruction on how we can turn the communist entertainment industry tsunami around. The trend they identified in 2011 has increased since that time.
“Culture influences politics, and in ways the Left has understood for a long time. The Right has sat idly by, as they did with higher education, and let an ideological movement take over one of the most important aspects of American society. If the Right has any interest in reclaiming that ground, they must vote with their pocketbooks as well as their voices, and their votes. Given the decline in box office admission volume and network television ratings, they are getting the message.”
Western Christian civilization is under a multifront attack. The attack, although not as bad as in 732 A.D. or 1683 A.D. or in World War II, is still formidable, as with the Amazon Studios assault on the American family.
As reported by The Epoch Times, @EpochTimes, #Hollywood studios lost over $500 billion in market value in 2022, with $120 billion of those losses came from @Disney alone. Amazon Studios will suffer similar loses due to their Marxist content because, as already demonstrated, average Americans will not pay for their protracted attack on the American family.
Do those who run Amazon Studios care? No. But they will eventually go out of business and be replaced by solid American entertainment companies who want to support American families rather than destroy them. Already, Amazon Studios is hemorrhaging revenue due to its perversion.
The current attack is not yet kinetic (but the millions of illegal aliens being brought into every state in the U.S. may be used to make it go kinetic). Presently, it is a battle for your mind and the mind of your family, and the over mind of the American family.
It is 5th Generation Warfare using AI, propaganda, influence operations, lies, coercion, and generational warfare all aimed at getting you to bend the knee.
Do not bend the knee. Spit in Satan’s face. And mock his minions.
Below is a sample of Storytelling rules from the Amazon Studios Playbook.
Script-Based Descriptions & Stereotypes
The way that characters are described in a script can evoke stereotypes for casting directors, breakdown services, and even those reading for the part. Consider the following when describing characters in your script:
Is there a reason to specify a character’s gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identity, or disability in the script? Does source material specify a character’s identity in any way? Are you deviating from that depiction? Why or why not?
Are there places where you should specify information about the characters’ background or identity (gender identity, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, or disability) to help with casting? Consider sharing this information only if it is needed for the story.
We recommend that writers be specific and authentic in their descriptions, to help casting directors and those reading for the part avoid harmful stereotypes.
Gendered or Sexualized Depictions
Sexualization can have negative effects on viewers. Sexualization of characters of all genders occurs on screen, but research indicates that women and LGBTQ characters are more likely than straight men to be sexualized. This begins when the script is written, with how your characters are described.
Are your descriptions of characters grounded in their appearance, versus their personality? Are there descriptions of girls or women that lean toward their relationships or appearance, rather than who they are as characters? Are you writing about characters who are men in the same way? Are LGBTQ characters solely defined by their sexual identities? Are people with disabilities infantilized and/or desexualized?
Are LGBTQ+ characters in overly feminized or masculine occupations? For example, are gay characters shown in appearance-related professions (fashion, entertainment, etc.)? Are they excluded from occupations in education, healthcare, or civil service (including police or fire department)?
Although you may not realize it at the time you’re writing the story, adults are often cast to play teen roles. Consider carefully how these characters might be sexualized on screen. How might the descriptions you write about the characters be impacted if adults are cast in these roles?
Personality Traits
The description of a character’s personality or distinctive traits may lead to appearance-related stereotypes. Sometimes character descriptions are written in a way that draws upon stereotypes or tropes. This is particularly likely when writing women characters, or individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
Are you describing women’s personalities in ways that lead to assumptions about their sexuality? For example, are descriptions such as the “girl next door” used for characters?
Be sure that your character descriptions do not evoke stereotypes related to women of color. Avoid use of the terms “exotic,” “feisty,” “sassy,” and other words stereotypically used to refer to underrepresented women. It is better to be specific — e.g. the lead is from Puerto Rico, loves to sing, and has a big group of friends.
For LGBTQ+ women, ensure that personality traits do not play to stereotypes, either about femininity/masculinity or over-sexualization.
Descriptions of people with disabilities may focus on aspects related to disability rather than a range of characteristics. Make sure your characters with disabilities are well-rounded and defined by more than their disability.
Domestic Roles
Consider the depiction of caregiving and romantic relationships, and whether they fall along stereotypical or traditional lines (e.g. heteronormative, women as subservient, men as protector/provider). For more information on the concept benevolent sexism, read here. “Rescue” storylines, or those focusing on chivalry, can be particularly problematic. Consider which groups are erased from being shown on screen in caregiving positions. For example, the LGBTQ+ community is rarely shown in parental roles or as relational partners. Yet between 2 and 3.7 million US children have one or more LGBTQ+ parent.
Narratives that involve abuse, harassment, or sexual assault require deeper thought. When these topics are included in a storyline, have they been handled with sensitivity? Have survivors been consulted for their perspective and insights? Do storylines reflect myths or misconceptions about these topics? Is it necessary to include these aspects in the story? Evaluate whether abuse, harassment, or assault are deployed in gratuitous ways, or are handled sensitively to advance the storyline.
Consider asking the following questions when writing about parents/caregiving roles:
Are women from all backgrounds and experiences defined solely by their relationship to children?
Are LGBTQ+ characters shown as parents?
Are non-binary characters shown as parents?
Are characters with disabilities shown as parents?
Are men presented as inept when shown as parents or caregivers?
When elderly relatives requiring care are included in the story, who provides that care?
Stereotypes & Humor
We understand that the best comedy can derive from the unexpected and be an agent of truth-telling. We urge content creators focusing on comedy, humor, or satire to engage with their material in deep ways. Ask the fundamental question: Are you the right person to tell this story and/or these jokes?
Begin by thinking about whether, as the storyteller, your humor comes from outside or inside the group at the center of the comedy. Out-group members using humor to mock or joke about characters from underrepresented groups can be highly problematic. Humor may reflect insensitivity, play to broad stereotypes, and reinforce historical tropes for members of underrepresented groups. Creators might try to challenge or spotlight stereotypes that have been oppressive—in other words, the comedy stems from good intentions. But content lacks authenticity when it doesn’t come from or take into account the perspectives of the in-group members at the core of the stereotype or context.
Humor may be used to illuminate the way a group has been treated, and can spotlight important ways that racism, sexism, and other biases and prejudices affect the lives of group members. One impulse content creators may have is to purposefully flip stereotypes or to deploy them in an exaggerated way to create humor. If you take this path, think critically about what role this stereotype has in your story. Make sure that by poking fun at stereotypes you are not inadvertently reinforcing the bias you seek to challenge.
Here are a few things to consider when you include humor in your storytelling:
If characters from underrepresented backgrounds or historically marginalized groups only appear in your story to deliver humorous lines or as a source of amusement, this is problematic. Ask: Do these characters have any other depth or insight or do they merely serve to deliver comedy?
If it’s the latter, how can you add depth to the characterization? Or, who else needs to weigh in to ensure the character is not one-dimensional?
Review the script and story with members of the communities you are depicting to ensure authenticity and limit hurtful humor. Ask more than one individual to review the script/story. What audience members find amusing will differ from person to person. Your goal is to be certain that the jokes do not offend the communities featured in your story.
Gender, Sexuality, Romance & Humor
Below, we outline storytelling areas that can easily fall prey to stereotypical writing or thinking. While education is key, research has shown that hiring content creators with cultural experience and perspective is the best way to craft an authentic story and avoid stereotypes.
Gender, Sexuality, Romance, Humor
For Black characters:
Are they shown in connection to violence, either as perpetrators or victims, particularly gang violence?
Are they linked to storylines that focus on drugs and addiction or sexual promiscuity?
Are they shown as a member of a family unit in ways that do not center on broken homes, single parents, or other aspects of family life that foreground difficulty rather than joy?
Are they presented in positions that are linked to entertaining others?
Overall, in your story are they primarily dealing with hardships and difficulties that are linked to their race/ethnicity rather than to the plot?
For Hispanic/Latinx characters:
If the story is set in the US, are Hispanic/Latinx characters linked to an American identity, or are they framed as “foreigners”?
Are they presented in relation to illegal activity—particularly undocumented immigration?
What is their family situation? Are they shown in multigenerational contexts? Are they navigating monolingual or bilingual family settings?
Are they shown in contexts with violence, especially related to undocumented immigration?
Are they shown as sneaky, sly, or scheming?
Are they overly sexualized?
For Asian characters:
Are men shown in a way that minimizes their sexuality or desirability as a romantic partner? This could include fulfilling the stereotype of a “geek” who is primarily interested in technology, math, or sciences.
Are they depicted as predominantly “foreign” versus as American? Consider expectations around Asian characters speaking with accents.
Are women depicted as naïve, vulnerable, or silenced? In contrast, are they shown in a provocative light?
Are they (particularly those who are shown affiliated with foreign countries) shown as dangerous, evil, or threatening to others?
For Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) characters:
Are they shown in violent situations, especially when linked to terrorism or religious extremism?
Are they shown at the extremes of wealth, either as royalty, sheiks, or business tycoons, or at the other end of the spectrum in roles associated with poverty or as refugees?
Are women associated with sexual repression or men shown as predatory in nature?
Are they shown as “good” for their work to assist law enforcement or sympathize with American/Western values?
For Native or Indigenous characters:
Do they portray historical tropes of Native or Indigenous characters as violent or antagonistic?
Are they given mystical or supernatural abilities regarding nature or natural knowledge simply due to their identity (rather than as a result of study or developed insight)?
Is their existence on-screen one-dimensional and solely to drive a plot related to cowboys, or white characters?
Representation Based on Location
The location or time period of a story can affect how inclusive it is. The setting may be used to constrain choices about who can be part of the story (sometimes legitimately, other times as an excuse). Consider two things when developing the setting of your story:
For modern or contemporary stories, consider the location where your story is set. Make sure that the characters written into the story mirror the demographics of the location (at a minimum).
If your story is set in a metro US area, reflect US Census data for that area. For example, more than 70% of US states feature a higher percentage of Hispanic/Latinx residents than appear in popular films. The most populous counties in the US also have more Latinos than the typical feature film. For US data, this Census table may be helpful. Keep in mind that younger populations (millennial and Gen Z) are increasingly morediverse than the general population.
If your story is set outside of the US, reflect the demographics of that location. Use data to make decisions or inform your choices.
For stories set in the past, check your assumptions about the demographic reality of the location. Consult historians and demographic experts to understand who lived in the time and place your story is set.
Story descriptions also do not have to adhere strictly to the views many hold about the past. Examples of casting that has countered normative historical views include David Copperfield(Dev Patel), Anne Boleyn (Jodie Turner-Smith), Cinderella (Brandy as Cinderella, Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother), Bridgerton, and others. These stories included actors from a variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds, counter to what audience members might assume was the norm for the time.
Race & Ethnicity
Including creative voices from the community is the best and most precise way to avoid stereotyping, but all people are prone to stereotypes and bias. Below are questions to act as speed bumps in the storytelling process, to avoid common stereotypes.
Race & Ethnicity
Aging and Older Adults
Consider asking the following questions about characters age 60+ in your story:
Are any characters age 60+ not men? Think about women, gender-non-conforming, including non-binary people, and those from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
Are your characters age 60+ written as people who enjoy thriving, fulfilling careers? Are there power differences among men, women and non-binary characters in this age group?
Is the full humanity of characters age 60+ depicted? Are they shown in a caring relationship, working or retired, as healthy, exercising, or traveling?
Are characters age 60+ shown with challenges that are physical (e.g., using a mobility device to walk), communicative (e.g., hearing loss, reduction of speech fluency), and/or cognitive (e.g., memory loss)? If so, are these details crucial to the plot? Are any of these depictions framed in a humorous light that makes the older character’s age or disability the subject of disparagement?
One way to test biases in this area: Ask yourself if the joke or humorous incident involved a character from another identity group, would it be perceived as unacceptable and derogatory? For instance, saying “I am having a senior moment” is commonplace, but replacing “senior” with Latinx, Asian, LGBTQ+ would not be acceptable, and thus illuminates the potential biases contained in the joke or humorous incident.
In terms of romantic relationships, are older characters shown overly sexualized, predatory or without interest in intimacy?
Are women depicted with men substantially older or vice versa?
Religious Stereotypes
Religion is another aspect of storytelling that may be prone to stereotyping. Communicating about a character’s religious beliefs or belonging to a religious community can be done via small moments, brief bits of dialogue, or visual shortcuts (e.g., jewelry, décor, or wardrobe). Use caution to ensure that subtlety does not result in storytelling that allows audiences to attribute characters’ behaviors to religious beliefs in ways that reinforce stereotypes.
Take time to understand the diversity that exists within religious communities, including the regional, racial/ethnic, and language diversity. When portraying the Muslim community, refer to this 2021 report “Missing & Maligned: The Reality of Muslims in Popular Global Movies.”
Devout roles:
Avoid defining devout characters solely by their religion in ways that eliminate nuance from the depiction of faith. For people around the world who practice faith traditions, the expression of those traditions may vary widely (e.g. the Priest in Fleabag).
Use care not to trivialize, mock, or minimize the importance of different religious traditions, rituals, or texts. Consult experts to determine where caution should be used or nuance explored. For example, spiritual songs or illustrations may be considered sacred to members of certain religious groups. Juxtaposing these images or music against content that deviates from faith traditions may be offensive.
Extremism:
Religious extremism should be depicted with care. Stereotypes about religion may tie the practice of certain faith traditions or beliefs to violence. These stereotypes erase the peaceful practice and beliefs of different faith traditions. The most obvious example of this occurs when Muslim characters are shown in roles linked with terrorism and violence. Extremism and violence may be over-reported or overestimated. Presenting only images and stories of violence fails to represent accurately the practices of different faith traditions.
If you are telling a story that includes depictions of religious extremism, ensure that consultants from this religious group are working with you to eliminate harmful depictions, so that you include only necessary aspects of the story and avoid gratuitous violence or stereotyping.
Job-Based Stereotypes
Research has shown that jobs often bring to mind a specific gender or race/ethnicity of a character. For instance, a plumber or firefighter may summon images of white men. As content creators, you have an opportunity to disrupt this bias. The absence of alternative depictions or the consistent depiction of stereotypes may, over time, contribute to negative outcomes for individuals from a stereotyped group as well as for audience members outside of that group. While it may seem more difficult to review each occupation within a script (e.g. gardeners, hair stylists, computer programmers), it offers the chance to approach storytelling in innovative or unique ways.
Questions to ask about women. Are they shown…
Without a job?
In lower, service-oriented, or “assistant” positions?
In stereotypically feminine career paths (nursing, education, appearance-related jobs, etc.)?
Having little power or “clout”?
Questions to ask about characters from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. Are they shown…
As specific stereotypes related to their racial/ethnic backgrounds? Investigate what those might be by working with outside consultants. Some examples:
South Asian characters or Middle Eastern characters shown as cab drivers or corner store/liquor store employees.
Asian characters shown in dry cleaning or restaurant management.
Latinx characters shown in relation to cleaning, childcare, or yard work.
Black characters shown as athletes, drivers/chauffeurs, cooks, security guards.
Native American characters shown as unemployed, or as mystical.
Are they shown in specific occupations that reflect a bias about wealth or illegal activity? Some examples:
Middle Eastern characters shown as terrorists.
Latinx characters shown in relation to drug trafficking or as undocumented immigrants.
Black characters shown as gang members, thugs, or in the context of criminal stereotyping.
White characters being the only ones empowered with wealth or prestige.
Questions to ask about LGBTQ+ characters. Are they shown…
In overly feminized or masculine occupations? For example, are gay characters shown in appearance-related professions (fashion, entertainment, etc.)?
Excluded from occupations in education, healthcare, etc.?
Questions to ask about characters with disabilities. Are they shown…
Without an occupation?
In jobs that emphasize the character’s disability?
In occupations that depict the character transcending the disability in ways that frame the disability as something to overcome or that present the disability as a superpower?
Organizations Amazon Studios Recommends
Engage specific organizations to inquire about potential candidates. Here is a list of resources for identifying content creators by gender (women, non-binary), underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, LGBTQ+, and with a disability (listed in alphabetical order):
Amplify Database https://www.amplifydatabase.com/
Aboriginal Films and Filmmakers
https://guides.library.ubc.ca/c.php?g=307204&p=2049476Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE)
https://www.capeusa.org/cnwfFilm Fatales
http://www.filmfatales.org/directorsFree the Work https://freethework.com/
Latinx Directors
https://latinxdirectors.com/homeLights! Camera! Access! (provides connections to people with disabilities working in entertainment) http://einsofcommunications.com/lights-camera-access-2-0/
ReFrame https://www.reframeproject.org/
Sundance Institute Indigenous Program https://www.sundance.org/programs/indigenous-program
The Alice Initiative https://www.thealiceinitiative.com/
The Topple List of Culture Creators
https://www.toppleproductions.com/the-topple-listThink Tank for Inclusion & Equity
https://www.writeinclusion.org/resourcesWomen of Color Unite’s JTC’s list https://thejtclist.com/
A very well thought out and thoroughly detailed article. Excellent insight and analysis backed with credible primary sources.