Free Essay Sample on Minority Representation

Everyone deserves to have some type of representation. The presence of representation enhances the sense of validity for minorities and allows people to express their opinions with ease. The result is a group environment in which ideas are diverse, perspectives are varied, and each person feels valued. This is why representation is so significant. Increasing the voices and sharing the stories of all is essential in a multicultural, diverse, multifaceted society. This is why representation is a powerful tool because it can reduce discrimination, motivate people, and provide new ideas. In today's society, representation is a crucial component, and one of the most important places where we need representation is in politics.

Representation in the political environment can make discrimination seem childish. There is a sense of untrustworthiness about a government that doesn't look like you. This is especially true when neither national party is working very hard to change the government. Carvell Wallace is a New York Times best-selling author, memoirist, and award-winning podcaster who covers race, arts, culture, film, and music for a variety of news outlets. In his essay, "Obama's Parting Gift: The Power Not to Fear White Racism," he explains how Barack Obama's presidency helped transform white racism into something more akin to a cartoon,

"And still he was called names and branded by the opposition as a failure. His citizenship and religion were called into question. Republicans in the House and Senate preferred to nearly tank the country rather than appear to be in league with him. Newscasters vociferously questioned his fitness for the job. These reactions moved beyond the terrifying and into the cartoonish. White racism, which I used to take seriously, came, more and more, to seem childish and pitiful to me" (Wallace, 3).

In other words, the tactics that were being used against Obama seemed like mean-spirited jokes, since Obama was the president at the time, making everything said against him seem juvenile, thereby turning racism into something more childish. In the eyes of many, white racism no longer was something horrible. It has now become something childish. The radical change in white racism that Obama brought about during his presidency gained people an invaluable benefit.

The power of representation can transform the fear of someone into the motivation to overcome it. When you see someone who looks, lives, and thinks like you doing something difficult or scary, it motivates you to try it because you know someone like you has already done it. In his essay, Wallace discusses some of the ways he encountered racism from white people in his childhood: "When I was twelve, a white man drove by in a car and threw a milkshake at me as I rode a skateboard" (Wallace, 2). However, after observing Obama's ability to overcome racism against him, Wallace gained something valuable: "When Barack Obama first campaigned for President, he ran on hope. But hope, I have come to feel, is only needed by the fearful. What his presidency left me with is power "(Wallace, 4). In the last paragraph, Wallace describes how he came to fear white racism almost completely after having experienced it himself. Nevertheless, seeing how Obama fought against racism makes him realize that representation does not give hope, for hope is a feeling of fear. Instead, representation gives you the power to fight back. Motivating people is possible through representation. Once motivated, people can begin telling their own stories. They will each be unique and offer a different perspective.

Representatives from new backgrounds can bring to life new types of ideas. In some cases, the representation may aim to depict the world as realistically as possible. Alternatively, it may have more abstract goals, such as describing people, objects, experiences, and ideas. Depending on the context and culture of our experiences, there are many ways to see the world. Therefore, representation cannot accurately represent the world, but rather offers another way of experiencing it. Brooks Barnes is a reporter for The New York Times who specializes in Hollywood coverage. In his article "With 'Turning Red,' a Bid Red Panda Helps Break a Glass Ceiling" he talks about Domee Shi and her story. Domee Shi is a Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter of Chinese descent. Pixar has employed her as a storyboard artist since 2011, contributing to multiple films, including Inside Out, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4. Also, a short film by Shi named Bao was released in 2018 and a feature film titled Turning Red is scheduled to debut in 2022. Eventually, because of these two films, Shi became the first woman to direct a short film and then be named the sole director of Pixar's feature film. At the 91st Academy Awards, Bao won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Additionally, it was nominated for the 43rd Annie Awards, the International Online Cinema Award, and the Tribeca Film Festival. The article by Barnes discusses how the movie 'Turning Red' became a form of representation in which Shi stood for Chinese culture and the women's period, "On Twitter, people have been celebrating Mei's[ Main Character in Turning Red Movie] story as long overdue. 'Finally, my anxious Asian girl representation,' one user wrote. The Pixar film has also sparked a wider conversation about how periods are portrayed by Hollywood in general. (Usually with a fair amount of shame and disgust)". The point is that Barner shows how Shi created a representation no one had ever thought of, by creating a film based on a new kind of thought, proving ideas from diverse backgrounds can make one feel represented. Through the use of original representations. It would be possible for people to recognize their own identity at some point when they were able to see a representation that best suited them.

The power of representation is the ability to make someone aware of their identity. Harry Joseph Lennix III is a popular American actor known for his roles in The Five Heartbeats and Dollhouse as Terry "Dresser" Williams and Boyd Langton, respectively. Lennix backs this point of view by saying, "People learn who they are by the images of themselves, the representations that they seek" (Harry Lennix). Through this quote, Lennix makes people realize that when you have someone who represents who you are, you know who you are. They also gain the courage to tell the world who they are. Your people deserve someone that positively represents them, so discontinue hiding.