StraightBOS:
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If the movies are good and the characters are not streotypical then how can the lack of Black characters automatically equal racism?
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Lack of black characters do not automatically equal racism. However, there are occasions where blacks are eliminated from when clearly there is a place for them.
For example "Enemy of the State" with Will Smith. I took a class on black film and our professor pointed this out to us. Will Smith and his wife and the little son are the only blacks featured in the film. This movie was supposedly filmed in Washington D.C. where close to 85% of the people there are Black. However, the extras in the film were white. The film inaccurately depicted the racial make-up of the city. Everyone walking on the street, working in the stores was white. Not even a black cop! This is ridiculous when the movie is filmed in a town called "Chocolate City".
The erasure of blacks is a way of whiting out America. Blacks not being present in films shows how people see blacks as being insignificant to society. It also helps perpetuate the idea to be American you must be white (b/c many people in other countries associate American=white). 'm not saying that this was done maliciously. However, it lends to the racism that is institutionalized. Something doesn't have to be overt to be racist.