I haven’t seen any comments on Hollywood’s impact on the election, and perhaps it’s because it’s so obvious. But: bias and prejudice don’t disappear overnight. People often need to be shown a vision of how things could be. And that vision has to be prevalent enough to seem normal, so that we are willing to accept it.
When I was growing up in the 60’s, it was really not imaginable to many of us that a black man would become president. We didn’t label it, but it was something we sort of knew. And actually, when you think about how outstandingly intelligent, informed, statuesque and, well, presidential Barack Obama is, it’s kind of surprising that Tuesday’s landslide didn’t encompass even more "land"... but I digress.
When I think of why this election result was possible, one thing that comes to mind is the movie "Independence Day". Yes, it was a cheesy jingoistic B movie, with a huge advertizing budget to probably overcome the fact that there wasn’t much there. What it did do is draw you in, make you part of the high action / low social significance story, and make you identify strongly with the protagonist, Will Smith. He was an ordinary guy, in some military branch or the other, with a wife and kid and a sense of what’s right and what’s American. He was "everyman", and he was clever. And he was black. And at the end of that movie, he had saved the planet from, well, whatever. You came away feeling good, and feeling strong identification with the hero, who was just another American like you and I.
OK, this is a stupid example and I should get out more. But the point is that this is one of many films where people of color have a significant role, from high ranking generals to president of the US. And I mainly mean in roles where race had nothing particular to do with the story. I remember reading that Nichelle Nichols once met Dr. Martin Luther King. She told him that she was thinking of leaving Star Trek because she thought it was not a very serious part and was not furthering her career. Dr. King told her that it was really important that she continue, because she was an invaluable role model for so many kids. Ms. Nichols apparently took this to heart, and we all owe her since she probably believed she was sacrificing her career at the time, although I think it did work out OK for her in the end. The original Star Trek TV series seems rather sexist these days, but as a kid I remember thinking that this is how the world would be in the future, when there were no boundaries. It helped open my eyes to how silly it is to have arbitrary divisions between people. And it seemed so right, so natural: people were all the same, really. So obvious, really.
There are many examples of such movies, and obviously some highly important films like "Guess who’s coming to dinner" where the topic was taken up head-on. And of course real, accomplished people in the real world make a massive difference as well (so, all us gay people, take notice and come out!) But it’s often just the day by day little things that gradually change everything.
So: thank you Nichelle, and thank you Hollywood!