![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Impacts of increased ethnic representation in the entertainment industry
October 25, 2018
This September, I went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, and saw Snow in Midsummer, a play based off of an ancient Chinese operatic performance.
What was special about this show was that all of the actors in it were East Asian, and it drastically increased the character’s believability, because as the show progressed, the way the players onstage could connect and understand the traditions, cultures, and beliefs that they were portraying became more and more evident. For example, The Great Wall had Matt Damon starring in a film flooded with Chinese culture, and we all know how that turned out.
When the cultural background of the story is intimately familiar to the actors, they are able to portray their roles with an ease that is readily apparent. The actors and the audience are proud of their culture and enjoy the show immensely.
Imagine if “Crazy Rich Asians” was acted by an entirely white cast. Not only would it be disrespectful towards the cultures depicted, but it would also just be cultural appropriation at its finest. Instead, the all American-Asian cast, which included such stars as Constance Wu, from ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, and Michelle Yeoh, from Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, and Hidden Dragon, among others, created an amazing film that achieved a 92 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Through 2018, more and more ethnic groups have been increasingly represented on the big screen, in films like Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time. “Crazy Rich Asians” is one of the most well known of these.
This increase in representation of different ethnic groups in Hollywood has added entertainment value of the films in question and bolstered the support of the films by the newly represented groups.
A key benefit of having actors of a certain group portray characters of that group is that the quality of the acting experiences a marked increase. Say for example a white male actor is attempting to play the role of an Asian man. The actor has to interpret the values of a culture he is not a part of on top of delivering a good performance. Meanwhile, if an Asian actor plays the same role, they don’t have to concentrate on such a thing, and can, therefore, concentrate more upon their acting. The audience also finds the Asian actor more convincing and believable, because there is no visual contrast between the character and the actor. Imagine a Japanese actor starring in the 2017 remake of Ghost In The Shell, would that not have improved the movie greatly?
The representation of actors from all races and creeds also causes the represented groups to feel a connection to the actors that inspire them. When the young viewers of the show see people just like them up on the big screen, or in center stage, they gain role models they can look up to and aspire to be like one day. Their representation in the entertainment industry has inspired them.
Ultimately, the increase in representation is a good start, but the journey is far from over. Hopefully, the success of movies like “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Ocean’s 8” will motivate Hollywood to produce more amazing movies with actors that stay true to their cultures.
