Albinos The pigmentally challenged are up in arms over the Da Vinci Code. They say it's unfair that, once again, an albino portrays a villain on screen:
Michael McGowan, an albino who heads the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, said "The Da Vinci Code" will be the 68th movie since 1960 to feature an evil albino.
"Silas is just the latest in a long string," McGowan said. "The problem is there has been no balance. There are no realistic, sympathetic or heroic characters with albinism that you can find in movies or popular culture."
Excuse me, but what about Powder? Dude had super powers! Maybe he wasn't realistic, but he wasn't these guys either.
(Via blog.bioethics.net.)
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In a visual medium, visually "interesting" people will be cast in extremes. It's tough on everyone who doesn't fit into the "norm". That doesn't explain the albinos in the book, though, but nothing rational can explain that book.
BTW, I recall really enjoying Powder.
Dear Hollywood: Since you have not responded to our previous warnings, we have had no choice but to move forward with phase II of our operation. We shall unleash the very powers of red-eyed Hell upon you. Blood shall run in the streets, and all who stereotype albinos and people with hypopigmentation shall suffer for their sins. Soon you will pray for the sweet release of death that does not come. You laughed -- laughed! -- at our previous press release. You called us mad! Well, who's laughing now, melanin-boy? Who's laughing now?
The only question is, why did they wait so long to complain?
Ken and Andy tackled this weighty topic on last night's episode of "Seven Second Delay" on WFMU ("Apology to Albinos"). I didn't listen long enough to see if McGowan phoned in or not, but I'm sure the issue was resolved (most likely in a less-than-positive fashion).
I'm actually sympathetic to the situation, seeing as how I have slightly more pigmentation on a dusty day than Edgar Winter, but I'm rather curious about how the NOAH is going to react to the currently in-development film adaptation of Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone books. Will they exult in an albino hero with considerable sex appeal, or will they rage over how Elric isn't exactly a nice guy? (This is more than an academic question: considering my hair and skin tone, I'd like to be able to deal with logic issues at work by raising Occam's Razor over my head and screaming "Blood and souls for my lord Arioch!" without getting strange looks.)
The Malian movie La Genèse has a leading positive role played by an albino actor, with no particular comment on that fact as far as I could tell. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think albinism is considerably more common in parts of Africa than in Europe (I do know that of the dozen or so real-life albino people I've seen or read about, all but one have been of African origin). So, even though there's undoubtedly widespread stigma against albinism in Africa, there might be a better chance for albino actors to play "normal" roles if they're more familiar.