"Rabbit-Proof Fence"

     The world we are living in is becoming more and more diverse. And because of this, it is important that our media reflects this growing diversity, especially children's media because it is the children that will be growing up in this diverse place.

     There are two main ways to address diversity in the media. The first way is to simply show it. Movies like The Fast and the Furious franchise are diverse because they boast a multi-ethnic cast. Comic books can be diverse when they change the main character, such as having Miles Morales (half Black half Hispanic) replace Peter Parker as Spider-Man or by having a woman become Thor. By having characters that are minorities, diversity can be shown. This approach typically does not address political issues.

     The other way is to address political topics related to diversity, such as racism and bigotry. And because these topics are being covered, having a diverse cast is usually necessary. Books like Baseball Saved Us deals with what it was like being Japanese during WWII. The recent film Selma, is about the Civil Rights movements in the 60s. These texts examine at how dogmatism and prejudice affects those around us.

     Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) falls into the second category. This film is based on a true  story about three half caste (half Aborigine and half white) girls that were taken from their home because of the Half-Caste Act. They are placed into a camp where they destined to be assimilated into the white, European culture. However, these girls escape and try to return home.

     The act was passed, essentially, as a way to slowly absorb the Aborigines into the white culture. They want to get rid of diversity by eliminating the natives. In a chilling scene towards the beginning of the film, A. O. Neville, Chief Protector of Aborigines, explains how marrying half-castes to white people will eventually remove all trace of their ethnic heritage.

     People like Neville think they are helping the Aborigine people by re-educating and assimilating their children into the European culture. However, the only thing they are doing is harming families and reducing diversity.

     However, the film does not make everything black and white, instead there were shades of grey. There were white people who helped the three girls in their journey. Also, there were natives who lied to them and tried to help recapture them. Just as people are diverse in their skin colors, they are equally diverse in their intentions and character.

     As I was watching this film, it made me wonder how different the world would be if the Europeans were merely travelers and traders, instead of colonizers. How rich would the Aboriginal and Australian cultures be if they were never interfered with by people who thought it knew better? What would South America be like if the Spanish Conquerors had not actually conquered anything?

     Because of modern technology, our world is becoming more diverse, because we can more readily see and experience cultures not our own. At the same time, because we have all these different cultures at our fingertips, we are blending them together and creating one world-culture. Because of this, it is important to include diversity in our media. Having diverse media is important because it can help people better understand those of a different culture. Diverse media can also help maintain and prolong cultures that are in danger of being enveloped in the world-culture.