Why Does A White Person Need To Class Himself As A 'person Of Colour' So As To Benefit From Tax Payers Arts Funding?

[anotheoldgit]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6350675/White-theatre-director-classes-born-African.html

[Old_Geezer]

Be fair ! He identifies as a black skinned man.

[Zacs-Master]

Because the industry is dominated by white people, Maybe?

[THECORBYLOON]

He has thought of himself as black for a fair few year prior to the application.

" In 2012 he said: 'Although I'm white, with white parents, I have gone through the struggles of a black man, a black actor.' 

In 1990 the 24-year-old Lennon appeared in a BBC Everyman drama documentary exploring race called Chilling Out.

Speaking on his identity he said: 'When I'm alone in my bedroom looking in the mirror, thinking about stuff I've written down, thinking about my past relationship-wise, pictures on the wall, I think I'm a black man. I've not said that to anyone. And I won't say it outside.'"

[archibaldy]

Government funding is rife with people and organisations attempting to secure money by stretching the bounds of truth or even plain lying as to why they are eligible for it. Happens in every sector, technology, science, environment, and obviously the arts.

[AuntLydia]

Looking at him he looks of part African decent, his nose is not Caucasian. Maybe his mother had an affair who knows.

People in the Arts world have been taking the mickey for years getting money for 'Art' which is no better than an 8 year old could do. He is no different.

[Old_Geezer]

Is the larger question not, why there is discriminatory racist art funding anyway ?
I'm sure there is some invalid excuse for perpetuating any unfair status quo.

[mushroom25]

seems you can self-identify as anything you like now, and society has to respect it. now I wonder if virgin trains will honour the child train ticket I have as a self-identified 11 year old?

[kvalidir]

//People in the Arts world have been taking the mickey for years getting money for 'Art' which is no better than an 8 year old could do. He is no different.//

Depends if you're in the 'Philistine' camp or the 'emperor's New clothes' camp really. Art is all things to all people, some you like and 'get' some you don't and well, 'don't'.

[anotheoldgit]

I could imagine the outcry if a black person was forced to class themselves as a white person, so as to get funding primarily set aside for white persons only.

[Old_Geezer]

A fine excuse that allows the confident to do well by extracting the Michael.

[anneasquith]

He's not black . He's taking the pi** .

[kvalidir]

The thing is because of his appearance he will have had the same struggles as BAME actors, he won't get white roles, and there are fewer black roles in the UK, so yes he will have had issues with that and I can sympathise with that, but he's still not black, just caught between a rock and a hard place.

[AuntLydia]

kval I think there are more than two camps :-)

I love art galleries. many years ago OH and I were browsing a large art gallery somewhere, can't remember where, Anyway...This was an exhibition of Modern Art and we had perused abstract pictures, sculptures and the like trying to understand and give meaning to the pieces. Eventually we entered a room which was bare except for rolls of carpet laid against the wall. We pondered the meaning for a good few minutes , trying to work out what this meant..only to be interrupted by a workman who said 'sorry this room is closed we are laying new carpets'

lol true story!

[THECORBYLOON]

ANOTHEOLDGIT, is there currently a funding scheme only for white actors? Is there likely to be such a scheme in the near future?

Would you have the same opinions if you had been born black?

[kvalidir]

Lol that's funny. I went to a friend's installation and it was a room painted entirely yellow, walls, floor, ceiling with a little red dot high up on one wall. I must admit I didn't get that, and he explained to be it was representative of a blood spot in and egg, the fact that you are nurtured by the yolk, emerge as the fluffy yellow chick but you have been sent a warning right from the get go that life will take blood from you. It still didn't particularly appeal to me tbh, but it wasn't as blase as it at first appeared. Someone did the same theme for the House of Bernada Alba, so clearly not a unique concept either.

[anotheoldgit]

kvalidir

/// The thing is because of his appearance he will have had the same struggles as BAME actors, he won't get white roles, ///

The same as white actors won't get black rolls.

/// and there are fewer black roles in the UK, ///

That is because this country is primarily a white country

[AuntLydia]

Fewer Black roles? Every programme on TV whether it be News, Entertainment , Childrens or Documentary has Black and Asian people in it. Everything. Nothing at all wrong about that as it reflects our society in the UK, but I wish 'people' would stop harping on about white people getting all the roles as its just not true!

[kvalidir]

Actually statistically it is but I agree it will probably always be so because we are primarily a white country and if you have a realism production then you'll see a lot of pasty white dudes. I have by and large no objection to gender and colour blind casting, but I know a lot of people who have.

[naomi24]

He's self-identifying. All the rage and perfectly acceptable now ... I hear.

[anotheoldgit]

THECORBYLOON

/// ANOTHEOLDGIT, is there currently a funding scheme only for white actors? Is there likely to be such a scheme in the near
future? ///

I very much doubt it, wouldn't that be classed as racist?

/// Would you have the same opinions if you had been born black? ///

No because if I happened to be a black actor I would be receiving funding from the Arts Council.