As we continue to have progressive discussions, we have begun questioning how much the media impacts our perceptions of the self and others. Our sense of identity is highly impacted by the entertainment representation we see; we model our behaviors after those who we come to identify with.
Hence, it is important that as we socially progress, we begin to include well-rounded and in-depth characters that do not only serve one purpose: to make the diversity count.
Token characters are characters created for the sole purpose of making the diversity count and attract marginalized viewers. They are usually, if not always, basked in the stereotypes of their assigned ethnicity/race. Their behavior is predictable and, usually, a sidekick or there for comedic relief. In worse situations, they are there for the development of a white, cis-het character.
Though the pool of token characters is huge, including characters like Rocky from Shake It Up, Andrea from Ghost Whisperer, and Winston from New Girl, Olivia from On my Block is a star example.
Since the show is set in South Central Los Angeles, it follows low income, marginalized kids through their High School turmoil. Olivia is one of those characters; she is meant to be Hispanic though is portrayed by a white woman (Ronni Hawk) who is then given Spanish lines that she cannot properly pronounce. Of course, she is edgy and loud, but also has some redeeming stereotypical traits like confidence, and family-oriented.
Not only is Ronni Hawk a white woman playing a Hispanic character, but she has had to apologize for previous political tweets that conflict with the show’s premises. One of those tweets is in support of former President Donald Trump, while others are against gun control after the Parkland massacre. This is ironic considering her character was killed by a gunshot wound and so were other characters directly affected by gun violence. It is oftentimes this representation that perpetuates the common belief that low-income, marginalized kids are somehow involved with gun violence or violence in general.
As mentioned, Olivia was killed off anyway. There was no point in her character, one may argue; she was simply there for the development of another character, Rudy. It is this ending along with the backlash received by Ronni Hawk for her tweets that set off the angry discourse on Twitter about token characters.
Twitter user @gihzell stated, “ok I […] LOVE on my block but its so […] disappointing and disgusting how they used Ronni Hawk, a WHITE female AND trump supporter, to play the role as a WOC.” @gihzell’s tweet summarizes the rage felt by many Hispanics and others who recognized Olivia to be a token character.
@Blanca__star spoke about the unison of the Hispanic community stating, “nothing beats the time when basically the whole latinx community united to get ronni hawk fired from on my block […].” Now whether Olivia died because she simply served her purpose as a character for the development of another character, or Ronni Hawk’s backlash, we might never know.
Because of the progress we have made, however, we have some incredible Hispanic actors that are played by Hispanic individuals. My brother finds Cisco Ramon from The Flash to be an admirable, super smart and funny character.
Cisco is well rounded and his ethnicity is not at the forefront of his character, if at all. He is there because he is part of a team, loves his friends, and is dedicated and disciplined to his sense of duty. He is an essential character within the Flash’s circle and continues to have his own independent storyline/ character development.
The Flash also has a Black female main character, Iris West-Allen. She is strong, family oriented, intelligent, and above all a great example to young Black girls. Marginalized characters are needed for the development of younger viewers who are looking for role models on the TV. Because entertainment and media are such big part of our everyday lives, we must shape it in the way so we can see what we would like the next generation to learn.
