'Master of None' demonstrates increasing diversity in the media

Montserrat Rivera
Staff Writer

      Diversity in media is a very important thing; most T.V. shows and movies consist of mainly Caucasian characters. Their definition of “diverse” is a group of people with one person of color. There is an increasing amount of diversity in the media, with more shows and movies including characters who are not all Caucasian. A recent show that has a lot of variety is the Netflix original Master of None, created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang. Yang had previously worked as a writer for the show Parks and Recreation, which starred Ansari, and the series led him to stardom. Parks and Recreation also has a more varying cast. Another show with characters of various ethnic backgrounds is Orange is The New Black, which consists of a cast that is mainly women of different races and body types.

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      When there is a show with characters who are not male, or Caucasian, they may be used as props in show. Very rarely is there a well-rounded female or non-white character. So, when a show like Master of None does come around, it is a gift to all viewers. Although Yang does mention that the great diversity in the cast was not intentional, he says they “just asked the casting director to find interesting and cool people.” Master of None follows the struggles of the main character, Dev (played by Ansari). Dev is an actor who desires to move on from commercials to movies; he faces issues in this career with a racist comment in an email from a producer, and he is losing jobs because he refuses to speak in a stereotypical Indian accent. The show brings light to sexism not only in the entertainment business but in a woman’s daily life along with immigration since Dev is the son of two immigrants from India.
      ​Masters of None is a great example of how media is changing, allowing for actors of different ethnicities to have an opportunity in the entertainment business. This kind of change is a fantastic thing; good representation is important because it gives others a better perspective of someone else’s life. It also is good for young children to see someone like them in movies or on T.V.