The cultural left has a problem. It was on display during the 2016 election and it repeatedly plays out in Hollywood as well. Identity politics continue to distract and drag down the Democratic Party in one arena to the next, as pointed out by Mark Lilla in the New York Times and in even in Salon by Anis Shivani. If the rise of the Alt-Right has taught us anything, it is that the allure of identity politics is strong and dangerous, but still the Left persists.

In the pop culture arena, liberals have consistently pushed the idea that film and TV lacks diversity––which it does. Audiences must also be open to expanded representation on screen and embrace revisions to legacy characters whether it be their race, sexuality, or gender. Remember the flap over recasting James Bond as black? The message at the core of why audiences should be open to these changes has always been: this shouldn’t matter. What difference does it make if a character is white, black, gay, straight or something in between? That depends.