DEI created The Odyssey mess. The Right is making it worse
Last year, when I learned that Christopher Nolan was adapting Homer’s epic The Odyssey into a film, I got giddy. It’s one of the greatest stories ever told, yet it has never been adapted properly. The 1954 Kirk Douglas film Ulysses was forgettable, and the 1997 TV miniseries starring Armand Assante was plastic.
TL;DR
- Christopher Nolan is adapting Homer's *The Odyssey*, with potential casting of Matt Damon.
- Lupita Nyong'o, of Kenyan descent, is reportedly cast as Helen of Troy, sparking criticism.
- Critics like Matt Walsh and Elon Musk claim the casting is due to Hollywood's "woke" diversity standards and Oscar baiting.
- The Academy's "Representation and Inclusion Standards" (effective 2024) may influence diverse casting for award eligibility.
- Nolan previously faced criticism for a perceived lack of diversity in his film *Dunkirk*.
- The article argues that the Right's rejection of DEI risks mirroring identity-driven politics.
- Some criticism of Nyong'o's casting has been described as nasty and counterproductive.
- The article concludes that DEI ideology should be rejected, but the focus should be on the ideology itself, not individual artists.
- The author suggests that America's aspiration to treat people as individuals is being undermined by race essentialism.