A Lesson in TokenismâŠ.The Young & the Restlessâ Diversity Problem
Being a Soap fan is not for the weak at heart. Any long time Soap viewer knows that the #1 rule of Soap viewing is âdonât get too investedâ. Whether itâs a favorite character, favorite couple or even a show, there are absolutely no guarantees in the Soap World. Well, maybe thereâs oneâŠ. If youâre employed as an actor on the CBSâ âThe Young and the Restlessâ and youâve portrayed the character of Neil Winters for over two decades youâre probably winning, even when youâre supposedly âlosingâ.
Itâs no secret that Hollywood has a diversity problem. Currently shows like Empire, Scandal, Blackish, Jane the Virgin and Fresh off the Boat would lead you to believe that there are opportunities galore for minorities in Hollywood. However, given the fact that in the next census, minorities will be the majority, diversity on our Movie and TV screens still has a long road ahead of it. Especially, in the Soap World.
Daytime has a long storied history of being popular with Black viewers with âThe Young and the Restlessâ being crowned as Queen! That throne isnât by happenstance. The âYoung and the Restlessâ first resonated with Black viewers due to the creation of the Barbers/Winterâs family by the late William Bell. For the first time, a Black family had all the layers, drama, writing, investment and airtime as its White counterparts. Drucilla, Liv, Mamie, Nate, Neil and Malcolm werenât just âtokensâ, they were a multi-faceted representation of the Black family. Mr. Bell took a chance on bringing diversity to the forefront of âThe Young and the Restlessâ. In doing so, he proved that viewers are more progressive than the Executives and Showrunners give them credit for. Viewers just want a great story and the Barber/Winterâs family delivered in spades.
Fast forward to 2015, and the Winterâs family is on screen, although the faces have changed. We now have the patriarch Neil heading the family with his children Lily, Devon, young Moses and their collective families. Funny thing is, this feels different. How you ask? For one, where is the matriarch? Daytime is known for its over-the-top and outlandish drama. However, itâs also known for its tradition and nothing is more traditional that a family nucleus. Now, I know we all know the story, Drucilla Winters went over that cliff in 2007, but what most refuse to acknowledge is that the Barber/Winterâs family free-falled over it with her. The layered, dramatic, nuanced family that we loved didnât survive and what replaced it was the very âtokenismâ that Mr. Bell fought against.
âTokenismâ is defined as âthe practice of making only a symbolic effort to a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups to give the appearance of equalityâ. Sound familiar? Are light bulbs going off yet? Remember when I stated earlier that the family feels different? Well this is whyâŠ.
What other Legacy family on âThe Young and the Restlessâ has lived over a decade in an apartment, but were millionaires? What other Legacy family isnât allowed to procreate to ensure a younger generation and what other Legacy family has a revolving door of matriarchs? A revolving door that consists of Women of Color, mostly Black, who are discarded like garbage when they no longer served a purpose to the story. Â Â Â
That leads me back to my opening paragraph. Remember that blurb I wrote about there being âno guaranteesâ in Soaps, except Neil probably winning? That symbolic effort we talked about⊠well here is the end result.  Hollywood has a history of there âOnly Being Oneâ. If youâre a minority reading this, you probably know exactly what Iâm referring too. That âOnly Oneâ for âThe Young and the Restlessâ is Neil Winters. Itâs the reason why every story in the Winterâs world is Neil centric & all stories are written from his Point of View. Itâs the reason why every Woman of Color on the show at some point has a sexual relationship with him. Itâs the reason why extremely talented actors like Shemar Moore, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Bryton James and Terrell Tilford will never be allowed to lead, itâs the reason why even someone as esteemed as Debbi Morgan was tossed aside without a backwards glance and itâs the reason why even though Hevon is one of the most popular couples in Daytime, their storyline is exclusively led by Neil. Until âThe Young and the Restlessâ truly commits to diversity again, instead of âtokenismâ there will âOnly Be Oneâ. Hence, Neil Winters keeps winning. He gets the point of view, the friends, the career, the children and most assuredly claim on every Woman of Color on screen (regardless of age) and everyone else, including viewers, get nothing. Because in âtokenismâ the only one that wins is the âtokenâ.
CBS Entertainment Diversity twitter account is known for keeping us in the loop on all the strides theyâre taking to create a culture of âreal inclusivenessâ and diversity. They more than anyone should know that the current Winterâs family isnât it. So for the sake of your loyal and dedicated fans, CBS Daytime needs to ask itself the questions: Would Hevon âThe Most Romantic Couple in Daytimeâ be sidelined indefinitely if they werenât black and why arenât Emmy winners Christel Khalil, Bryton James and the vastly popular Mishael Morgan leading their own storylines as their White peers. At one point, in the not so distant past, âThe Young and the Restlessâ stood for something more than âtoken diversityâ. As a 30 year viewer, I sincerely hope that we get back to that. Â âThe Young and the Restlessâ has and can have more than just âThe Only Oneâ.
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