This essay will discuss how the American TV show How to Get Away with Murder, HTGAWM, implements the idea of ​​colorblind ideology to some extent. It will also examine the show in relation to colorblind ideology through the story's plot and racial changes in society, advocating the use of blind casting and also addressing the issues that arise from it. It will conclude how the colorblind ideology affected the overall production of the show and whether the show successfully implements the ideology. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayHTGAWM, is an American ABC television drama that follows Annalize Keating, a criminal defense lawyer and professor, and her students who become involved in a murder. It originally aired more than 5 years ago on September 25, 2014, currently five seasons have been released and there is talk of a sixth. The show is produced by Shonda Rhime, known for Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. She is also known for using the color blind casting technique otherwise known as blind casting within her shows. HTGAWM uses the elements of a non-linear narrative through flashforwards, flashbacks, and time frames to help guide each season. Racial views within American society have changed over the years, one of the most significant changes for this would be when the Civil Rights Movement Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed and Jim Crow laws were removed . Jim Crow laws were enforced in the late 1800s and early 1900s and were designed to enforce segregation between blacks and whites. This was evident in places such as bathrooms, schools and transport. Because of these laws, up to 6 million African Americans moved from the South, this is often known as the Great Migration. The abolition of this law and the establishment of the others were important steps within their society as they successfully removed all barriers that existed for the African American community. This meant that any remaining racial inequalities were due to a person's choice and not a policy. Furthermore, at the heart of colorblind ideology, people believed that racism was no longer part of the American social structure. However, it is believed that the colorblind era and the rise of post-racial politics did not truly begin until 2008, with the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American president. With the election it seemed to be a new era for America due to their racial history with slavery and Jim Crow laws which included heavy segregation. While many people hoped that his presidency would bring the new era of a more racially accepting society, it actually showed an increase in racism within the country. In addition to this, Obama himself stated: ''After my election, there was talk of a post-racial America. This vision, however well intentioned, was never realistic. Race remains a powerful and often divisive force in our society." This statement alone proves that even though America had overcome a major obstacle in achieving a post-racial society, it could never be one hundred percent free of racism since racism is and will always be a part of society. Having this ideology that race can be ignored also led to the birth of colorblind casting. Color blindness is the assertion that race does not matter in American society. The idea that color doesn't matter has led to the rise of color-blind casting, as briefly mentioned before.This type of casting is done when characters are created without an ethnic origin, this allows anyone to be chosen for the role while looking for the perfect candidate without taking ethnicity into account. HTGAWM does this successfully as the show has an extremely diverse cast and doesn't use any of their backgrounds to give them a label. The cast itself is made up of student interns, employees and lovers of the female protagonist. Within the series, Annalize Keating brings 5 ​​of her students, known as the Keating Five, to work in her law firm with two of her assistants. Both of his assistants are white and the Keating Five are made up of two white Americans, two African Americans and one Latino. Besides this, the series introduces a Filipino-American who is the gay lover of Connor, one of the white Americans. However, by using color-blind casting, the show ignores the possibility of fully representing American society. For example, in the show Annalize Keating is a black lawyer who teaches at a law school where several people of mixed ethnicity attend her seminar. This clearly does not reflect American society as the courtroom would not be as diverse with only 35% of lawyers being women and 8.1% of lawyers being women of color. Furthermore, with this figure, it is even rarer for Annalize to be a lawyer since she is also part of the LGBTQ group that falls below 3%. In general, critics have a problem with this type of ideology as they believe it takes away people's identities, ignores racist experiences, and is inherently racist due to its ignorance of what American society is actually like. The ideology is probably implemented within the show through the character of Annalize Keating because within the series everyone admires her for her amazing skills as a lawyer. This essentially removes her racial identity within the show as many people just want to learn from her, the character is also part of a mixed race relationship. Because of all of this, it's arguable that his character is the facilitator of color blindness within the series. His character also makes up the motley crew, the Keating Five, that the show centers on. However, within HTGAWM one could argue that the show attempted to break out of colorblindness through the character of Wes. This is due to the race of first instance being mentioned or referred to in the series in the second episode, titled It's All His Fault, when two characters question Wes' position in the Keating Five. During this conversation, a racist joke is made that Wes and Annalize might be related. ''Maybe he's her secret baby and she gave him up for adoption and he doesn't even know it?'' This is immediately dismissed with disapproval and creates the impression that one of the characters is slightly racist. This creates a strong connection to American society as even though it was intended as a joke, it came across racism and racism is still a dominant feature in American society. Another example of when race is mentioned is again through Wes when he refers to his racial background, in the first season, where he tells his girlfriend that he was "the only black kid in town". His ethnic origin is no longer mentioned or amplified further in his character. However, glossing over the issues through Wes could be seen as disrespectful because they don't go into clear details, they only mention his background. In this way, they show recognition of racial awareness, but by not exploring it, they miss the opportunity to show the audience that the world is not free of "race." Taking into accountof all this, it can be argued that while the show acknowledges racism, it doesn't utilize the cast's ethnic backgrounds unless necessary for the plot to progress and make sense. Within episode six, season one race is a central theme of the episode, the episode is titled "Freakin' Whack-a-Mole". Within the episode follows Annalize who appeals a case for David Allen who was imprisoned for killing his white girlfriend. This episode creates a backstory for Annalize's character as the case originally opened her eyes "to the fact that the justice system doesn't always reward people who tell the truth, but those who create their own." ''This refers to the injustice within the legal system and how innocent people have suffered as a result. An article published in 2014, approximately 5 months before the show's premiere, stated that approximately 4.1% of incarcerated people were wrong (Hughes, 2014). Since the show included such a controversial topic, it would shed light on the justice system and how they deal with each case. Tying back to what Obama said about race remaining an important part of American society, within the show Annalize says something very similar. "Racism is baked into America's DNA, and as long as we turn a blind eye to the pain of those who suffer under its oppression, we will never escape those origins... Because of the failure of our justice system, our defense system posts in particular, Jim Crow is alive and well. This quote is from episode thirteen of season four, titled Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This statement, combined with what Obama said, suggests that while the show attempts to promote this ideal colorblind world, accomplishes what society needs to change to achieve something similar, as well as highlighting that a colorless society is almost impossible if the show chose to completely ignore the ideology, racial background of the characters would be further amplified and written into their character development. However, if this were to happen, all the characters we met in the show would be subject to acting on their ethnicity. For example, Latino is expected to speak Spanish for the majority of each season or episode. African Americans would face direct racism while the two white Americans would live a privileged life doing what is expected of them. Having the show ignore the ideology altogether would cause it to branch into different territories, making it harder for the show to maintain its current non-linear narrative structure. This is because the structure of the series itself simply wouldn't have the time or space to directly accommodate the ethnic issues of each character in the series. To add character ethnicities, the overall structure would have to change substantially ruining the show. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In summary, HTGAWM, depicts race and racial diversity within the show. But it also describes a post-racial narrative structure that relies on a color-blind logic in which characters have been deracialized. The show also helps bring society closer to a post-racial era by ignoring the characters' backgrounds and making everyone seem normal. Normalization of non-racialized characters exemplifying the liberal individualist discourse of a post-racial America. Overall, the show works as a way to represent the current views society has on racism while ignoring race altogether. So. 637.