The Issue With Riverdale

The implementation of minorities is a more recent alteration in the media industry. Visible minorities such as those who belong to ethnic, racial, or sexual orientation groups have only made an appearance in mainstream media during the 20th century and were excluded prior to that time. From the mid 20th century to the present 21st century we have seen more faces of minorities thus increasing the overall diversity in media. Although the standard of diversity has increased over time, the execution of inserting minorities, specifically into television, has continued to be perforated with stereotypes and has condemned minorities to token roles. The current expectation of Western television is that it includes people from a variety of backgrounds, and to expand the stories being told so that everyone can relate to them. However, in the process of trying to achieve this, what often happens is that diversity is prioritised above inclusivity, which generates elements of tokenism and promotes negative stereotypes.

The phenomenon of tokenism suggests that there is a relationship between a sponsor, from the dominant class, and a token, from the deviant class. This relationship is bred where the dominant group is encouraged or forced to accept and include members from the deviant class. While the sponsor may create a bridge between their group and the excluded class, a numerous amount of restrictions disables the token’s mobility. Therefore, the token is never truly assimilated into the dominant group, rather their participation and voices are regulated to ensure they do not disrupt the system that is in place (Laws, 1975, pg. 51). Also, the dominant class numerically controls the admission of members from an underrepresented group, to keep further control of their system. Due to shallow intentions of there merely being representation from excluded groups, without actually including them, the token or few tokens who are present in a dominant setting are more likely to be subject to stereotyping from sponsors who do not want to take the time to understand them as individuals.

While this idea can be applied in several scenarios, it is especially apparent in the teen television drama, Riverdale, released in 2017 and based off of the characters from the Archie Comics. It focuses on the lives of a group of teenagers who live in a town called Riverdale. Upon its initial release this show, that has a primarily teen audience, was praised for its diversity and social progression because the main cast is made up of actors who not only are a diverse set of individuals, but are playing roles from different ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations. However, the stories and character developments within the show do not warrant praise for diversity because the series overall is riddled with stereotypes and token characters.

This piece will specifically address the treatment of four of the show's recurring or main, African American characters. Josie McCoy, Toni Topaz, Chuck Clayton, and Munroe “Mad Dog” Moore.

At the beginning of the series Josie McCoy was labeled as a main character. She is the lead singer and musician of her band Josie and the Pussycats. Her band is composed of two other Black women named Melody Valentine (portrayed by Asha Bromfield) and Valerie Brown (portrayed by Hayley Law) who do not receive major storylines. Josie is often seen to be a mark of Black excellence on the show, however, the treatment that Josie received throughout the series suggests otherwise. James L. Hilton and colleagues make the claim that although the number of Black faces has increased over time on screen, the roles they are given lack quality, and are minor roles that fit into the stories of the lead White characters (Hinton et al., 1974, pg. 424). This is especially apparent in the case of Josie. Although she is labeled as a main character and appeared on several promotional advertisements and posters for the show, the majority of her scenes are of either of her presenting a musical selection or standing on the sidelines. There was a segment of the show when she was romantically involved with the most prominent character, Archie Andrews (a White male), during which she received an increased amount of screen time. But as soon as their love story was cut off abruptly, her appearances again became limited. Overall her character is extremely undeveloped compared to the other main characters, and she fits the role of a minor character. Josie can be identified as a “token Black girl”, and is used to support the more “important” characters’ storylines.

The character Josie McCoy has since moved on to a spinoff show from Riverdale, in which she is pursuing a solo musical career. Her exit has now permitted for another African American woman to take on the token Black girl role, Toni Topaz. Toni Topaz belongs to a gang that lives in Riverdale and is in a relationship with another main character Cheryl Blossom (a White woman). Toni and Josie have existed on the show at the same time however it appears that, Toni gradually became more of a lead character as Josie gradually made her way out of Riverdale. This is evidence of what Judith Laws discusses in her article regarding tokenism, and how the number of members from an underrepresented group is regulated and/or limited. Despite the rising amount of screen time viewers do not get to know Toni more or connect with her like the rest of the leads. Most of the time Toni's role is to support Cheryl and to be her "sidekick" in all of her endeavours. Similar to Josie, Toni’s character does not receive much back story and is undeveloped, even though the intersectionality of her being a Black woman and bisexual would be an interesting point of conversation in today’s society.

Turning to another character, Chuck Clayton was an athlete at at Riverdale High School, who participated in both football and wrestling, and was aspiring to go on to play football in university (possibly enter into the sport professionally). Even though in the original Archie comics, Chuck is friends with all of the characters, in the TV series Chuck is perceived to be a villain. He is labeled as a person who objectifies women and uses them for his own sexual gratification and is seen to be a threat to all the female characters in the show. In addition, one of his major storylines was his role in a sexual assault incident with one of the main characters on the show, Veronica Lodge. As well, physically, he is quite muscular (especially for his age) which enhances his dominance. All together, Chuck’s character parallels the negative stereotypes of a Black man by representing him as an overall danger to society. Specifically, his interactions with the White or non-Black individuals in Riverdale, reveal that his character relies on similar narratives of the films, Birth of a Nation (1915), and King Kong (1933). In both films there is a theme that results of Black men being a threat to White women, a symbol of pureness and innocence of the time period, by being stereotyped as a molester or inherently violent and dangerous. That stereotype mainly relies on the fear of a Black man’s masculinity and sexuality according to Ed Guerrero. (Guerrero, 1995, pg. 395). Chuck Clayton receives the same treatment by being developed into an animalistic, sexual predator, who needs to be controlled. In his most recent appearances they did present him as a reformed character by involving him in church activities and giving him a new hobby. But, those appearances were so brief it is difficult to remember him as reformed rather than a deviant.

Chuck Clayton's last appearance was in season 2, but in the more recent seasons of the series, another African American male role has developed. Munroe Moore, primarily known by his nickname, Mad Dog, is a former inmate at a juvenile detention centre, where he met Archie Andrews, and earned his nickname. He has a similar body frame to Chuck, and while in the detention centre was known for being one of the best boxers at an underground fight club and was often feared by other inmates because of it. However, after he leaves juvie, Archie helps him restart his life by encouraging him to re-enroll in high school and to join the football team. He later gets into college on a football scholarship and hopes to better the lives of his grandmother and younger brother who are living in poverty. Similar to Chuck, Munroe’s story is reflective of stereotypes of Black men that have been prevalent in society for a long time. Riverdale has initially framed him as animalistic, violent, and dangerous, just by simply giving him the nickname, Mad Dog, in addition to putting him in a juvenile detention centre and characterising him as someone who routinely fights other inmates. Also, they use Archie Andrews, who symbolises a “White saviour”, as a bridge to his success, because he is further stereotyped as unintelligent and incapable. Munroe ends up being framed more positively, but this narrative is based on him being an exception to the stereotypes of a Black man. For example, Ted Williams is a Black man who was an ex-radio host turned homeless drug addict who rose to fame after going viral on the internet for his extraordinary radio voice and then attains a life of success and prosperity (Gent, 2017, pg. 217). Whitney Gent suggests that he has gone through the process of tokenization because his success story allows him to take on the role of a hero that sustains the myth of an equal society and that everyone has equal access to opportunities even though that is not the case. The case of Ted Williams can be applied to Munroe Moore because he comes from a family of poverty, and was once in a juvenile detention centre, but has overcome all of that to reform his life.

Moreover, Hinton et al. discuss how the television industry is predominately controlled by Whites, and for that reason there is a discrepancy in Black representation on screen. For instance, there is a stereotype that Black individuals are not academically intelligent and therefore must choose career routes that do not require academics, such as those in the entertainment industry. This is reflective in the paths that Josie (singer), Chuck, and Munroe (both football players) have taken. Hence, Riverdale has represented the capabilities of Black individuals based on stereotypes and have presented them in one dimension.

As previously stated, the television series Riverdale has been acclaimed for putting forth a diverse cast of different backgrounds and sexual orientations. But in reality, the producers and writers of the show put in a little amount of effort into accentuating the diversity of the actors' and actresses’ actual heritages and backgrounds on screen, as seen by the depictions of black characters on the show. The limited number of black people at one given time in the show, and lack of character development, demonstrates that because in today’s society, diversity is required, the creators of Riverdale have opted to utilize tokenism to satisfy the viewers’ standards and offer a false narrative. It is also important to note that the remedy to solve this is not to give all minorities perfect or positive storylines. Minorities can be seen in a negative light considering they obviously are human and may make mistakes. However, when their characters are not given the same consideration and time to be developed, and when they are limited in numbers, the practice of inclusion has vanished, and leads to the additional use of stereotypes to tell their stories. The ultimate consequence, is that the misrepresentations of Black individuals, and other minorities, on Riverdale can lead viewers, especially those who are young, impressionable, and/or are not exposed to black history and culture, to begin to believe the stereotypes that are placed in front of them, which could result in discrimination and a greater divide.

References:

Gent, W. (2017). Tokenism and Cultural (Mis)Recognition in the “Man with the Golden Voice.” Howard Journal of Communications, 28(3), 217–233.

Guerrero, E. (1995). The Black Man on Our Screens and the Empty Space in Representation. Callaloo, 18(2), 395–400.

Hinton, J. L., Seggar, J. F., Northcott, H. C., & Fontes, B. F. (1974). Tokenism and improving imagery of blacks in TV drama and comedy: 1973. Journal of Broadcasting, 18(4), 423–432.

Laws, J. L. (1975). The psychology of tokenism: An analysis. Sex Roles, 1(1), 51–67.