I don't make much of it tbh, because it isn't race-blind casting. It's casting along a political spectrum. If the casting were race blind, then we'd see an amalgam of different races within the same families in Bridgerton. That's not the case. The casting was deliberately inclusive, but it wasn't race blind. There were white families, there were black families and there were indian families. You'd have to be pretty lucky as a blind person to sort people into families like that.
If we're prepared to call it inclusive casting, then I don't really have a problem with it - but let's not pretend it isn't putting a political and social position front and centre in the arts. And if we're going to put that political position front and centre, then we need to discuss what that looks like in practice - because it seems incredibly one sided. If you have open casting, you have open casting. If you're not horrified at the thought of a demonstrably white historical figure like Anne Boleyn being played by a black actor, then you should also not be horrified by the reverse either - would people be happy with Frederick Douglass being played by a white actor? And if not, why not?
The answer is no, because it would be racist and insensitive. And that's also fine... but such a position has to cut both ways. You can't use a political position to justify one set of rules for one people and one set of rules for another. If what you want is an end to people playing any race/sex/gender that isn't their own then fine (I'd disagree with you). If you want more inclusive casting then it has to be universally applied across an entire industry and not just when it plays into an existing narrative and benefits only one group of people. That type of shamfuckery does little more than piss people off.
And for what it's worth, I think the problem here isn't really the casting. The problem comes with the fact that the people making top level decisions in theatre and TV are doing their virtue signalling bit for other people higher up in the industry. It's circle jerk of privilege masquerading as inclusivity. When those people learn the best thing would be for THEM to cede their jobs to minorities, we'll have a more inclusive industry. That tends not to occur to them though.... they're the good white folk, sitting at the top of the white pyramid doing their best to be inclusive (just not for their jobs).
And them my thoughts. I don't expect them to be popular - but they are a true reflection of the Penguin position. :o)
