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The depiction of albinism in popular culture, especially the portrayal of people with albinism in film and fiction, has been asserted by albinism organizations and others to be largely negative and has raised concerns that it reinforces, or even engenders, societal prejudice and discrimination against such people.〔("'Evil Albino' missing from 2004 movies. Will ''The Da Vinci Code'' revive the cliché?" ), The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, 6 January 2005; accessed 15 December 2006〕 This trend is sometimes referred to as the ''"evil albino" plot device'',〔 or ''albino bias''.〔("Matrix makers blast charge of albino-bias — Warner Bros. says blockbuster sequel in no way demeans pigment-challenged" ), by Joe Kovacs, ''WorldNetDaily'', 15 May 2003; accessed 15 December 2006.〕〔("New 'Matrix' Film Accused of Albino-Bias" ), by Cinnamon Stillwell, ''ChronWatch'', 16 May 2003; accessed 15 December 2006〕〔("Cold Mountain" ), at ''The Global Oneness Commitment'' archive; accessed 25 December 2006.〕 The "evil albino" stereotype or stock character is a villain in fiction who is depicted as being albinistic (or displaying physical traits usually associated with albinism, even if the term is not used), with the specific and obvious purpose of distinguishing the villain in question from the heroes by means of appearance.〔〔("Beyond the pale: Hollywood's unwritten rules for characters with albinism" ), ''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006〕 Traits of albinism commonly associated with the evil albino stereotype include pale skin, platinum blonde hair, and blue or pink-to-red eyes. Notably absent from most depictions is impaired vision, which is experienced by most real people with albinism.〔〔("Furor Over ''The Matrix: Reloaded''" ), ''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006〕〔("Furor Over ''The Matrix: Reloaded'' — Continued" ), ''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006〕 The stereotype has become sufficiently well-recognized to attract satire and to be considered a cliché. In response to the "albino gunmen" characters in ''The Da Vinci Code'' and ''The Matrix Reloaded'', albinistic actor Dennis Hurley wrote, produced and starred in a short film parody, ''The Albino Code'', playing up the stereotypes, illustrating a typical example of real-world prejudice, and pointing out that the vision problems associated with albinism would make a successful career as a hitman highly improbable. In ''The Big Over Easy'', author Jasper Fforde includes an "albino community" protest against albino bias among his fictional news clippings, most of which satirize stock characters and hackneyed plot devices. ''Chicago Tribune'' movie reviewer Mark Caro says of this character type that it is someone "who looks albino and thus, in movie shorthand, must be vicious."〔("Movie review: ''Cold Mountain''" ); Caro, Mark; ''Chicago Tribune'' (online edition), date unspecified; accessed 13 March 2007〕 The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) has stated that there were a total of sixty-eight films from 1960 to 2006 featuring an "evil albino".〔("Early viewers pan ''Da Vinci Code'': Film's release also provokes widespread protests" ); no by-line; ''CNN.com'' "Entertainment" section / ''Associated Press Newswire'', 17 May 2006; accessed 13 March 2007〕 Conversely, a number of real people with albinism have risen to fame , especially in popular music (though, as in the case of the Winter brothers, may themselves be the subject of "evil albino" parody). Albino animals capture public imagination and wonder as zoo attractions, and even in the wild can attract popular, positive attention . ==History of the "evil albino" stereotype== The "evil albino" stereotype may also have its roots in Neolithic Eastern Europe, where some cultures depicted Death as a pallid woman with light hair.〔''The Language of the Goddess'', Marija Gimbutas, 1989, page 198〕 Fear of vampires and other legendary undead with a deathly pallor, especially in European folklore, could also have contributed to albino bias. The phenomenon may also have been influenced by attitudes towards people with albinism in Africa or Jamaica, where those with that condition are sometimes regarded as cursed or magical ''(see folklore section, below)''. Dermatologist Dr. pool Reese theorizes that albino bias may be part of a broader Hollywood pattern of equating or at least linking skin disorders and appearance problems with villainy.〔("Most movies that feature skin disease use it to represent evil" ), ''Skinema: Dermatology in the Cinema'', Dr. Vail Reese; accessed 15 December 2006〕 Another explanation may be sought in respective ideals of ugliness — most "evil albinos" appear in works of fiction from the West. In fiction from Japan, where ideals call for as pale skin as possible, characters with albinism or associated traits are more frequently sympathetic〔("Japanese Anime and Manga" ), ''Albinism in Popular Culture'', by Luna Eterna, 1997–2006; accessed 8 January 2007〕 than in American and British fiction.〔("American and British Comics" ), ''Albinism in Popular Culture'', by Luna Eterna, 1997–2006; accessed 8 January 2007〕 This is not to say that Japanese popular culture has not depicted "evil albinos". However, such characters in Japanese fiction are often ''bishōnen'' or ''bishōjo'' whose beautiful appearance gives contrast to their evil character. Use of albinistic features to indicate villains in Hollywood's film appears to have begun in the 1960s, and may be related to the popularity of tanning (and thus a decrease in pale skin being seen as attractive) in this period.〔 One of the oldest perceived literary examples of albino bias was H.G. Wells's depiction of the main character in his 1897 science-fiction novel ''The Invisible Man'', who was able to become invisible using his scientific discoveries only because he already lacked natural pigmentation; aberrant even before his experimentation, he subsequently became completely deranged, an "albino villain". Albino bias is also alleged in modern times. For example, the 2003 Warner Bros movie ''The Matrix Reloaded'' featured two sociopathic characters with pale skin and white hair frequently interpreted to be albinos despite studio declarations that they are not.〔 Positive depictions of albinos in mass culture are rarer, though one example is the 1995 film ''Powder'' which depicts an exceptionally gifted albinistic youth and the cruelty he endures because of his differences from "normal" people. In recent years, the (National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation ) (NOAH) has spoken out〔 against albino bias in the United States. Albinistic actor Michael C. Bowman, of ''Me, Myself and Irene'', has said, "Kids all over this country are being affected in a very negative and harmful way because of the sloppiness and laziness of a writer in Hollywood."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「albinism in popular culture」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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