Token Majority
One weird and uniquely problematic manifestation of forced diversity can show up as someone from the majority group being shoehorned into a cast of characters who hail from a distinctly different background. In some cases, this is functionally the same as the 'token minority', where the character is essentially a diversity statistic (and in some settings, this may also be an accurate one, which will be discussed further on Friday).
But unfortunately, the more typical case involves the Token Majority actually taking over and getting the spotlight in stories where this is inappropriate to the setting and narrative. (I add the 'appropriate to the narrative' caveat because I don't think there is automatically an Issue at play if there is--in most of these cases--a white, hetero male lead. There can be cases where this is a plot point, and this particular character has a uniquely compelling story. Or perhaps it makes sense in a particular setting.)
A recent example that has drawn a lot of flack is The Impossible*, which chooses to follow the story of a white family who survives the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami rather than follow some of the millions of residents who lost everything when the earthquake struck. But this essentially started during the early 1800s, when the 'white guy goes on an adventure with ethnic people' trope kicked into gear-- The Last of the Mohicans is a particularly obnoxious example, since we follow a white guy who is following the Native Americans who are having a compelling conflict when it would be much more expedient to follow the title character directly**.
Honestly, this trope is bad for storytelling, since it often generates extraneous storylines for the sake of supporting the incongruous lead, and pulls focus away from the most interesting conflict in the story. Also, it's insulting to your entire audience. To borrow a thought from Tim Wise, it assumes that people of the majority group are so socially inept that they cannot relate to someone who isn't a carbon copy of themselves (ie 'all white people are racist', etc.), which is a pretty offensive assumption. That's aside from the very obvious problem that you're telling anyone in the 'minority' group that no matter how interesting their story is, it will never hold a candle to the life of someone from the dominant category. Really, this trope is a no-win.
*In all fairness, I have heard the acting is top-notch, and that the movie is good in an of itself.
**For everyone who has been asking for me to pick on James Fenimore Cooper-- this is that moment.
But unfortunately, the more typical case involves the Token Majority actually taking over and getting the spotlight in stories where this is inappropriate to the setting and narrative. (I add the 'appropriate to the narrative' caveat because I don't think there is automatically an Issue at play if there is--in most of these cases--a white, hetero male lead. There can be cases where this is a plot point, and this particular character has a uniquely compelling story. Or perhaps it makes sense in a particular setting.)
A recent example that has drawn a lot of flack is The Impossible*, which chooses to follow the story of a white family who survives the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami rather than follow some of the millions of residents who lost everything when the earthquake struck. But this essentially started during the early 1800s, when the 'white guy goes on an adventure with ethnic people' trope kicked into gear-- The Last of the Mohicans is a particularly obnoxious example, since we follow a white guy who is following the Native Americans who are having a compelling conflict when it would be much more expedient to follow the title character directly**.
Honestly, this trope is bad for storytelling, since it often generates extraneous storylines for the sake of supporting the incongruous lead, and pulls focus away from the most interesting conflict in the story. Also, it's insulting to your entire audience. To borrow a thought from Tim Wise, it assumes that people of the majority group are so socially inept that they cannot relate to someone who isn't a carbon copy of themselves (ie 'all white people are racist', etc.), which is a pretty offensive assumption. That's aside from the very obvious problem that you're telling anyone in the 'minority' group that no matter how interesting their story is, it will never hold a candle to the life of someone from the dominant category. Really, this trope is a no-win.
*In all fairness, I have heard the acting is top-notch, and that the movie is good in an of itself.
**For everyone who has been asking for me to pick on James Fenimore Cooper-- this is that moment.
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