[Video: {Ian}] Reduce stereotyping of awkward white male with autism #332
Description
Rough timestamp
0:09: Ian stares blankly at the camera without talking while we hear his narrated voice say “Hello, I’m Ian.”
0:49: Ian waves at the camera in the middle of the video, seemingly out of the blue.
1:50: Ian inventories the cooking pan and ingredients on his office desk.
Suggestion
0:09: Show Ian saying “Hello, I’m Ian” rather than having voiceover while he looks silently at the camera.
0:49: Make clear that Ian is not just waving out of the blue at the camera mid-video. Make clear that he is waving because he successfully joined a videoconference and is waving at fellow participants. Show a few people who have logged into the same meeting as Ian. These visuals could be recycled from the people you show at the end of each video during the "It's about people" tagline.
1:50: Draw less attention to the awkward staging by cutting the second or two of Ian assessing the cooking pan on his desk. Instead, show more of him holding the tongs or the peppers or looking at his tablet.
Rationale
This video's stereotyping of an awkward white male with autism is very concerning, and W3C is likely to get called out for this stereotyping. COGA recommended months ago that EO avoid casting a white male in this autism video. Now that the video has been shot of a white male, at a minimum please fix the most awkward moments, as detailed above.
Level of importance
High