Imaro
Legend
That is the problem with 90s racial thinking. It assumes marketing departments dictate race relations in the US. This is why white suburban people think racial tension is dissapating, but people like me who live in ethnically diverse neighborhoods know that is not the case. Hauling around your one or two ethnic friends to show what an enlightened person you are doesn't make the world a better place. Ignoring the truth behind racial stereotypes doesn't make for better race relations on the ground. A better approach would have been for the marketing department to accurately reflect the racial makeup of gamers. So instead of inflating the number of ethnic characters, something like 80% white to 20% non-white would have been more believable.
So, how is this solution any less artificial than the one suggested? Marketing believed white males would not purchase books with a non-white/non-male character on the cover, so how do you determine what 20% of covers get treatment and which don't? If one with non-white's on it doesn't sell, is it because of the cover or because of the content?
Again, you seem to be missing the point... diversity actually does start with conscious effort and conscious awareness (usually through the efforts of a few who are such), call it "artificial" if you want. And even your solution is what you seem to be implying as artificial. The fact of the matter is... this is exactly how diversity in almost all areas have started in the U.S., and I for one would rather these type of things be implemented, regardless of how "artificial" they are, than for people to sit back and wait for it to fix itself.