Tokenism - Definition and Overview

Tokenism refers to a policy or practice of limited inclusion of members of a minority group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices, intentional or not. Typical examples in real life and television include minority races (such as a black character in a mainly white cast, or vice versa) and women. Classically, this character has some reduced capacity compared to the other characters. Their difference may be overemphasized or made exotic.

Examples

• The character Debbie Love on Sealab 2021 is the only prominent female character on that series (and one of only two women, period) is parody of tokenism with her portrayal of a semi-sterotypical female sci-fi scientist: intelligent, but also vain, vindictive, condescending, and histrionic when under stress

• The character Franklin in the Peanuts (who is black, while most of the characters are presumably Caucasian) is sometimes considered to be an example of tokenism among newer fans, although Charles Schulz insists he had no political message and treats the character no different than the rest of the cast.

• The character Diana in the Dungeons & Dragons TV series. The only black member of the cast, and one of the only two females.

• The Self-referencial character Token Williams on South Park, the only black friend of the main cast except the adult Chef,

• The multi-continental cast of Captain Planet