So, some people are upset because Moses is being played by a white guy in “Exodus.” And some people are upset because Annie is being played by a black girl in “Annie”. And I’m upset because it’s 2014 and people are actually worrying about the race of the actors and actresses playing CHARACTERS in MOVIES.

I understand that in some movies, such as “Exodus,” things like costumes, hairstyles, makeup looks and even the physical appearance of actors in accordance to their characters’ backgrounds, may be deemed vital in order to achieve maximum accuracy of historical content. And I understand that Egyptians are not white, and that it probably would’ve been better to cast someone black or maybe even with actual heritage of whatever race people like Moses and Joshua were. However, I can’t bring myself to believe that the English director of “Exodus,” Ridley Scott, is a raging racist, which would be why he just decided to cast white people as most of the lead roles of his upcoming movie. My guess is that he probably just really likes to work with Christian Bale and Aaron Paul. Or maybe he just thought certain actors would be good in his lead roles. Or maybe there were no black actors who auditioned for the lead roles. Or maybe it was a business deal of some kind, as big film productions often are. There are countless possible reasons why Scott’s principals are mainly white. And I’m not saying that it’s right that they are — because, really, if you want to portray something set in ancient Egypt accurately, your characters probably shouldn’t be played by white people — I’m just saying that racism may not be the real reason behind the predominantly white cast of “Exodus,” and that people should think about things like that before attacking a situation. However, while I can’t quite bring myself to believe that racism is the true reason behind “white-washed” casting of “Exodus,” if it is true, I could not fathom how Hollywood could justify it or get away with it; racism is unjustifiable.

Which is also why people should check themselves before attacking the upcoming remake of “Annie”, in which traditionally fair-skinned red-headed Annie is portrayed by a rising young black actress, Quvenzhané Wallis. Recently, some on social media have argued that Annie is “supposed to be” white with red hair and freckles, but first of all: Annie is a fictional character, which means that she can look any way anyone chooses to imagine her; and second of all: does it actually matter what Annie looks like? The point of Annie’s story is not about what she looks like, but about (as sappy as it sounds) what’s in her heart. “Annie” is a story of hope, designed to make audiences feel like “the sun’ll come out tomorrow.” All of us can learn a thing or two from the spunky orphan, so why should it matter what she looks like?

Both Annie and Moses could be played by someone black, white, Asian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic or any other ethnicity, and the points of their stories would still be the same, so, really, it shouldn’t matter so much who plays who in movies when the issue of racism goes so many ways and is so much bigger than that.

I’d like to believe that we as humans would try to focus on something more important than who plays certain characters in films and whether or not the color of an actor’s skin is historically or traditionally accurate to the character they portray, or whether or not a film should be considered racist because of the color of its cast when arguing about things like that is the least we can do to stop racism and promote equality. I hope that we’re able to focus on real ways to create equality between races, like simply accepting the people around us. Worrying about whether Moses and Annie are or black or white won’t change the hearts of racists, but setting an example for them by showing kindness to people of all races, treating everyone as equals ourselves, may shake up negative attitudes of those around us. A little compassion can spread like wildfire, so whether it’s the Hollywood big-shots or your local bigot you hope to reach with a message of equality, start with yourself; be sure you treat those around you with respect, regardless of race, because that’s what people will notice and hopefully replicate.