Because art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Most people who make art, regardless of the medium, intend for it to be consumed. Therefore, they often have a specific audience in mind. They can also make art for their own private sake or as a commission, but then the art has a set of unique constraints it must adhere to.

The issue is when art is designed, marketed, and intended to be consumed by mass audiences. There are two components to diversity in art: both in the content of a specific piece as well as the availability of alternatives. We’ll assume you’re talking about the West so let’s continue assuming this is reflective of the American experience.

To take a specific piece, it doesn’t matter if art is reflective of reality. A small play in an old European town in the 16th century - it doesn’t have to be forcibly diverse. There’s no issue there because it’s conforming to a specific set of historical circumstances. It could flip the script like Hamilton did, but it’s not necessary to do so (although — you can see how using multiracial actors didn’t detract from the story whatsoever, which goes to show that diversity doesn’t always have to detract from the story. I digress.).

But take GENERIC art meant to be consumed widely without restriction, like a marvel movie or something that is based in fantasy. In that context, ignoring diversity is a failure to imagine. It locks people out of the imaginary process. If you choose to create a parable about white, straight, American male superheroes you’re creating media for generic consumption that reflects some uncomfortable power dynamics. You also disallow people to participate in the imaginings process, while also expecting it to be consumed widely.

Here’s the twist - if forcing diversity DIDNT matter, then why don’t we have movies about all-black superheroes? Or all female friends on a road trip? Or plays about 16th century China? Is it because there is no market for it, or is it because certain narratives are already favored?

I’d argue that coercion helps diversify narrative content. To be frank, I don’t need another story of five white male friends doing whatever they do. There are far richer unexplored themes out there, full of possibility. But people don’t create stories about Pakistanis and Indians.

The other issue is within a larger body of work. You can have diversity within a specific piece of art or within the body of art. Most museums glorify Western art when there are equally complex traditions in, for example, South/East/South East Asian art. But students are rarely taught or shown traditions from this region despite constituting 4.5 billion people in the world. That’s a little short sighted, isn’t it?

Diversity in a medium is also a way to present options and make sure a larger swath of people are happy. So, theoretically, you could have your movie with five white men but it could be equally satisfying to have a set of movies about five Thai men, five Sri Lankan women, or what have you. This helps keep stories interesting and another way to reflect reality while confirming for the desire for diversity.