Joe, there are so many elements in this debate, and your essay does a great job exploring most. But there are a couple of important ones I'd offer to add.

One: The massive gap between supply/demand for talent. For every role cast, director hired, etc. thousands fought for that position. Talent and training do not open the door. A combination of luck, persistence, professionalism, and connections is critical. Without which, one can knock, but there's no one to open the door. Any "progress" made in diversity, inclusion, and representation won't alter this fundamental imbalance.

I fear that many who are fighting for these changes, do so believing it will make the industry easier for them to get into. It won't.

Two: Like everywhere else, technology is transforming the entertainment industry in ways not thought possible a few decades ago. Regardless of how one feels about the shift to AI-generated talent, it's upon us. Producers faced with the opportunity to replace flesh and blood actors by sampling their voice and image for a one-time fee and then replicating them at an ever-decreasing marginal cost will be unable to resist the opportunity. When that happens, we will quickly be able to choose what actor we want in a role (including ourselves) but alter their gender/color/body type, etc., using our remote.

Perhaps if I live long enough I'll be able to see my dream come true. Philip Seymour Hoffman as elderly King Lear.