I feel like there's a lot of cherry picking here too, because if we take the MCU, it also does some race swapping that nobody has a problem with.

Nick Fury is one, but Samuel L Jackson is so cool in that role, it doesn't matter.

Heimdal is another one. Norse mythology, probably not a lot of black there, but Idris Elba is also so damn cool in the role that it does not really matter, and I've never heard anyone complain about these people.

I think in general it's more about if the people in the roles do a good job or not. Tilda Swinton did a great job. Johnny Depp... Maybe not so much, but I also do remember people were mad about that one.

What really confuses me about the outrage over casting a black actor to play the little mermaid is that a mermaid is a fictional creature. Why are people so upset that a fictional creature doesn't fit what their particular preference is?

Why do they only replace characters with red hair?

I complain about all of it. Yeah I'm sure it "doesn't affect the story" for most things, but I feel either get someone who is the correct race or make a new character.

if white is being used this generically then romani should be listed as white and arab should be middle eastern and tibetan asian if not lumping both as asian.

The problem is that it's commercial driven. They want the big stars who just happen to be white. But then want to sell inclusivity for profit that lead to questionable creative decisions.

The rage is misdirected but not wrong. Representation is important but is being exploited by soulless corporate robots.