Oscar viewers, for the second year in a row, were outraged by the lack of diversity in the actors nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. The absence of any talent of color in top award categories did not come as a surprise. Minorities who are film professionals are often overlooked.
Some prominent figures in film expressed their outrage. Director Spike Lee and actress Jada Pinkett Smith led the protests with statements on social media that they would not be attending or watching the award show. The controversy quickly spiraled into large-scale criticism of the Oscars, with stars such as George Clooney and Reese Witherspoon expressing their dismay over the nominations.
Despite what the actors believe, organizing a boycott of the Academy Awards will not, in itself, overcome the diversity problem in Hollywood. The show, being an internationally televised event, should instead be used as a platform to express the message and gain support. This will cause people to realize that the lack of diversity in the Oscars are only a small part of the problem. The real problem is the history of racism in show business.
Hollywood has always had a race problem. The movie industry continues to ignore the fact that people of color want to see their lives reflected in the movies they watch.
It is very rare to see a high-budget movie with an all-black cast. It has become detrimental to the film business because the few shows and movies that do have an all-black cast actually have great ratings. People of color like to watch stories that relate to them and people like to have a variety of shows to choose from.
African Americans feel as if their stories and ways of seeing the world are not as valuable and that people feel they should be satisfied with recognition they have already received in years past and work harder than they already have in the future.
However, this is not just a “black” problem. From the casting of a white actress to play a part-Asian women in “Aloha,” to hiring British actors to play “Egyptians in Exodus: Gods and Kings,” Hollywood demonstrates through its actions that people of color do not represent the same value to the industry as white people.
The Academy showed great leadership by instituting new policies that aim to increase the numbers of minorities and women in its categories. The governing board announced that it was going to make changes that addresses the problem. Members will have their voting status reviewed every 10 years and that the status could be revoked if a member has not been active in the industry within the decade. The response is thoughtful and could possibly solve the Oscar diversity problem. Still, Hollywood has to step up by expanding the types of stories that can be told and the range of people they choose to tell them.
94 percent of academy voters were white and 77 percent of those voters were men. The demographics of who makes movies, writes movies, edits movies, produces movies and stars in movies are about the same.
These are not immediate solutions and they may do little to improve the problem, but at least the Academy is acknowledging the problem. Meanwhile, we must still face Hollywood’s race problem as it currently stands.
