With the Oscars ceremony coming up on Feb. 28, there's been a lot of talk on the homogeneity of the nominations. Of the 6 or so categories honoring directors, actors and actresses, very few of nominees were of ethnic or racial minorities and none of them were African-American. The Twitter hashtag, #OscarsSoWhite (created by April Reign last year when she saw that all of the acting nominees were white), has resurged and has become the label of a movement that is pushing for further diversification in Hollywood and the Arts. There's a lot of ambiguity surrounding the actual discrimination of minorities in Hollywood and the Arts. How do we objectively consider the marginalization of women and racial/ethnic minorities in show business? Why should we?
1. The Academy
The actual composition of the Academy is a mystery to big-name actors, much less a college student in Virginia. Of the 5,765 members, 94 percent are Caucasian and 77 percent are male. Many of them are older, seeing as how one can remain a voting member of the Academy for a lifetime after having met certain criteria — such as featuring in a motion picture in the past decade. There's bound to be bias in these members' perceptions of a "good movie" — after all, most people stick with what they know.
2. Hollywood
Minorities made up nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population in 2013 and women are roughly half of the population, yet both groups are underrepresented on nearly every front. Film studio heads are 94 percent white and 100 percent male. For every minority broadcast-scripted lead, there are six white leads. For every female film lead, there are two male leads. As the U.S. grows gradually more racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, our arts and entertainment industry should match. Most often, Hollywood movies are the window through which much of the world witnesses the American spirit.
3. Global Scene
Kevin Tsujihara, Warner Bros chairman and CEO, acknowledged the role Hollywood has in America's relationship with the rest of the world, when he explained, "Entertainment is a global business, and the content we produce and its creators need to reflect the diversity and different perspectives of the worldwide audience we serve." The U.S. is not an isolated nation. We have a strong and sometimes immediate influence in many regions around the world and it is important for us to present ourselves as an inclusive, intelligent and kind presence. If we're going to assume the mantle as leaders of the future and the free world, we should probably act like it, yes?
4. Is it racist?
This chart illustrates black Academy Award recipients in the past 20 years and pairs it up with the percentage of the U.S. population that black people comprise: 12.5 percent and 13.2 percent, respectively. White actors have taken to fighting back against accusations of minority underrepresentation. Julie Delpy remarks, "I sometimes wish I were African-American because people don't bash them afterwards." Charlotte Rampling condemns the Oscars boycott as being "racist against whites." Michael Caine denounces the #OscarsSoWhite protests, stating, "You can't vote for an actor because he's black."
Racism is a system of oppression influenced by race and all of the baggage that comes with it. You can't be racist if you're not in power. #OscarsSoWhite isn't racist.
What these protests fail to acknowledge is the changing landscape of American life. We've been telling the stories of white people though the words of white writers and using white actors ever since the concept of a movie was introduced. Minority groups and women have tried many times and failed many times to be included in the (white) boys' club that Hollywood had become. It's taken decades, but the walls of exclusivity are being broken down. An Afro-Latina director has as much claim to fame, wealth and success as white male ones have had for years. Diversification of art and storytelling can only broaden your perspective and in turn, enrich your daily interactions and develop your thought process. The fact that there are no minority nominees for acting awards doesn't just mean that the Academy didn't like any minority actor/actress enough to nominate him/her. It denotes a greater problem in public regard for the value of non-white narratives.
5. Progress
Times are changing, though! And Twitter lets you see it in real time with witty 140-character quips that work to break down the normalization of white-male saturated media.
The Martian is just a prequel to Matt Damon's character in Interstellar, right? #OscarsSoWhite
– Sarah Rotella (@srotella) Jan. 20, 2016
white folks who can't accept a black Annie or Black superhero are in no position 2 lecture folk of color 4 being upset about #OscarsSoWhite
– Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Jan. 21, 2016
Watch this. It'll bring #OscarsSoWhite narrative into crystal clear perspective. https://t.co/am4Y8jx8zn
– Arlan (@ArlanWasHere) Jan. 19, 2016
The Oscars are still on and Chris Rock is hosting. After hearing that certain actors have announced their boycotting of the ceremony, (Will Smith, we're looking at you), Rock has reportedly set out to rewrite the whole show.
The Oscars are overwhelmingly white. Hollywood is overwhelmingly white and male. Minorities and women's narratives have value and shouldn't be subject to domination by the same white male narratives that have been retold for decades. America's racial and ethnic minority population is growing and Hollywood's audience is on a global scale.
What's wrong with having our movies reflect some of that change?
