According to the Huffington Post, when the 2015 Oscar nominees were announced last January, it was the whitest ensemble in almost two decades -- at least, until this year’s nominees were unveiled.
The 2016 Oscars could not be whiter in terms of acting. All 20 nominees in the four acting categories are Caucasian, snubbing performances by actors like Idris Elba in "Beasts of No Nation," Will Smith in "Concussion," and Samuel L. Jackson in "the Hateful Eight." However, acting isn’t the only problem. "Straight Outta Compton," largely regarded as one of the year’s best pictures, only received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Ironically, this year’s awards will be hosted by Chris Rock, the first African American host since... Chris Rock in 2005. As a result, the Internet has responded with intense backlash for more diversity in the Oscars, with hashtags such as #Oscarssowhite dominating social media websites such as Twitter. Furthermore, several big name celebrities, such as Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee, and Snoop Dogg have decided to boycott the awards ceremony.
Yet, many agree that the issue goes far beyond the Academy Awards. In an Instagram post featuring a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Spike Lee states “The Academy Awards is not where the real battle is. It’s in the executive office of the Hollywood studios and TV and cable networks. This is where the gatekeepers decide what gets made.” In order for diverse nominees, we need Hollywood to create opportunities for far more diverse movies and casts.
Of course, the dilemma also extends to who is picking the nominees -- the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. According to a study by the Los Angeles Times, “Oscar voters are nearly 94 percent Caucasian and 77 percent male... blacks are about 2% of the Academy, and Latinos are less than 2%.” Additionally, enrollment in the group has been very exclusive, considering that all voters have had lifetime memberships; thus, it’s very difficult to add new members without overwhelming the Academy’s numbers. Even so, actor Denzel Washington believes that the organization needs to better represent our society. “If the country is 12% black, make the Academy 12% black... if the nation is 15% Hispanic, make the academy 15% Hispanic.”
Thankfully, in response to all of the backlash, the Academy has introduced a new set of membership requirements on their website that will remove the voting rights of members who have not worked in the industry for several years; consequently, more diversity should soon enter the institution.
Despite this progress, Hollywood still has many questions to face in response to the issues of race and diversity, and even the inclusion of women in fields such as writing and directing. As evidenced by events such as Ferguson, the University of Missouri, and the Charleston shooting, racism is still alive in America, even if it doesn’t always take the same form as it has in the past. In the words of Mark Ruffalo, “the entire American system is rife with white privilege racism,” and such problems cannot simply disappear in a day. In spite of this, steps must be taken to improve the social norms in our nation, and this includes the norms in Hollywood. Hopefully, with continued retaliation against whitewashing in the movie and television industries, real change for the better can be achieved in the years to come.
On the bright side, with some of his competition removed, Leo could finally have a chance to snag that elusive Oscar.
