Saturday Night Live reamed into the very institution they are part of in a sketch parodying the Screen Actors Guild Awards to comment on the Oscars So White Topic. They are one group of many who has commented on the state of Hollywood after the release of the Oscar Noms several weeks ago. The race this year is all white- just like the year's prior. Many feel that this isn't an accurate representation of Hollywood or the work that is being done.
The sketch clearly calls out some more notable movies of the year- "Apollo," "Straight Outta Compton" and others. Many stars, such as Spike Lee, are boycotting the awards this year to try and prove a point.
So we may understand what is happening, but is this the real problem? Not entirely. This is not to say that there isn't an issue with the Oscar Nomination Committee's lack of diversity or the lack of minority recognition in awards shows. That is a problem. However, the real issue is so much deeper than that.
Think really hard- when was the last time you saw a big budget, Oscar-pull movie where the top-billed actor was a minority citizen? Kind of difficult, right? Now do the same for a top-billed Caucasian actor. It is much easier.
The industry's issue is not solely that they don't recognize talent; their issue is that we largely fail to provide a medium for minority actors to showcase their capability. No amount of Kevin Hart and Ice-T films (though these films play an important role in their own right) will fix the problem. The simple fact of the matter is that the burden of representation falls on too few. There are not enough roles.
None of this is to say that the actors nominated don't deserve recognition. I have seen many of these films and all include incredible performances. This long-standing issue is so much more than individual nominations or even individual films themselves. The utter lack of diversity in Hollywood is a systemic issue that spurs directly from casting in writing. This doesn't just apply to African Americans- many other minorities have it much worse and the roles and stories come far less frequently. We need to do more than nominate the few minority actors who show their craft brilliantly; we need to change the system.
Had Idris Elba been nominated, the problem would not be solved. Had "Straight Outta Compton" not been snubbed or had Michael B. Jordan been nominated, we would have still had a problem. While we live in a society that casts white as the norm and thinks that Gina Rodriguez winning one award solves everything, we will have a problem.
There have been talks by the Academy president to move to a more diverse committee. Only time will tell if this will be enough to upset the status quo.
