I sat in Hip-Hop waiting for class to begin, and our teacher started out by asking us what we thought about the Oscars. We shrugged for the most part, although some were adamantly excited and others didn't care at all. When he asked what the controversy was, we piped in saying that the nominees, for the second year in a row, all white.
There were many different comments ranging from those who believed that not enough actors and actresses of color deserved to award to those praising Will and Jada Smith for boycotting it. Our teacher, unlike many others, did not remain neutral.
I won't talk about his point of view, but personally, I believe that while awards are all well and good, they aren't the be all and end all of talent. With the Grammy's tonight (or having passed depending on when you read this), we should keep in mind that while we should congratulate winners, we shouldn't forget that there are extremely talented musicians (and in the Oscars' case, actors), who simply won't be nominated.
As we discussed in class, there is a certain movie and song style picked to be nominated, and if you don't fall into that category, you simply won't be nominated and there is no question about it. That's not to say this system shouldn't change, but until it does, we should focus on unrecognized actors, actresses and musicians.
In terms of Will and Jada Smith boycotting the Oscars, I think they are taking a very strong stance, but at the same time, I think they need to speak out more. They are certainly making a point, but instead of simply not going to an award show, he should support actors and actresses of color by either donation to certain organizations or other forms of promotion. While the Oscars are important, what I think matters more than any award, whether it be the SAGs, the Tony's, the Oscars or the Grammy's, is recognition from the public as well. There certainly need to be more people of color nominated to begin with, but until then, we need to promote them.
With the award show season in full swing, think about those who are nominated, applaud those who win, and don't forget those who will never be nominated, not because they aren't talented, but because their style or category is one not recognized by the mainstream.
