As I’ve been covering the ongoing #OscarsSoWhite controversies, I was reminded of those “Oscar ballot” pieces we discussed last year. For several years now, The Hollywood Reporter gets various Oscar voters to discuss how they’re voting and why, all under the condition of anonymity. One of the first published ballot pieces last year included a hissy fit from an Academy voter about how the voter was not going to cast any votes for Selma because it was “artless” and they’re not going to just vote for black people just because, and beyond that, the voter thought that the people involved with Selma were “stirring up sh-t” by being active in the Black Lives Matter movement. It was a rare moment when we could see with our eyes what was really happening within the Academy – these old white voters are out of touch, of course, but even more than that, Respectability Politics is HUGE within the Academy.
So what will the Academy do when one of the “respectable” black Oscar winners calls them out on their “unconscious prejudice”? Lupita Nyong’o – who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing an abused slave in 12 Years a Slave – used Instagram to speak out on #OscarsSoWhite:
In case you can’t read that, this is what she says:
“I am disappointed by the lack of inclusion in this year’s Academy Awards nominations. It has me thinking about unconscious prejudice and what merits prestige in our culture. The Awards should not dictate the terms of art in our modern society, but rather be a diverse reflection of the best of what our art has to offer today. I stand with my peers who are calling for change in expanding the stories that are told and recognition of the people who tell them.”
I kind of think Lupita, ever the diplomat, is being too kind by referring to this as “unconscious prejudice.” One year ago, maybe the Academy could get away with saying there’s some unconscious prejudice going on. But for the second year in a row with no prominent African-American nominees in the acting categories, no black directors and no black stories recognized for Best Picture? It’s not UNCONSCIOUS prejudice. They’re conscious of it. Those old white people are conscious of it and they just don’t care.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I like how she said it. She is being diplomatic and smart.
I too, like how she said it. Remember, she has to work too. She’s calling them out, giving them the benefit of the doubt (hopefully with a massive side-eye) and telling them they need to change.
Very classy of her.
I am fine with how she framed it.
She is still trying to make a career for herself.
The roles out there for black women in film are few and far between.
Sad reality is the academy will say there are voting for the best people. When only certain people are given opportunities.
I agree with her. I don’t think they are trying to be horrible. They just aren’t looking for diversity. They aren’t trying to be inclusive.
It happens every single day in corporate america. How many executives and CEOs are people of color. They hire, promote and network with people who look like them and make them comfortable. It takes effort to create diversity and people are lazy.
The sad truth after working on Wall Street for an example.
Is that in my experience, African Americans do not study Math or Economics in college specially in the Ivy Leagues where the investment bank I worked for pulled undergrads to interview for analysts positions.
The minorities that do tend to study math/econ are mainly Asian: East Asian descent and Indian.
The Asians minorities are fantastic at buliding models (math) and do decks (combination of writing and math). They work long and hard hours. Their overall attitude is great. But the kicker…
None really rise beyond Vice Presidents ‘s to Managing Directors (executive level) because most do not have people skills.
When we, bankers, take a meeting with clients (usually the CEO or the board of the client company) we are trying to win a deal, much like salesmen.
If you can’t hold eye contact, have some type of warmth or humor to buffer the your industry knowledge: the team does not win the deal. The bank does not make money.
It is not as cut and dried, as just hired people of color for CEO’s.
You need a strong math and economic foundation.
And you need strong communicative people skills.
The pool of people (regardless of color) have both is tiny.
Education is alway key. But majoring in Women Studies, good luck, becoming a CEO of Fortune 500 company.
Also, the notation of hiring and promoting people who look like you. In my experience is false. You do want the best person for the job. You want to win deals. Money is the bottom line. Performance gets rewarded. The team get rewarded as if they worked on commission.
Banks are more hesitate to hire women than say African American man. Because of maternity leave. The few women I knew at the top levels had a baby and were back two weeks later. Two weeks.
Maybe they don’t study math or Econ in college because they have never seen a person of color as a CEO in that field and decide to try something else where they might have a chance at advancement. By the way, I know you’re not trying to be bigoted, but your post is filled with stereotypes, misinformation, and all around makes excuses to excuse the status quo.
“Maybe they don’t study math or Econ in college because they have never seen a person of color as a CEO ”
There are many people of color who are CEOs. I am going to be non-PC here and just tell it like it is. In my opinion a big issue is that black community doesn’t value education in STEM. It is what I see in practice. The parents, the community are not pushing poor black kids to study STEM, it is not cool. Hip-hop is cool, sports are cool. So we get many black athletes and black musicians but black scientist are mostly foreigners, not American born.
Overall , the American society as a whole needs to prioritize and value education more over entertainment and sports.
Just look at this discussion – so much is said about equality and diversity in entertainment and Oscars. What about doctors, engineers, computer scientists? Isn’t that more practical area to pursue? Not many people can actually make a living in arts and entertainment. Asians are barely present in the entertainment but they are doing very well financially.
@MildredFierce,
It sounds like your company is not really interested in diversity hiring. If you pull from Ivy’s that don’t have anything but Asians in finance and economics then your HR dept should be looking for good universities to pull hispanics, women and blacks that do major in those subjects.
You say asians don’t have the people skills which holds them back but white men tend not to have the technical skills and that never holds them back.
I have worked in many companies where a white male finds a minority to do the hard work so they can schmoze.
Reasons are always created for why only white males succeed in certain industries. This is the problem.
I hope one day you understand that these bigoted beliefs don’t just hold the “others” back, they hold you back too. Unless you are a WASP male, there will always be a “reason” why you aren’t paid more or promoted.
@MildredFierce did you ever consider the fact that it is not so much that Asians don’t have “people” skills, but their culture may have a different idea of what is appropriate social interaction? For instance, as I have understood it, in some Asian cultures holding eye contact is actually rude. Frankly, imo our Western idea of people skills boils down to a lot of bragging, empty words and actions, and posturing. Maybe your company and others needs to learn from your Asian employees about actual hard work and knowledge over slick schmoozing.
@Fahri,
I agree Americans in general do not focus on STEM and public education is not important and is not funded.
But I would point out that there are very few scientist in america regardless of race that aren’t immigrants or 1st generation americans.
However, none of this has anything to do with being a CEO. A CEO is a general business major. He need not be good in anything specifically, he needs to know how to hire competent people that are great in all subjects.
A CEO is someone that got to the top because he had the right friends and contacts. This is why minorities don’t rise. The perpetuated lie is that you as a minority have to be great at STEM or some subject to be given an opportunity that a white male already has.
The sad part of this entire dialogue is that you all really believe these are the things that bar you from an opportunity. It would be great if American education focused on STEM. Will that make more CEOs? No. It would be great if working hard=success and the opportunites you want appeared because of that but it doesn’t.
There will be a door closed regardless of what you do. It is because we don’t really have diversity when it comes to opportunites to become CEOs for minorities and women.
“For instance, as I have understood it, in some Asian cultures holding eye contact is actually rude”
It is definitely that case (sorry to be answering for Mildred here). They also can’t say “no” – Japanese and Indians in my experience.
I am not Asian, but it was a major culture shock for me adapting to the US culture.
Modesty had to go – in the US you look straight in the eyes and act assertive. This would be extremely rude in many places in the world, especially for a woman. And I am not shrinking violet to begin with.
You write your own performance reviews. You have to smile all the time. But nobody changed for me or accommodated me. I had to change. When in Rome do as Romans. You can’t really fight it.
” If you pull from Ivy’s that don’t have anything but Asians in finance and economics then your HR dept should be looking for good universities to pull hispanics, women and blacks that do major in those subjects”
Ahem, wouldn’t that be illegal? Discrimination on the basis of race is illegal, even positive discrimination. As a hiring manager, which I am myself sometimes, I have responsibility to hire the most qualified person. This is literally it. You look for the best skills + education +experience. Race doesn’t factor. You can’t say – this guy is Asian, I am going to look for a Hispanic.
I don’t interview at colleges , though. We post a position and I review resumes without actually looking at the names because in a stack of 200-300 resumes all names blur together.
@Fahri,
It is not illegal to make sure you get the most diverse candidate prior to making hiring decisions. You should be posting your jobs on WITI, NSBE, NSHMBA and NBMBAA as well as Indeed and Linkedin.
I am sorry that your company doesn’t promote or have information on diversity hiring techniques.
@Farhi You are spewing Bill Cosby-style stereotypes about black people. I am an education reporter, and until recently, American schools did not stress STEM. Now that they realize the US is falling short to Asia in producing STEM professionals, there’s been a concerted effort for K-12 schools to focus more on math and science. Schools have traditionally discouraged girls and minorities from STEM subjects, so much so that lawmakers in California recently introduced legislation that would prohibit schools from steering qualified minorities away from taking higher-level math classes such as calculus. As I reported on this story, I realized that I was also one of those young black kids who suffered from this trend as a teen. I was a B student in high school math, but the school somehow came to the conclusion that I not take Pre-Cal, simply because I was good but not excellent in math. This happened at a private school. Poor students of color may attend schools where these high-level STEM classes are not offered period.
Rather than acknowledge the institutional racism and sexism in American public schools, I guess it’s easier for you to assume that black people just don’t value education. I went on to college and earned a master’s degree, but my focus, like many women, was in humanities. There are a lot of black commenters on this board; many are college educated and I doubt any one of us are rappers and athletes. You do realize that most blacks in America don’t work as rappers and athletes either?
“But I would point out that there are very few scientist in america regardless of race that aren’t immigrants or 1st generation americans.”
This is such nonsense. I wish people would stop making blanket statements about subjects they obviously have no knowledge of just to win an argument.
“You write your own performance reviews. You have to smile all the time. But nobody changed for me or accommodated me. I had to change. When in Rome do as Romans. You can’t really fight it.”
True. I’m just saying, as an American, even I find our culture of overblown socializing overdone and grating at times. Which is why Americans get the rep as being loud and obnoxious, when personally I wish we could take cue from other cultures on modesty and more naturalistic interactions instead of feeling the need to put on an act. It also wouldn’t kill us, in the business world or otherwise, to try to understand other people’s cultures instead of generalizing behavior that we feel is too “different” or “weird”. I know, I know, generalizing what we don’t understand is the human condition, though it saddens me that people that should have have the education and worldliness to not do it still do. Or maybe I’m just a bad American, lol.
“I am sorry that your company doesn’t promote or have information on diversity hiring techniques. ”
Every job position is posted everywhere, on all major job sites . Anyone interested can find it. The rest is up to applicants. They have to show initiative. It is a requirement for being a successful professional. Nobody is coming and looking for you. You have to look and compete for it.
“Rather than acknowledge the institutional racism and sexism in American public schools, I guess it’s easier for you to assume that black people just don’t value education”
I tell it as I see it, from personal experience. And I am pointing it out not to put anyone down, even if it might seem that way. I am saying it because without acknowledging the problem you can’t fix it. And that is all I am suggesting – a way to fix a problem. My kids go to an American school, I see what is going on. American society doesn’t focus on education enough, period. Note – not the teachers, the teachers are great. But people have to want to learn for the teachers to make a difference. Kids often don’t want to learn, parents have to be on top of it and have to set priorities.
I also did notice that Americans are quite behind Europeans in terms of social expectations for women. Women couldn’t even work in professional capacity in the US until something like 70s. It is insane. But when you start discussing it, things like the lack of maternity leave in the US or lack of support for single mothers many women actually get upset also or simply don’t care. It is a no win situation.
” I wish we could take cue from other cultures on modesty and more naturalistic interactions instead of feeling the need to put on an act”
Lol, I know, it is exhausting. We are always “on”. I wouldn’t mind a less intense and more relaxed society.
Farhi, I really wish you would stop making ridiculously stereotypical comments about black people and what their values are. I’m really shocked. In my experience, your observation is WRONG.
OMG…. @MildredFierce…… if you dont shut up…. Your statement is sooooo false and isolated incident if ever it were true….
I could argue in my time of working in the Fed gov, state gov, consulting world…. whites are put on the proverbial fast track and offered more training and often times DONT KNOW ISH about the job and rely heavily on their black or POC or minority support…. but I have to realize that that may have just been a group of isolated events as I’m sure there are circumstances where that was different.
And that brings me to my next point…. i find that the biggest harbors of prejudice and stereotypes and racial passive aggression active micro aggression is someone like Mildred Fierce (i’m jumping here and assuming a white woman or a white worshipper) who have and make generalized thoughts/ideas and statements about race based on your hyper experience….
you ever think that with wall street being the 2nd haven to white old boys club when they did or do find a POC candidate they stick with him or her forever or force them out AND THE dont open the door up continuously….. bec if they did …. your experience would be different and race and lack of qualified candidates wouldn’t even be a forethought
@AlmodnJoy, yes, it is wrong to stereotype and I will attempt not to do that in the future as I’ve been on receiving end of stereotyping myself and I know what it feels like. I apologize.
After thinking about it, the whole discussion about why there aren’t enough blacks or POCs nominated is wrong. It is the same kind of stereotyping. It is impossible to have this kind of discussion without stereotyping because we are talking about a very diverse group of people as a single entity.
We should talk about individual performers and whether they should or shouldn’t have been nominated. Individual people and their difficulties or successes.
All sides in the Oscars discussion are guilty of stereotyping and perhaps this is why these discussions are so heated.
Thanks so much, Farhi. I really appreciate it. I was actually really sad while reading this thread but your words give hope.
Farhi, MildredFierce et al:
You should really look into the concept of social closure, because that is what is at play in the discussion here – whether it be #oscarsowhite, recruitment of CEOs, diversity in STEM fields, etc etc ad infinitum.
Here are a couple of basic definitions/explanations:
“Social closure is a term first used by Max Weber and later by F. Parkin (in an analysis of class) to describe the actions of social groups to maximize their own advantages by restricting access to certain social rewards (usually economic) to their members, and thereby closing access to those rewards to outsiders.”
“In modern societies certain status groups endeavour to create social closure by the technique of elite self-recruitment. What this means is that they erect barriers to entry around their profession that mean that recruitment into it is not open to all on an equal basis.”
And it’s worth nothing that social closure doesn’t particularly involve *conscious* decisions to exclude. It involves a dominant group gradually evolving systems and structures that ensure self-replication. One very small – and one among many, many excluding mechanisms – example of this with regard to Oscars specifically would be the Academy membership needing two existing members to nominate you for entry. Who are you more likely to nominate? Your mate who is just like you? Or a member of an excluded group?
I think the problem for the US with all these various diversity and inclusion issues that just keep on arising, is that it has a highly individualist culture. So it is hard for people to accept that barriers are social, not failings on the parts of individuals.
Whereas, for example, we in Britain have less individualism. However, our problems are rooted in an older society where the excluding systems have been in existence for a thousand years in many cases. They are so embedded they’re almost impossible to break down.
Art is subjective.
OK, who says the Oscars are the only awards that count? I haven’t found them interesting for years. Don’t like what they’re doing? Start a competitor awards show that is more diverse. Turn the whole thing on its head.
That’s perfectly phrased, not too strong, not too laid back. Just goes to show how much actors that are in Academy’s graces are like politicians.
“So what will the Academy do when one of the “respectable” black Oscar winners calls them out on their “unconscious prejudice”? Lupita Nyong’o”
Lupita needs to call Hollywood out on their conscious prejudice. What happen to this big career she was supposed to have? Good example of just because you win an Oscar doesn’t mean your future is set in Hollywood.
Even though she also has herself to blame.
I’ve seen a few critics drag Lupita for turning down roles but she was literally only offered another slave role, the wife role in Concussion which was thinly written and not that big, and Naomi Harris’s role in SouthPaw which was tiny and like the fourth supporting role. Meanwhile, Alicia Vikander (whom I’m not trying to shade at all and love) has been offered every meaty role under the sun along with Margot Robbie who was offered a million roles (and two franchises) after her supporting role in The Wolf of Wall Street…..so the comparison in how Hollywood treats women of color and white women is stark. She’ll be okay though at least…she has Queen of Kwate (a Disney film by Mira Nair), Americanah, and is going to be on Broadway….but she should have as hot of career as Margot Robbie is having or Alicia Vikander.
There definitely needs to be more roles for POC but what sets me off about the Oscars this year was that there were several meaty roles for POC that were well reviewed and they still got snubbed. Idris Elba was nominated for all the precursor awards and the critics groups paid attention to him but Mark Ruffalo (who didn’t get nearly as much critical love, precursor awards attention, etc.) still got a nomination over him? Ridiculous. Plus it could be argued that Ryan Coogler deserved more attention as a director….
Thank you!
Well put. And reminding me she optioned Americanah, I hope they finally got the financing.
Do we see black women as the friend or the starring role in romantic comedies? Nope. Do we see them in action movies? No. The only roles for black women or any other minority are roles connected to their history and even so, if studios could cast white people on those roles, they would. Hollywood won’t reward black people just to reward them, but won’t reward them for their talent either.
“Mark Ruffalo (who didn’t get nearly as much critical love, precursor awards attention, etc.) still got a nomination over him? Ridiculous.”
Ridiculous but not remotely surprising when you understand how the Oscars work. Ruffalo is a multiple nominee (so soon “due”), long career, many friends in Hollywood, and extremely well known and liked. Not saying it’s right but that’s the Oscars. Merit of the performance? Eh, kind of. Sometimes that’s a factor.
Don’t care for Lupita or Margo, I think they are on the same level and I am not really interested in watching either. How was Lupita in Star Wars? I didn’t hear anything .
Alicia is a better actress than the other two.
@Div I tried to respond to you but couldn’t. But, I was able to respond to @Fingerbinder right below on the same thread. Most of it is in response to Lupita turning down roles.
I love that Disney has embraced Lupita with open arms!
You have a point. But again, comparing Alicia’s career
and Lupitas is not fair. Think again have Alicia really “stolen” opportunities from POC. Could Lupita play a wife of Danish artist in mid-1920s from “the Danish Girl”? or a role of German spy from 60s in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? Or a role of Lisbet Salander that made Rooney Mara popular (whom I also dislike)? I don’t think so. Not in terms of her talent but in terms of accuracy and how screenwriter (or book author) created the character. What stands in a way of POC writer to write a best seller and make a movie out of it? I’m overweight short person and I doubt I could steal modelling jobs from Naomi Campbell. And not because I’m being “discriminated”.
@Gina
Have you saved that comment somewhere on your computer? Because you literally copy and paste it under every Lupita post and it’s a bit creepy but mostly pathetic.
Many people have already answered you in the other lupita posts and to that SAME comment but you seem to want to sneak in when everyone has already left and copy/paste it AGAIN. lol You need help, seriously.
@V4Real An oscar isn’t a guarantee for a big career no matter what color you are. Helen Hunt and Mira Sorvino won oscars but their careers stalled. These things happen.
Yes, I have been trying to point that out but can’t. Also Adrien Brody and Jennifer Hudson.
My question that I have been trying to ask is: Is Lupita in a position to be turning down roles? What has she shown as proof that she’s this amazing actress. In response to @Divi she also turned down The Whole Truth. If that is true how can she expect to go into the Hollywood machine and demand she get leads when she really hasn’t proven herself as an actress. Perhaps that Oscar win lead her to believe that she won an Oscar therefore she should have offers for leading roles. If you think about it not many actresses who have won Oscars got it on their first movie. Even JLaw was already a known actress before she won. I think Lupita got sucked into the hype and messed things up for herself. She thought that Oscar was her ticket straight to the head of the line. Let’s be honest, how many roles have we seen her display her talent? And if she turned down roles because the part was too small then explain Star Wars where you didn’t even see her face. Jennifer Hudson and Monique also won a best supporting actress award. Where is the outrage for them and their lack of roles.
That’s one of the reasons I’m not a fan because most of the chatter about Lupita is her beautiful skin and how she looks in what she is wearing. Nothing about her acting talent.
She’s supposed to be this talented actress but all we are seeing so far is a well-dressed personality than a serious performer of the arts.
Can I just be shallow and say how beautiful this woman is for a second?! Oh my gosh, pure beauty. I love when she is covered on here. She has her own style, and it pays off! I want another award season with her fashion, please.
She is very very striking.
Yes, the oscars are no longer relevant to me, and to say it in Natalia Kills words, I wasn’t even going to dignify that stupid show with a comment, https://40.media.tumblr.com/8c166093d1e0a18d0035a825177a09f4/tumblr_nm9hwk2iTs1svn16jo1_500.jpg
but Lupita is sooooooo stunning!
The best #OscarsStillSoWhite tweet said it all: In a movie about Apollo Creed’s son, the Oscars decided to nominate Rocky.
I agree with you on that it’s so not unconscious. Still, bless her for speaking out on this.
It’s definitely not unconscious but I understand why she viewed it that way….
Maybe she is alluding to unconscious or implicit bias, the psychological mechanism underlying implicit and explicit prejudice, see:
http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2014/may/01/unconscious-bias-women-holding-back-work
And
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
I hope she doesn’t face repercussions for that statement.
While I’d love to agree, I don’t. I don’t think the academy is racist or prejudiced – I think what’s upsetting to people is that they’re objective and in choosing the best actor and picture and director etc, it happens that the best of the best – the individuals who have displayed the utmost talent and deserve this prestigious award – just happen to be white. And while there are pictures out right now featuring black people and directed by them, people would like to pick it to show diversity, but these movies simply weren’t up to par with others who HAPPEN to have white directors and actors. It’s all about the performance and the end result, and it happens that they’re all white.
The issue is that there needs to be more parts available for black people in Oscar-bait films so they can have more of a chance for being nominated.
tl;dr — the best of the best happen to be white people, it’s not on purpose. Straight out of Compton just wasn’t up to par and same goes for other movies this year like it. The real issue is that black people cant be nominated for roles that aren’t there – there needs to be more diversity in the industry, period.
I agree with you. No one should get a nomination they don’t deserve just because of the colour of their skin. The great black actors have always been nominated and won e.g Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington. It’s the Oscars, not the Affirmative Action Awards. Nominate people only on merit.
I agree as well. This will lessen wins for blacks in the future as it will likely be perceived as a pity vote/win and not earned on merit.
What scares me the most are idiots like you that genuinely don’t see the issues and spew bullsh*t like this.
Are you REALLY saying that Matt Damon’s performance in The Martian is better than Idris Elba’s in Beasts of No Nation? It’s not even a contest!!! That is just ONE example of where a mediocre “white” performance is given a pass.
It is not the case that “the best of the best happen to be white people” – I need to shower after typing out what you wrote – it is the case that mediocre white performances are valued higher than black performances. Why is it that Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo etc. (both actors I like) can turn in decent performances and consistently get nominated, but a black actor has to turn in an absolutely magnificent tour de force just to get to sit at the table??
THAT is the issue. And that is white privilege. And we, as white people, have to learn to discuss it honestly if there is ever going to be a level playing field.
Lastly, @Louisa and @Petra you need to wake the **** up to the truth. Your comments make me sick.
Don’t really want to get into the middle of the discussion of Idris vs.Damon, but just wanted to point out that regardless of Matt Damon’s acting per se, Martian had a diverse cast. It is not an all-white movie. Isn’t that a good thing?
Maybe “Whites” would be more receptive to listen, if you didn’t insult them by calling them idiots and labeling their opinions as “spewed b8llsh*t. ”
In my experience, insulting someone’s intelligence and their view then expect or rather demand they listen to me does not work.
Mildredfierce, you stole the words from my mouth–er, mind! Yoko Ohno probably felt really proud of her little scolding effort but, alas, lost all credibility with her name calling. Tantrums do not resonate with reasonable minds. Nice try (not really)
It fascinates me that some white people on this board become more upset over racial issues than black posters. Personally, I think it’s fake. Probably never been within ten feet of a real black person, will move to the opposite side of the street when they see a black man on the corner and if they really had to give up their white privilege they would jump off a bridge. Power to the people!!!!
@Mildlredfierce I was about to say the same thing. Though I agree with @yoko on most of what she said I draw the line at the personal attacks of calling other posters idiots.
@Petra I don’t agree with you on thinking the Academy is not a bit prejudiced. Black actors that are good and have been nominated have not always won. Samuels L. Jackson, Eddie Murphy and Don Cheadle to name a couple.
@Farhi were any of those Black people in The Martian nominated? No. Ok, than no it’s not a good thing.
And I do agree that there need to be more roles for Blacks, Latinos, Asians and so on. Also can someone tell me when was the last time a majority Black cast movie comedy has been nominated for an award. I think Ride Along and Think Like A Man was just as funny as Bridesmaid, My Cousin Vinny and Little Miss Sunshine but the Black comedies got no love at the Academy.
“tl;dr — the best of the best happen to be white people”
ok, keep telling yourself that.
Yeap. That’s what I think too. Quality work must be the reason for nomination. The problem is the Oscars have lost much credibility in this sense too. I work in the field, though in Canada, and the issue in Hollywodd definitely stems from the foundaTion of the pyramid – the lack of good material.
As per the “idiots” author, it shows only the lack of quality on your part, says nothing of your opponents.
Considering some of the comments you’ve made here in the past about race, I don’t think you’ve really got a leg to stand on.
Your comment…argh…You need to watch more movies if you think that there are no great movies with great performances of people that happen to not be (gasp) white!!!! Sure, it’s a great point that Hollywood should be more inclusive, that casting based on race should not be a thing and that there is a lot of work to be done in that direction. No doubt about that! But sorry, no, it’s not true that only movies with white actors are great. They are not. And this Oscar nominations are annoying. It’s mostly the same kind of stories, repeated all over, with the same people…and they all happen to be white (how representative is that in reality??!) Unfortunately people put a lot of value on the Oscars but there are other cinema awards that are way more objective about what is art and performance (sundance per instance). The Oscars are not about the art.
I love Jennifer Lawrence, but I will not watch any other movie of her and Bradley Cooper…how many of those can you watch without being catch in the actor vs. character problem? Are those Oscar worthy? Really? Leonardo Di Caprio is another one…please, an actor with no range at all, almost always playing the same kind of character, zero chemistry on screen (he did a good job in Departed but that was it), poster child of “white privilege”.
Did you ever watch anything with Idris Elba? He is an amazing actor, his performances are full of presence, he his incredible!
The Oscars are made for “white” movies with white people and they deserve to be called out on their bigotry. I’m white and I can see it.
Blue lipstick needs to stop. It looks good on no one.
She needs a makeup artist. Honestly, she is the most unattractive woman I have ever seen.
o_O She does have one, his name is Nick Barose and he is considered one of the best in this industry because he doesn’t believe in redrawing the whole face via contouring (like the Kardashian’s MUA). I follow him on IG and he is hilarious and always encourages his clients to love their unique features instead of hiding them. He did this blue lip on Lupita recently and commented that they were feeling playful and experimental during the Star Wars press tours and then boom! everyone made it such a huge deal because people love Lupita. It’s not even lipstick, it’s actually eyeshadow and lip balm. Makeup can be artistic and fun, not everyone wants to be done up to look like Blake Lively. She may not be beautiful to YOU, and that’s okay. Someone could easily think the same thing about you or me.
Are you trying to bring up race by bringing up Blake Lively? Blue lipstick on a very dark woman is a no no, not playful. Rather than taking the artist’s word for it Lupita should try looking in the mirror. Then take off the white eyeliner that makes her look like a 1960’s flight attendant.
She was very diplomatic in order not to burn bridges but I’m glad that she’s saying something. On another note did anyone else see what Don Cheadle tweeted?? He called out the Oscars and also talked a lot about campaigning and Harvey Weistein.
Ooh I want to read that. Off to Google I go.
I think it’s a big thing for Lupita to speak out in this subject, especially since she was the last POC (correct me if I’m wrong) to win at the Oscar’s. I’m sure there are other celebs who feel the same way that are either scared to speak up for fear of ruining future chances or just exhausted and feel that things will never change. I’m glad she’s using her platform in this way.
What disappoints me greatly is that there are so many people who refuse to see that there’s a problem here.. I’m not sure how you can continue to deny facts that are right in you face. It’s very eye opening. For the past few days I’ve seen so many arguments here and on other sites and my mind is just blown… Argue all you want but the issue is clear as day.
Arguing with probability isn’t enough to prove discrimination. She should argue that certain performances by POC were equally good or even better. But just saying she disagrees with no POC being nominated is pointless.
Cinema is going to change when society is going to change. The movies simply reflect the reality.
Lupita said well. This actress is one of my girl crush.
That Academy voter screwed it by bringing Black Lives Matter into the subject, but I get what he’s saying, really. I thought Selma was a very mediocre film too, and I deffo wouldn’t nominate Ava DuVernay based on merit alone (David and Carmen would get a nom for their flawless acting).
This year, I deffo think MBJ should’ve been recognised for Creed, especially considering the best Actor category is particularly not competitive this year. Creed was easily one of the best movies of 2015.
Cinema will change when white men who run the major studios (mostly of Jewish ethnicity) decide to change their hiring practices.
I am afraid Iris Elba got shut out because of Netflix.
Just as the Fox Executive was ranting this week of “too much TV” in the market place (Netflix, Amazon) hurting his product.
The Studios are scared sh#tless of turning into Music Industry post iTunes. And Studios do not have plan to save themselves. They are white knuckling it and lobbying their friends to shut down any award creed for Netflix and Amazon.
Amazon just announced they are getting into movie game now.
Amazon is flushed with cash (billions more than any major studio). Amazon does not have to raise money piece meal like Studios do through various domestic and foreign funds for their ‘slate.’
“I am afraid Iris Elba got shut out because of Netflix.”
Not necessarily true because “The Square” was a Netflix film that was nominated at the 2014 Academy Awards.
You’re right. Netflix films are eligible. This isn’t a disqualifier at all.
This isn’t just about the lack of Black actors/directors/producers, it’s about the lack of ANY people other than White.
YES, THIS!!!
It isn’t just about the lack of Black/African-American nominees, it is about the lack of Black, Latinos, Asian, etc. nominees. Let’s not focus our goals too narrowly.
Word, word! 😉
Says the African woman that recently WON an Oscar. I just CAN’T with this OSCARSOWHITE thing. Can’t we focus on the real issues of racism in this country? Who cares? We all know it is one big popularity contest.
And I would like to add that this big popularity contest is probably not entirely fair in its setup. And that it shouldn’t be a popularity contest but it should be about art.
It’s not all the academy’s fault. It’s also Hollywood studios’ prejudice. If there’s one or two major movies out with a non-white lead, it’s hard to include them all the time. It’s a matter of ratios too
I think in a way it is unconscious because I feel the AMPAS voters are more likely to choose something that is relateable to them or resonated with on a personal level. And when the majority of your voters are white old men…do you really think they’re gonna relate or even be interested in a movie like Straight Outta Compton?? Not really.
I think if they invite more POC and more women and LGBT into the academy, then we’ll see more diversity in the nominees.
Well, the best place to be these days is television. Is it me or is TV more diverse? TV seems to portray all sorts of life stories and backgrounds. Probably because there are so many channels/streaming/etc. As a hope-to-be writer, I’d rather work in TV because it treats writers so well (film/cinema notoriously treats writers really badly). Film is sort of like the British Aristocracy post WW1 – really beautiful but really hard to maintain financially.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, cinema is a dying breed – heard it myself from a Hollywood muckity muck who gave a talk to students at the business school where I work. In the future, the only thing people will want to see at the movies are the IMAX/Marvel stuff. Who wants to pay $12/per person to see a drama which can be seen at home for a total of $5.99 – or free, even.
TV may be the hoi polloi of Hollywood, but with it’s diversity and vast storytelling capability, I’m all for it!
“Well, the best place to be these days is television. Is it me or is TV more diverse? TV seems to portray all sorts of life stories and backgrounds”
I agree. TV has become more diverse. Just look at all the new series with heavily Black casts or Blacks in the lead. I can name a few off the top of my head. Sleepy Hollow, How To Get Away With Murder, Minority Report, Empire, Rosewood, The Player, Blood and Oil, Code Black, Truth Be Told and Chicago Med. JLow has her new series coming soon. Quantico has minorities in lead roles.
Don’t forget Walking Dead! Some really great black actors on that show – my faves: Danai Gurira (girl crush), Sonequa Martin (big girl-crush!), Lennie James, Chad Coleman (RIP, Tyreese).
Oh, I meant the *homes* of the British Aristocracy – not the British Aristocracy themselves!
It’s not UNCONSCIOUS prejudice. They’re conscious of it.
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I think this goes a bit too far. Nobody has a right to expect nomination / award for a certain group of people every year. Nobody should expect that each year there are xx % of non-whites in the nominations. Sorry, but that ain’t how nominations and votes work. There should be a nomination for achievements and not for ethnicity or skin colour.
That being said:
It is certainly suspicious that there are so few non-white people nominated this year. But that alone isn’t an indicator of discrimination. Just complaining about the probability not being respected doesn’t do the trick. Just because the chances don’t look good for non-whites that alone doesn’t prove discrimination.
A better solution would be to make the nomination process and voting process a bit more transparent and open for discussion. Let the academy justify their nominations. Why not justify why this or that actor_actress/movie/producer … didn’t get a nomination.
But don’t you see how movies with nearly an all black cast, got ZERO nominations for any of the POC involved (actors especially) but they did get nominations for the few roles executed by white people? So Straight Outta Compton was good enough to get nominated in the categories where whites were involved but simply not good enough in the areas where black people where involved. And you don’t think that’s BS?
Hmm let’s not kid ourselves, any group in power has always tried to shut out the rest to enjoy their privilege throughout U.S history. Only when the old generations pass away and the young generations have a changed view than we can expect some social movement become mainstream. Basically I dont see how anything will happen with releasing statements and boycotting. Or may be it’s the Asian collectiveness in me – nothing we can do as an individual but play upon the social trends of the larger community and society as a whole and unfortunately in America it is the white/mainstream (just a general term cuz Irish, Scandinavian, Italian used to not be considered “white” and now its White Hispanic). Just don’t expect it to happen within our lifetime and look at other goals and positivity in life.
But can we please stop blaming just the old white guys over 60 for this, plenty of the younger set think similarly if not worse and the problem won’t just disappear when all the sexagenarians ‘die off’. So I agree with her unconscious prejudice phrasing: because NO ONE member of the academy thinks they personally harbour any – and I think the receipts that say otherwise are in at this point.
Can we please stop saying ‘boycott’, NO ONE HAS SAID ANYTHING ABOUT BOYCOTTING!
The media twists and manipulates what’s being said and it’s so unfortunate because people take it and run with it and don’t bother to check for the source or question anything!
Spike Lee never said anything about boycotting, neither did Jada Smith.
This post is a mess! The way some people get upset on behalf of “whites” the whole us vs them reactions just proves that race segregation is alive and well in america. Never understood why some white people get offended because of other silly white people. Just admit there is a problem or you are part of the problem. if you don’t confront the problem nothing will change. what these poc in the industry are saying is their experience working in the industry. Unless you are a poc in the industry you don’t have the authority or knowledge to say they are wrong, so you should listen and learn instead. Maybe that way we as audience members can help push for change.
Furthermore can we retire the idea that the oscars is honouring the best of the best? I could name 10 actresses who are better actresses or actors then JLaw and Leo, who aren’t nominated for oscars every time they make a movie. Its quite clear that the oscars is about the industries biggest stars not its best actors.