Pres. Obama on #OscarsSoWhite: Diversity ‘makes for better art, entertainment’

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It feels like we’re at the tailend of the controversial part of the #OscarSoWhite debacle. We’re now two weeks removed from the Oscar nominations announcement and all of the dumb people have said their words, publicists have gnashed their teeth and now every future statement about diversity will be rehearsed, pre-written pieces about how there is still much to be done. And now that we’re two weeks into it, Pres. Obama has finally weighed in. America’s first African-American president thinks the issue is bigger than who gets an Oscar nomination:

“I think when everybody’s story is told, then that makes for better art. It makes for better entertainment. It makes everybody feel part of one American family. So I think, as a whole, the industry should do what every other industry should do, which is to look for talent, provide opportunity to everybody.”

“As a whole, the industry should do what every other industry should do, which is to look for talent and provide opportunity to everybody. I think the Oscar debate is really just an expression of this broader issue of are we making sure that everybody is getting a fair shot?”

[From Us Weekly]

As I’ve said so many times before, I’m fine with using the #OscarsSoWhite conversation as a vehicle for larger conversations about diversity in Hollywood, representation, inclusion and more. That seems to be what Obama is saying too – Hollywood should aim to make inclusive art and recognize that inclusive art with awards.

Hillary Clinton also spoke out about #OscarsSoWhite, saying that the backlash “is overdue, but the Academy announced that they are going to be making some changes as they should… [The Academy needs] to really move as quickly as they can to make those changes.”

Speaking of, THR published a spectacular essay by Marc Bernardin about the kinds of films made about the African-American experience specifically – go here to read. Bernardin posits that white people get to see their experiences represented in many different ways in film, whereas films about people of color are usually about extraordinary historical figures (Malcolm X, MLK) or slavery. And not only that, when films are about normal, non-extraordinary non-white people, they aren’t given the same kind of awards buzz or critical acclaim that films about struggling white people receive.

And finally, here’s a moment of Zen. Sunny and Bo Obama playing in the snow!!

It's time to get outside!❄️🐶

A video posted by The White House (@whitehouse) on

Photos courtesy of Instagram, WENN.

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27 Responses to “Pres. Obama on #OscarsSoWhite: Diversity ‘makes for better art, entertainment’”

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  1. Lady D says:

    Racism is never going to go away, is it?

    • CLINIQUA says:

      When it does, it still gets replaced by classism, sexism, and other ‘isms,’ that lead once again to a system of social hierarchy and inequity.

    • Dangles says:

      I’ve often thought that myself. Just when we appeared to be making real progress to overcome xenophobia 9/11 happened and the ruling class had a new scapegoat to deflect attention from themselves. I’m sick to death of the corporate media and conservative policitiacans drumming up islamaphobia when there’re are so many other things we should be focusing on.

  2. AlmondJoy says:

    ” And not only that, when films are about normal, non-extraordinary non-white people, they aren’t given the same kind of awards buzz or critical acclaim that films about struggling white people receive.”

    100% truth. There is no denying this fact. Someone in another thread mentioned that it would be nice to see a movie about a black person finding love and how it’s exhausting to only see movies that are about racism when it comes to black people. I read another article the other day that had all these different pictures of Lupita and Michael B. Jordan together and spoke about how they have a mutual admiration for each other, but that we would never see a movie about these two meeting and falling in love, and if it actually DID happen, it would get any recognition. If it’s not a slave movie or civil rights movie or something of that sort, it probably won’t be made. And if it IS made, no one will pay attention to it. A sad truth.

    • Marty says:

      Your comment really hit home for me Almondjoy because I was just having this conversation with my parents the other day. How many films do you see about PoC where they are happy or joyful? It’s like mainstream media is only comfortable with us in roles with regulated emotions. My hope is to see the whole human experience being represented on screen by people who don’t look like the status quo.

    • Alex says:

      Yep. We don’t get to see our stories on screen. Its why I love Shonda’s approach to tv. She writes for everyone and she writes them as just everyday complex people. We need more of that.
      I love a good historical movie but for once a simple movie about falling in love (like love and basketball) or just a fun movie where you see some POCs in them would be nice. Its hard being a POC and living in the real world…we need the escape more than anyone

    • SusanneToo says:

      @Almondjoy. I would be first in line to see that movie. I’d also love to see him paired with Gugu or Naomie Harris. It would probably have to be a smaller, independent film IMO. As long as HW worships at the BO altar very few human sized, true to life films will get studio backing. Most of my favorite films last year played at my small arts theatre-Meet the Patels, He Named Me Malala, Infinitely Polar Bear, Diary of a Teenage Girl, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl, and about a dozen more. None of them made a blip on the BO radar, but they were wonderful and really provided insight into the lives of others. I think(I hope)there’s an audience if the films can just get made on a reasonable budget.

    • LooseSeal says:

      Until this moment I didn’t realize how desperately I wanted a Michael B Jordan/Lupiya N’yongo love story movie. With tons of longing stares and angst and heaving breasts and almost kisses that build into the greatest onscreen make out of all time. I need this! The world needs this.

  3. QQ says:

    Love it, Love him, Love those Puppies, and Bassically that article speaks to what most of us have been saying for EONS about what kind of representation black/PoC get in hollywood, TV is doing a muuuuuch better job at this but not by a long shot there

    • Pinky says:

      The issue for me is that it’s NOT JUST Hollywood. If you’re sitting around and patting yourself on the back and thinking #NotMyIndustry, you’re part of the problem.

      -TheRealPinky

  4. Pri says:

    This is why I encourage people to watch Bollywood, HK films, even Nollywood.

    Don’t paint every film from these industries with one brush. There are excellent stories out there with PoC in the lead roles.

    • Dangles says:

      Good advice but sadly Hollywood is the be and all for most of the people on this site. Like most people in the Englsih speaking world they’ll stick with xenophobic Hollywood before they’ll “subject” themselves to subtitles.

      • SusanneToo says:

        Not everyone. In the past two weeks I’ve watched three Iranian films, two Chinese films, two multipart German TV series, three Italian films, five French films, two Canadian films, one Indian film, three A-A themed films, and others I’ve probably forgotten. I’m also doing the 52 films by 52 women pledge. Retirement is terrific.

  5. Lilacflowers says:

    DOGS IN SNOW!!!! Sorry. Excuse me. Important subject matter. But, dogs in snow

  6. Greenieweenie says:

    This is why it’s important to have presidents who aren’t white and aren’t male.

  7. Sixer says:

    I like it that he broadened it out from casting to creating. And that he spoke about storytelling and made the point that telling everyone’s stories enriches us ALL.

  8. Margo S. says:

    Love it Obama! Equal opportunity for all.

    • SusanneToo says:

      I’m waiting for the Teanuts to twist it into “Obama hates white people.” Their typical response.

      • Who ARE these people? says:

        They’ll say something about how this didn’t bother him when he took money from Liberal Hollywood, and so on and so on. At this point it’s a formula.

  9. CLINIQUA says:

    I was watching the incredible ‘Unsung,’ documentary series the other night (TVONE) – it was the story of Tammy Terrell, who had become a superstar of Motown by the time she was 24. Her life was incredibly short, inspiring and tragic. The hits she made with Marvin Gaye are part of the American landscape. (Aint No Mountain High Enough, Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, and on and on)

    I kept thinking, wow if she had been white there would have been a half dozen films about her life made over the last 45 years.

    Instead, we get the 457th Pride & Prejudice movie only with Zombies.

    Well done Hollywood.

  10. poppy says:

    yes, more diversity please, on all fronts. enough with the franchisable movies. we are all not 12-21 yo white males.
    pump some of that profit from those “films” back into the craft or every upstart (Netflix et al) will take your business away. because we are not all teenaged boys. or white. tv has been trying to deal with the same problem and that industry is finally crashing and burning, with the upstarts rising from the flames.
    OT -cannot wait to turn a tv on and not ever hear a laugh track again. ATTN: old white tv exec – i know when to laugh and will laugh when it’s funny.

  11. brincalhona says:

    Gonna miss the Obamas. Very dignified. They say what needs saying: no more, no less. What’ll they do next?

  12. Elisa says:

    Suggestions for recent movies with black people that are not slaves or criminals or MLK / Malcolm X? The ones I can think of are mostly “black” movies, bonus points if it’s a racially mixed cast! Here’s a few off the top of my head, none really “Oscar worthy” but really what does that mean nowadays….
    1. Beyond the Lights – Gugu was great! Also, I just realized that’s where I’ve actually seen Nate Parker before!
    2. Belle – also starring Gugu! Unique story, loved it!
    3. Ride Along 1&2
    4. Baggage Claim with Paula Patton and Christina Milian
    5. That Awkward Moment – really liked Michael B Jordan and Zac Efron in this
    6. Dope – haven’t seen this but heard it was good!
    7. Straight outta Compton of course
    8. The Night Before with Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon Levitt
    I’m sure I’m missing much more…

  13. Dangles says:

    On on the question of whether or not the Oscars are xenophobic, I liked this guy’s response:

    “I know very little about the Oscars awarding process, so does “Best Picture” necessarily have to be an American / English speaking production? If so then yes this is quite clearly xenophobic. Or rather, if so then the xenophobia is institutionalised. If for example, foreign films were technically allowed to be considered for “Best Picture” but in reality hardly ever were, then the xenophobia would be less institutionalised, but still present. Either way the outcome is much the same. Saying “but it’s an Anglo centric awards ceremony” is just playing with semantics. No, the KKK don’t hate black people, they just prefer whites. To say that an awards show should only consider English speaking films for the title of “Best Picture” (as opposed to “Best American Picture” or “Best Picture in the English Language”), simply because said awards show is made by and for English speaking people, is actually in itself a xenophobic statement. It’s an attitude which is unfortunately common all over the English speaking world.

    In Spain they have the Goya awards, which is an awards show specifically for Spanish films. As you can imagine, it usually ends up being the same 5 movies being nominated for everything and the same people getting on and off the stage the whole time, and so it’s even more boring than the Oscars. At least with this system though it is accepted that the “Best Picture” category is only the “Best Picture (made in Spain)”. To include foreign films in their own category, but then reserve “Best Picture (in the world)” for only a Spanish production would obviously, rightly be considered xenophobic, as it should be anywhere else.”