The 2016 Academy Awards were full of unexpected surprises. Mad Max: Fury Road received six Oscars in one night — so many that Louis CK jokingly announced it as the winner of the the best short documentary film category, which Mad Max was not even nominated for — Chris Rock made over $65,000 for his two daughters’ Girl Scout troop, fans all over reacted emotionally when Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio reunited as Jack and Rose from Titanic on the red carpet, and DiCaprio finally received his long awaited Oscar for Best actor in a leading role for “The Revenant.”
However, one saddening fact remained the elephant in the room: the overpowering white presence in the Oscar nominees. The Academy has predominantly dished out Oscars to a select few from the bowl of “vanilla ice cream nominations,” as author Stephen King describes, and this has certainly not gone unnoticed from the social community, with criticism starting when the nominations for the Academy Awards were introduced last year and the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite began trending on Twitter. Actors and actresses reacted, many criticizing the methodology of Academy Award nominations and awards.
Unfortunately, the Academy Awards are just a glimpse of the reality in Hollywood: movies and media remain heavily biased toward the white majority. According to Marlowe Stern’s article “How to fix the racist Oscars — and Hollywood,” of the top 100 highest-grossing films in 2014, only about 12 of them had people of color in leads or co leads. This featured a breakdown of 73.1 percent white leads, 12.5 percent black, 5.3 percent Asian, 4.9 percent Hispanic, and 4.2 percent other. However, it is easier to change an awards ceremony than it is to change a whole profession, and proposed voting changes in the Academy seem to be a small shuffle down the right path. The Oscars’ lack of diversity is a problem that needs to be addressed, but is seemingly being handled with high hopes for the future.
A friend of mine introduced me to Straight Outta Compton not even a month ago, and I immensely enjoyed the entrancing story. It stirred a whirlwind of controversy with its brutally truthful portrayal of treatment of people in Southern Los Angeles while it told the electrifying origin story of a hip-hop/rap group that still has influence in society now. Jason Mitchell’s performance as Eazy-E was powerful and heartbreaking, hitting the most personal and empathetic connections of the audience through betrayal, brotherhood, love, and death. Personally, I would have included this movie as a nominee because the story was moving yet funny, and portrayed the realities of a popular hip hop group in their neighborhood and during their time.
It’s both disappointing and heart-wrenching to know that some Academy members refused to watch Straight Outta Compton because it “represented a culture that [some Academy members] detest, or more accurately, they assume they detest,” according to an anonymous source from within the Academy. Many of these blockbuster movies featuring people of color are severely underrepresented and undercredited for their cinematic genius and story relevance. By merely casting aside black movies as representing a “culture they assume they detest,” members are practicing racial discrimination and not giving some of the best performances by any actor a chance.
This lack of diversity perhaps may be connected with the method of choosing candidates for receiving the Oscars. The Oscars are voted on by the Academy, which, though the president is a black woman, consists of judges who are 94 percent white, 76 percent male, and an average of 63 years old. The most prestigious movie awards are therefore primarily judged by old, white men who seem to primarily enjoy the work of other old, white men. This majority sets not only an ethnic or racial boundary, but an age boundary as well. Many of the older Academy members felt that the movie was not appropriate for their age group and refrained from watching it. Adding younger members who are not just more ethnically diverse, but understand or are willing to be exposed to the more updated reality of today, may lead to a brighter future for movies featuring more than old, white men.
This lack of diversity within Academy members has been the subject of a fair amount of criticism. The current membership policy requires sponsorships by two Academy Members from the branch of which the new member desires to enter, unless the member has already been nominated for an Academy Award, for which a sponsorship is not needed and their membership is automatically considered. Clearly, this creates a cycle of old, white men recruiting other old, white men, resulting in a lack of diversity in the Academy.
While this rule is still intact, starting in late 2016, member voting status will last only ten years and will only be renewed if the member is active in motion pictures during that decade. Members will receive lifetime voting rights only if they act or have acted in motion pictures for three decades or if they have been nominated or have won an Academy Award. Three new governor seats will be filled, as the president confirms, by women and people of color. This supposedly will maintain the credibility of the Oscars by collectively giving people who are currently working in the business or have been active for a long time the power to choose who is nominated for the Academy Awards. The older but less qualified members would therefore be removed to emeritus status and not be allowed to vote. This is a slow step, but a much needed and much anticipated one on the path to increased diversity.
This lack of diversity is not limited to the Academy Awards alone but is a prominent example in all of Hollywood. The underrepresentation of minorities is saddening to observe, and it is reflected in the breakdown of the Oscars’ diversity. Many nominees and guest speakers this year have recognized this, reminding the audience and members of the Academy in the audience about ethnic favoritism evident in this year’s and last year’s nominations and briefly giving recognition to the fabulous performances delivered by some colored actors this year. Changing the Academy Awards may not seem to change the flow of diversity drastically, but it is the right step in successfully overcoming the lack of minority representation.
