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Promoting Diversity in Oscar Nominations
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Savannah, Our Shared Shelf Moderator
(last edited Jan 22, 2016 06:33PM)
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Jan 22, 2016 06:22PM
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I know that the Academy is not very diverse which could definitely be a reason why as to why there is a lack of minority nominees. However, many of the films nominated are biopics which are about white individuals such as Steve Jobs. On the other hand, I also do believe that "Concussion" should have been nominated. I'm sorry that I'm so divided!
The best course of action is to become the system. That is, become the people who decide the outcomes of these events and implement a more fair and balanced means of awarding actors and actresses. If you are the director, you choose how to make the movie. If you are the executive, you choose who gets paid more. If you are in power, you will ultimately have a greater say in what goes. This coming into such great power may not be easy, for it will take immense patience and hard work. However, in the end, it will prove well worth the endeavor. I know the voting for these award events can be skewed towards being biased against minorities, so it becomes important to fight this battle on two fronts. On one hand, you denounce evidence of prejudice. You call out those who have done wrong so as to alleviate these negative actions. It is important to note that I stress the term "evidence" as being concrete and not solely speculator. The second front on which this battle is fought is to praise and celebrate those who get it right. Acknowledge anyone who does the right thing and treats everyone as equals. Only them will this agenda gain enough momentum to truly make a real difference. If all anyone ever does is fight the people doing wrong, it will appear as though the only intention behind your combat is to start trouble. The real way to fight for a cause is to support the side that you know to be correct and to work collectively against the side that works only to hurt people.
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Here's a link:
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/21/...
I also think issues as to Hollywood gender pay gap Jennifer Lawrence and Emma discussed last October or I guess such can be followed... ? Also Eager to know not only actresses vs actors but also, directors, make-up artists, stylists, scriptwriters, struggling people ..gender gap issues there?.. also other Gender Gap in Hollywood...other gender gap issues might be there as well...? Other actresses vs actors gender gap issues? These are also important to know! I'm eager to know..I guess....
I just find it interesting to hear how the group is looking statistically (older white males on average), when supposedly the few thousands of voters are picked from several areas of the Hollywood machinery. Somehow my logic doesn't quite manage to make the equation add up, but maybe I'm too stupid to grasp show biz.
I liked what Jamie Foxx had to say about the issue. It should be about the art and perfecting your craft, but at the same time it should be about opportunity. And actors/actresses of all races should be given opportunities to show what they're made of.
The whole system has to change, but I don't think that will happen.
Evelia wrote: "The whole system has to change, but I don't think that will happen."I think it is a step in the right direction to boot people who haven't been active in the industry in a particular amount of years anymore. Should make it at least a bit easier for newcomers to get an invitation.
Takashi wrote: "I also think issues as to Hollywood gender pay gap Jennifer Lawrence and Emma discussed last October or I guess such can be followed... ? Also Eager to know not only actresses vs actors but also, d..."Hello Takashi, I can speak to 1 specific union, Hollywood Teamsters, and more specifically the transportation branch. There are other branches (animal wranglers, location managers, etc.) which are represented by this specific union. Within the transportation branch women are employed. The top of the employment chain (Transportation Coordinator) has only 1 female. I do not have a solid number as to how many people belong to the transportation branch. I do not have any specific information regarding the racial diversity. T
Alexis wrote: "However, many of the films nominated are biopics which are about white individuals such as Steve Jobs. "
Steve Jobs was half-Syrian.
That's also my problem with Hollywood. There is a lot of white-washing going on. There are plenty of instances in which there were roles about non-white people and white actors were cast. The possible roles are there but they are not as easily accessible.
Steve Jobs was half-Syrian.
That's also my problem with Hollywood. There is a lot of white-washing going on. There are plenty of instances in which there were roles about non-white people and white actors were cast. The possible roles are there but they are not as easily accessible.
I'm going to recommend two articles from the Los Angeles Times regarding the Academy. http://graphics.latimes.com/oscars-20...
and
http://graphics.latimes.com/oscars-20...
In my opinion, most of Hollywood is driven by nepotism. The exception may be when it comes to performers. Spike Lee has been very vocal about studios being owned and operated by "whites." Part of a solution could be studio ownership by anything other than "whites." Equal educational opportunities need to be given for all who are under-represented, in all crafts. The Academy is 89 years old and it needs to be changed to better represent the world around us. It will be a long process and much work will need to be done within the separate crafts represented by the Academy. I'm a 58 year old white woman, married for 29 years to a white transportation union member. Please let me know what you think of the articles. What other solutions might we put forward? It will take much discussion and concrete actions by all of us.
Its frustrating to me that Charlotte Rampling said something so ignorant because I've enjoyed her work in the past. I'm sure I will do so again but somewhere at the back of my mind there will be a little bit of sadness remembering that nasty ignorant remark. Take a look at the presenters at the Oscars and how many people of color there were. Except they all came from TV because TV is hiring people much more inclusively than film. They aren't all the way there but at least they've made a start. The movie studios could be doing the same but they aren't. Which is why I've basically lost interest in movies and mostly watch small screen now.
Bunny wrote: "Its frustrating to me that Charlotte Rampling said something so ignorant because I've enjoyed her work in the past. I'm sure I will do so again but somewhere at the back of my mind there will be a ..."I agree, it was unexpected and quite nasty really.
The sad thing is I recall faces quite well, but when it comes to remembering actors' names, the story is different. It isn't due to memory, but because I haven't heard them often enough to rattle them off - the way I do with white actors. I'm not talking Morgan Freeman-level royalty now, but more like the middle-class actor we all have seen numerous times - in side roles naturally - yet can't quite figure out what their names are.
On the other hand, in this one movie with all black cast except the white guy, who was dating one of the ladies, said white guy got crap aka "friendly banter" for being white rather than black, and I'm quite sure the same would never have happened in a film with the reverse ratio. Maybe because of political correctness, maybe because of law suits, who knows.
I guess I'm saying it's also hard being white in certain situations, because a decent specimen of my colouring knows just how much other colours have suffered due to the white overlords' actions, so at times I think it might be easier to just suck it up, when the scale tips too much in the wrong direction. It's not right of course, but there's the risk of sounding small in comparison with what others have endured and do still suffer from. Rampling most likely didn't refer to this, but in continuum with her comments on racism against white people I sort of agree on some level. Nobody should be dealing with racism.
I believe that lack of diversity at the Oscars is not a problem of the Oscars themselves but of the fact, as Viola Davis pointed out, that films with black people as protagonists or as directors are not being made! It is quite the same problem with women not being nominated as much as men in certain categories. Cate Blanchett said: "Where are the female directors? Where are the women Best Actors who are in movies made for more than a wing and a prayer? Let's get on first base on that one. Somebody!". She also pointed out that many films with women as protagonists instead of men (like her last film "Carol" or "Blue Jasmine") have a very small budget because investors and Hollywood still believe that those kind of films cannot be successful. When she won the Oscar for Blue Jasmine she said:" ...those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the center are niche experiences. They are not. Audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people."
So I think that the lack of diversity is not something that concern the Oscars, but something that concerns the industry in which the Oscars are and play only a small part. But of course they are such a popular event that all the attention in focused on it, but we should see the problem from a much wider point of view whether we are talking about black people not being nominated or women.
even for the few 'black roles' that do arise they are often given to white actors. then there are the heartbreaking cases when the black actress / actor has clearly been given short shift (still crying for Angela Bassett ; she owned her portrayal of tina in what's love got to do with it. so it's hard to explain that away other than straight racism at all levels...the oscars, the industry, the whole and the parts.
Hey. I wrote this brief article a few days ago on the topic of gender equality at the Oscars. I hope you like it:#OscarSoWhite? Try OscarSoMale
It is difficult to argue the 88th Academy Awards was anything but an honest effort to recognize the OscarSoWhite controversy surrounding the lack of representation of people of color in Hollywood's biggest award party. But is this the only controversial issue the infamous award show faces? Chris Rock drew attention to another significant issue in the industry rather beautifully:
"Hey, if you want black nominees every year, you need to just have black categories... You already do it with men and women. Think about it: There’s no real reason for there to be a man and a woman category in acting... It’s not track and field. You don’t have to separate ‘em. You know, Robert De Niro’s never said, 'I better slow this acting down, so Meryl Streep can catch up.'"
We laugh but Chris Rock hasn't actually said a joke; he has simply pointed out an obvious fact. It's like your chemistry teacher saying "The chemical name for water (H2O) is dihydrogen monoxide". But the truth is so ridiculous we find ourselves laughing. It's time to stop laughing. Here's why:
Because the acting categories are split 50-50 — best actor and supporting actor versus best actress and supporting actress — there's an enforced gender parity. This makes the gender gap at the Oscars a little harder to notice at first blush. A closer look, however, reveals how underrepresented women are in nearly every other category. So let's take a moment to explore the obvious, yet hidden, gender disparity in the history of the Academy Awards.
Category 1: Best Picture
Less than 20% of all best picture winners — over 88 years of awards — has starred a woman. That isn't just a disparity, it's a full-blown failure to recognize stories about women. This is maybe unsurprising, however, when one remembers exactly how old and male academy membership is.
In its 88-year history, only 11 movies directed by a woman have been nominated for Best Picture. Out of the 529 nominations in this category since 1927, the female directive representation is at about 2%. Of the 11 best picture nominees mentioned above, only 2 have also been nominated for best director. In other words, women are generally absent in this category. The argument, then, is either that women are born with a natural inability to create Best Picture, or the industry and Academy Awards committee have failed to empower the women.
Category 2: Best Director
Did you know that Kathryn Bigelow is the only female to ever win in this category? And she is only one of four women to have been nominated in this category in the entire history of the Oscars! Maybe men are born with a directing gene? Perhaps it's a talent that comes with other anatomical features.
All Other Categories
One would think that women may be equally represented in other categories, surely in more recent years when we have become more aware of the gender disparity. But it is not so, not even close. In the most recent decade (2006-2015), 327 women have been nominated in any category at the Oscars, versus 1387 men. That is less than 20% of all nominations. This is despite equal number of categories offered to both men and women.
Concluding Remarks
The motion picture industry has made huge accomplishments in the Academy Awards' 88-year history. Think of the technological advancements, improvements in sound editing, special effects, incredible stories told and portrayed in inspiring and fascinating ways. The industry has done this almost entirely with the imaginative, creative, and intelligent power of the men. Imagine how many more incredible stories would be told if only the industry empowered women.
I address my final words to the men, not women, in all industries wherever you are in the world. We live in a world where the genetic physical abilities bestowed on men is no longer the road to growth. It is the intelligence and creativity of the people that leads us to a better future. In this, there is no gender disparity. However, the residuals of social gender disparity from previous eras hinder the growth of women and, in turn, of all of us. Seize every opportunity you get to change the world, one action at a time. Stop your sexist jokes midway, inspire a female colleague to accomplish more, give a female nominee a chance to prove herself. There is nothing more masculine than a man who empowers a woman. We need men to make the next big leap in our history. Join the movement. #HeForShe.
References
Significant content taken from: "The Oscars Are Nearly as Male as They Are White", February 23, 2016 by Kevin O'Keeffe, Yahoo News
"Oscar Nominations: A Good Year for Women—On Screen, at Least", January 11, 2013 by Alexandra MacAaron, Women's Voices for Change
"The 2016 Oscars Were The Most Feminist Yet, But There's Still A Long Way to Go", February 29, 2016 by Danielle Campoamor, Romper
Written by
Parnian Jadidian
Parnian Jadidian
Property Risk Management Consultant at Global Risk Consultants
Wow, that's so interesting! And I couldn't agree more with you, Parnian! :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I didn't focus on double-discrimination issues because I find it gets confusing. I find that it quickly turns into such a big project that I feel there's nothing I can do about it. I believe in small focused purposeful steps. If I can get more women represented and you can get more minority racial representation then together we can help solve these issues in small achievable steps. Having said that, you have peaked my interest so I will investigate the statistics... I'll share my findings!
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