~Lauren~
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,876 
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Post by ~Lauren~ on Jan 19, 2016 14:12:14 GMT
lack of diversity. No actors of color were nominated.
What it comes down to for me is this: if the Oscars are meant to showcase "the best", then "diversity" should not come into play.
Like all art, the nominations are subjective, but the past years where African American have won both best actor and best actress in the same year and other years had minority wins of top awards shows that racism is not at play. That being the case, in any given year, if the nominators pick "the best" and it happens to not include minorities, "thems the breaks."
To me, forcing minorities to be nominated for the sake of "diversity" cheapens the awards. Instead of the "best", we're right back to the "let's make everyone feel good" mantra that has cheapened many other awards.
What say you?
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Deleted
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Apr 26, 2024 1:09:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 14:16:03 GMT
I fully agree with you.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jan 19, 2016 14:18:16 GMT
When I go to a movie, I don't care what the colour of the actor's skin is (M or F). If he/she does a great job, they deserve an Oscar nod. If their performance is outstanding they should win.
I saw "Monster's Ball" and I think Halle Berry did an amazing job in that movie.
I saw "Philadelphia" and thought Denzel Washington was beyond outstanding.
I didn't see Jamie Foxx in "Ray" and have no idea if he was awesome or not. I like Jamie's singing, though, and have seen him interviewed and like him a LOT.
There are an equal number of caucasian actors I enjoy watching, as well. As long as I get something out of the movie, I am good.
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Jan 19, 2016 14:21:36 GMT
I'm sitting on the bench with you.
I am really saddened by this. I have said before (in fact on a post here) that I would be really upset if it turns out that Will Smith wasn't what he appears. I have a hard time believing that he doesn't have the same views his wife does. Maybe he doesn't, but I am doubting it right now. Makes me very sad because I have loved Will Smith for years.
I know there are racial issues still today but this is becoming a little ridiculous, IMO. Yesterday there were some people that stopped traffic on a bridge and chained themselves to cars in support of MLK day. I'm not sure that Martin Luther King Jr would have wanted that. I could be wrong though.
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Post by pierkiss on Jan 19, 2016 14:22:38 GMT
I agree with you Lauren.
However, I o think the way the Oscars are run needs a complete overhaul. I've heard/read too many stories about actors only getting awards because "he/she has paid their dues and are "owed" an Oscar". I think it should be completely merit based, and past histories shouldn't even factor in.
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Post by littlemama on Jan 19, 2016 14:23:14 GMT
I agree with you 100%. I also don't know why anyone would care if Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith boycott the Oscars. Are they even relevant these days?
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Deleted
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Apr 26, 2024 1:09:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 14:26:27 GMT
Boo freaking hoo.
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Post by mom on Jan 19, 2016 14:28:25 GMT
Yep, I am with you. I hate that they are playing the race card.
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by lindas on Jan 19, 2016 14:28:25 GMT
I agree with you 100%.
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Deleted
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Apr 26, 2024 1:09:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 14:33:00 GMT
To me, forcing minorities to be nominated for the sake of "diversity" cheapens the awards. Instead of the "best", we're right back to the "let's make everyone feel good" mantra that has cheapened many other awards. What say you? I %100 agree with this. |
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Post by Miss Ang on Jan 19, 2016 14:37:04 GMT
I'm in total agreement with you on this one.
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MorningPerson
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,503
Location: Central Pennsylvania
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Post by MorningPerson on Jan 19, 2016 14:40:31 GMT
Yep, with you on this. And I agree with littlemama. Do Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith think that Oscars night will be ruined because they're not there?  |
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Post by *sprout* on Jan 19, 2016 14:41:21 GMT
I heard this on the news this morning and had the same thoughts as you. It's the best actor/actress, not the best with stipulations attached.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,589
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jan 19, 2016 14:43:59 GMT
When something like 90% of the nominators are white and 70% are men, I think the odds are stacked against diversity. The Academy needs to work on recruiting more voters with diverse backgrounds.
There were many diverse performances worthy of nominations - they just weren't noticed.
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Post by ScrapsontheRocks on Jan 19, 2016 14:46:22 GMT
I come from the land of the race card.
I cannot speak with authority on the quality of the acting this Oscar season as I have not yet seen the movies concerned, but everything I have read has said that this is truly a vintage year for the movies and there must be lots of outstanding actors of all groups wishing that their movie/ performance was a year earlier or later.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 19, 2016 14:47:54 GMT
The other big part of it is that it takes so long for a movie to be made and released, that it's kind of a crapshoot as to who is going to be in the big hit movie of the year in any given year. When a movie is released is based on so many different variables and if you weren't in anything good (or, if you weren't in anything at all) that was released that year, you obviously won't get nominated. You could be the finest actor in the world, but if you weren't IN anything that came out last year, too bad so sad. ScrapsontheRocks great minds think alike! |
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Post by jennyap on Jan 19, 2016 14:49:30 GMT
lack of diversity. No actors of color were nominated. What it comes down to for me is this: if the Oscars are meant to showcase "the best", then "diversity" should not come into play. Like all art, the nominations are subjective, but the past years where African American have won both best actor and best actress in the same year and other years had minority wins of top awards shows that racism is not at play. That being the case, in any given year, if the nominators pick "the best" and it happens to not include minorities, "thems the breaks." To me, forcing minorities to be nominated for the sake of "diversity" cheapens the awards. Instead of the "best", we're right back to the "let's make everyone feel good" mantra that has cheapened many other awards. What say you? I'm torn. On one hand I 100% agree with you. I am not a fan of affirmative action / quotas. But... Identifying whether there is a real issue here is very difficult, because we are talking about a subjective judgement. However, I think I saw somewhere that something like 95% of Academy members - ie the ones who make the nominations - are white. So (sadly) I can easily imagine that there is some systemic bias inherent in the process of making the nominations, even if unconscious or unintended. That is not to say that I think all Academy members are racist - far from it. But I do think that such a lack of diversity in the nominators could lead to a disproportionate lack of diversity in the nominations themselves. ETA or I could just have waited for Peabay to post and said  |
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peabay
Prolific Pea
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Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Jan 19, 2016 14:52:57 GMT
lack of diversity. No actors of color were nominated. What it comes down to for me is this: if the Oscars are meant to showcase "the best", then "diversity" should not come into play. Like all art, the nominations are subjective, but the past years where African American have won both best actor and best actress in the same year and other years had minority wins of top awards shows that racism is not at play. That being the case, in any given year, if the nominators pick "the best" and it happens to not include minorities, "thems the breaks." To me, forcing minorities to be nominated for the sake of "diversity" cheapens the awards. Instead of the "best", we're right back to the "let's make everyone feel good" mantra that has cheapened many other awards. What say you? I'm torn. On one hand I 100% agree with you. I am not a fan of affirmative action / quotas. But... Identifying whether there is a real issue here is very difficult, because we are talking about a subjective judgement. However, I think I saw somewhere that something like 95% of Academy members - ie the ones who make the nominations - are white. So (sadly) I can easily imagine that there is some systemic bias inherent in the process of making the nominations, even if unconscious or unintended. That is not to say that I think all Academy members are racist - far from it. But I do think that such a lack of diversity in the nominators could lead to a disproportionate lack of diversity in the nominations themselves. Academy members are sent screeners. You are only supposed to vote for performances/films you've seen. So, let's say you have a preponderance of (ETA: old) white men voting - how many of them picked up "Straight Outta Compton" and thought "can't wait to see this!" And how many picked up "The Revenant" (and I think it's a stretch to say Innaritu is "white" - he's Mexican) and thought "woo hoo!" It is inherently biased and the only solution is to recruit more diversity in the membership. ETA: I edited to add "old" because i do believe younger voters would be more open to different movies and performances. |
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Post by Really Red on Jan 19, 2016 14:55:09 GMT
When something like 90% of the nominators are white and 70% are men, I think the odds are stacked against diversity. The Academy needs to work on recruiting more voters with diverse backgrounds. There were many diverse performances worthy of nominations - they just weren't noticed. TWO PERCENT of the nominators identify as African American. How is that diverse? 94% are white. So while I would agree with OP, I do not agree that the process is good. The process, as it is now, is severely flawed. It should represent the country, right? When it does, and then all the nominees are white, then I will agree with OP. Until then, I think OP is talking about the wrong issue. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 14:55:35 GMT
I fully agree with you.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 14:55:37 GMT
The fact of the matter is that there are excellent actors of all races, yet their performances are rarely given the promotional backing that is required for Oscar nominations and wins. Do you really think that 95% of the best acting performances in the 88 year history of the Oscars were by white people? Only 5% of acting awards have been won by non-white actors. There have been slightly more nominations of non-white actors but still only around 10%.
Is this going to solve anything? Probably not, but bringing attention to the issue is fine by me.
Hollywood is pretty antiquated in its business views on race, gender, appearance, etc. and this is just another manifestation of that.
I think if the Oscars nomination and voting process were less driven by who the studios decide to push for the awards and more driven by pure quality of performances, we would have a much more diverse group of actors nominated. But don't let how the process actually works get in your righteous outrage about "the race card."
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Post by melanell on Jan 19, 2016 15:07:38 GMT
When something like 90% of the nominators are white and 70% are men, I think the odds are stacked against diversity. The Academy needs to work on recruiting more voters with diverse backgrounds. There were many diverse performances worthy of nominations - they just weren't noticed. I agree. They should be trying to better diversify those voting. Because even if that didn't always lead to a more diverse list of nominees, it would at least ensure that a broader range of genders, races, and ages were represented in the choosing. |
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Post by mommc23 on Jan 19, 2016 15:09:19 GMT
I don't believe for one second that Spike and Jada think that someone should get the nomination based on skin color rather than performance and talent.
I believe they are trying to draw attention to the unfair way nominations and votes are given (as was already stated...by predominately white, old men). Also, to draw attention to the fact that important, LEAD roles are most often given to whites thus giving no chance at all for a nomination no matter how great the acting level.
Minorities are not really represented in film.
Women have issues in that profession (i.e. Labeled 'has beens' when they turn 40, while their counterparts careers can last decades longer)
There are bigger issues here.
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Post by jackie on Jan 19, 2016 15:09:58 GMT
This is along the lines of what I was going to say. I do agree that films and performances should be honored without care to the race of the filmmakers and actors and that who is deserving of a nomination can be quite subjective. But, when the voting academy has the make-up that it does AND so many of the movies (Straight Outta Compton) and performances (Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan, Idris Elba) were making the vast majority of film analysts' and critics' lists but did NOT make the Academy's list, something feels amiss.
It's unfortunate because I absolutely LOVE the Oscars. I try every year to watch all of the films nominated for best picture and all of the best actor/supporting actor performances. I make a big deal of the actual ceremony. I just love it. This has cast a pall on it. I'm sure I'll still enjoy it, but it's unfortunate. And if those actors and filmmakers feel they need to boycott the ceremony, then that's what they should do. I understand.
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Post by canadianscrappergirl on Jan 19, 2016 15:25:14 GMT
lack of diversity. No actors of color were nominated. What it comes down to for me is this: if the Oscars are meant to showcase "the best", then "diversity" should not come into play. Like all art, the nominations are subjective, but the past years where African American have won both best actor and best actress in the same year and other years had minority wins of top awards shows that racism is not at play. That being the case, in any given year, if the nominators pick "the best" and it happens to not include minorities, "thems the breaks." To me, forcing minorities to be nominated for the sake of "diversity" cheapens the awards. Instead of the "best", we're right back to the "let's make everyone feel good" mantra that has cheapened many other awards. What say you? Totally agree with you!
I have to say that I think JPS is kinda full of herself in her video. Was she even invited to the Oscars lol.
I got from her video that she thinks maybe there should be a separate Oscar ceremony for AA or am I misunderstanding her.
I have to wonder if for some reason she got nominated for an Oscar down the road would she be so quick to bash the process in which she was nominated me thinks not lol.
I think a performance should be judged on just that the performance not on their skin color. What about the lack of women that get nominated in the best director field or the lack of Hispanic actors/actresses there are lots of other groups that could cry foul.
I don't know if anyone saw Janet Hubert's (Aunt Viv's) FB response video on her thoughts about JPS video but it is worth a watch lol.
Janet Hubert response video
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Post by jbelle on Jan 19, 2016 15:42:30 GMT
Have you noticed that there seems to be some type of awards ceremony each week jam packed with A list stars in Hollywood trying to remind you how great they are? With fierce competition for that $ from the reality shows, self made internet stars, and online streaming of first run movies where the viewer can watch for free, the motion picture industry needs all the hype they can get.
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Post by jackie on Jan 19, 2016 16:03:32 GMT
I do have to agree with this. There is something about whether she is talking about parenting or about boycotting the Oscars that she does come across a certain way that isn't altogether pleasant. There is this sense that she thinks she is sooo much smarter than all of us.
Thanks for sharing. She makes some REALLY good points. I kind of love her now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 16:13:28 GMT
I think a performance should be judged on just that the performance not on their skin color. What about the lack of women that get nominated in the best director field or the lack of Hispanic actors/actresses there are lots of other groups that could cry foul. And they do. Lack of diversity, across the board, is a big problem in movies, as well as how minorities and women are portrayed when they are included. |
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Post by scrapmaven on Jan 19, 2016 16:15:48 GMT
It's an awards show for people who act. This should not be a political venue.
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Peamac
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by Peamac on Jan 19, 2016 16:18:28 GMT
One thing to consider is what percent of actors and actresses are people of color? I have no idea what the number is, but if there's a much higher proportion of white male actors to AA actors, it stands to reason that there would be a much higher proportion of white male actors being nominated, doesn't it?
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My original pea date was November 1999 and my number was 1803
