February 11, 2016
This year, controversy surrounds the Academy Awards after the nominees for Best Actor and Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Actress were all people with white skin. Some African-American members of the acting community took offense to this and decided to boycott the event. Celebrities such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith and Spike Lee chose not to attend as an act of awareness about the Oscar’s possible prejudice. Not only did the recent turmoil bring up questions of African-American misrepresentation but also misrepresentation in general. Many celebrities are beginning to question whether the Oscars properly represent people of color, women and the LGBT community as well.
The fact that there weren’t any African Americans nominated brings up the question: should you nominate someone due to their acting ability or simply because they are a person of a non-white skin color? That doesn’t necessarily apply to this year, with actors such as Will Smith (Concussion), Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight) and Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation) not being nominated for an award. Was this because of their skin color or the fact that other actors had stronger performances?
The method of boycotting was a good idea to draw attention to the issue of the Oscars being all white, but whether or not it was effective is still up for debate. In theory, it was, with actors and actresses of color speaking out about being misrepresented in the Academy Awards. But comments began to be made with less tact, and the boycott began to take on a more negative connotation. Some actors and actresses began to tweet at Chris Rock, the African-American host of this year’s Oscars, telling him to step down as the host to make a statement. Rock chose not to do this, which some people took offense to.
I think misrepresentation is something that continues to be a problem in Hollywood and the Oscars. But there are better ways to protest the Oscars, and Hollywood in general. I think that actors and actresses of color and even those who are white should push for equality in film. If they put pressure on their directors for more representation, it could work. Especially with famous actors like Will Smith and Samuel L. Jackson. Personally, I have to agree with Whoopi Goldberg when she said, “You wanna boycott something? Don’t go see the movies that don’t have your representation. That’s the boycott you want.”
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