Hollywood has been poisoned by racism to a point where it is unacceptable. For years, the entertainment industry has treated colored actors in an unjustifiable way and consistently put them in discriminatory situations. The racial bias and unfairness present in Hollywood have been seen through factors such as Oscar nominations and casting, as well as the actions of filmmakers.
For two consecutive years, the Oscars excluded non-white nominees from the four acting categories, resulting in a nation-wide uproar. The question hanging in the air–Is Hollywood racist?–was answered by host Chris Rock with a straightforward, firm yes, when he stated, “‘You’re damn right Hollywood’s racist, but not the racist that you’ve grown accustomed to. Hollywood is sorority racist’” (Griggs 1). Rock didn’t refer to the entertainment industry as malicious, but rather immature and picky, and in doing so quickly simplified the complexity of this disgusting example of favoritism. Nevertheless, the 2016 Oscars was a time for everyone, actors and fans alike, to take a stand for the disturbing lack of equality. The angered messages peopled shared on a global scale reflected James Baldwin’s words in his “A Talk to Teachers”, as he explained, “The obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it and to fight it–at no matter what risk. This is the only hope society has. This is the only way societies change” (Baldwin 679). Baldwin emphasized the
On January 29th, 2016, Kevin D. Williamson a columnist of the National Review, wrote an article titled satirically titled On the Difficulties of the Movie Star. Williamson's argument revolves around the fact that although African Americans make up 12 percent of the US population, they are just six thousandths of a percent of the global population, and Hollywood is surely a “fully global enterprise”. He then reasons that it would be years even decades until an African American be nominated for an Academy Award if they were randomly distributed, just as it would be unlikely for ethnic minorities such as “Ukrainians or Comorians” to be nominated. He then stated that this shows African Americans, like white Americans are “overrepresented in Hollywood”.
In the 2017 media article “How Fair is Hollywood” the main problem is the lack of inclusion that Hollywood has been using throughout their movies . This problem can be solved by having an actor play the role of the corresponding race of his/her character.As noted by Media Mix news in paragraph 1, the author explicitly describes “People have reported frustration with Hollywood’s casting process. That’s because they see non-white actors repeatedly kept out of the spotlight. There is also the phenomenon called “whitewashing,” when roles are written for minorities are given to white actors”. This indicates that people are being displeased by the fact that Hollywood has been doing negative things to put actors to play a different race from what
For the last two years, the Oscars have come under fire in the last two years with their lack of nominations of people with color. The Oscars otherwise known as the Academy Awards is an award show to highlight and give praise to the best movies and short films of the year, including in this prestigious awards are the actors and actresses that star in these blockbusters and they are, as well as their movies praised on the highest level for their craft. However what has become under scrutiny is the so-called “White Wash” that has come across the ceremony.
There are many things I want to learn and get to the bottom of while researching this topic. My main question is, “Why is this happening?” Honestly, I cannot even believe this topic is actually still an issue. When thinking of movie directors, producers, etc. I would assume them to be a group of progressive and inclusive people because the artist community generally is. So, how have these people let this happen? I would also like to look in to how this misrepresentation affects the minorities of America. There could possibly be underlying psychological turmoil in minorities which causes them to feel less capable. This brings me to wonder if there is any underlying racial bias in everyone because of who is glorified in in movies and shows. In order to answer such questions, I will research to find if any psychologist have done any studies on the effects of television and film on our subconscious in terms of the representation of minorities. I am also curious how other diverse countries such as Canada’s television and film look. I will compare the United States to these diverse counties in my research in order to provide a more global view.
African American Portrayal in Hollywood All throughout the twentieth Century, minorities have made huge steps towards self-sufficiency and balance in American culture. These advances are a piece of our identity as Americans, yet it appears they have not completely invaded the aggregate entire of American culture. African Americans for decades had to endure insidious and egregious suffering, as well as being oppressed. It is upsetting that African Americans are still being portrayed on screen through the racial ideologies of white directors. In Hollywood, they are still portraying African Americans as Stereotypical, unequal, and domestic individuals.
Racism and prejudice are two upsetting concepts that are still alive today, even in the year 2016. In the movie and television industry, lack of representation for people of color is a heated subject, and in January, the conversation about diversity came to a head when the Academy Awards released its all-white group of acting nominees. As protests ensued, film critic and author Richard Brody published an article in The New Yorker called “The Oscar Whiteness Machine” to explore how “the blinding whiteness” of the Oscars nominations negatively affects opportunities given to actors and what the Oscars reveal about society as a whole (1). For most, an all-white group of nominees is nothing controversial. However, Brody argues that this trend
Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, is a depressingly relevant film. With protests over the murders of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Antonio Martin, the subject of police brutality, specifically targeted at black people and protesters, is extremely appropriate. The brutalities inflicted on African-Americans in the 1960’s are highly shocking, but it is the knowledge that citizens are still being murdered by our police that truly hits the hardest. Director Ava DuVernay uses intimate moments and talented actors to adeptly balance the moral lessons inherent to this story with the humanization of the venerated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The film covers a fairly short period of time during the year 1965; during this time period, Dr. King (played by David Oleyowo) was directly
The film industry’s portrayal of African American people consists of countless stereotypes and inaccuracies. These depictions lead to an innumerable amount of misrepresentations about the African American community. As the latest wave of black films begins to dawn, the clearer the images become of a collective people. Using my personal experiences as a mixed woman of color, as well as including my academic strengths and goals, and points of view regarding various black films, the content of this paper will examine the representation and stereotypes that can be seen in African American Hollywood.
The 2016 Oscar nominations sparked a heated debate over why the show had only white nominees and prompted the academy to address the lack of diversity. However, it is imperative to note that the event only represents what is happening in Hollywood and the filming studios. If the industry does not give opportunities to the minorities to shine, they are not likely to appear in the Oscars. As several leaders in the sector of complained, the minority rarely get chances to work in front of the camera, which defines their presence at the award shows and not just the Oscars. Nonetheless, it is a diversity issue that deserves attention and should be remedied. It is a source of difference, especially in a country that prides itself as a multicultural nation. The Oscars should embrace the diversity that reflects the entirety of the nation and simply the majority. Moreover, such an action would demonstrate to be beneficial not only to the United States but also the Oscar Academy, which will be able to assess a wider pool of talent in the industry and ensure that the voice of everyone gets
Trying to fix a diversity problem doesn’t have an instant solution. The Academy is facing this and dealing with the racial representation in the Oscar Awards as it has become a huge problem in Hollywood. Ira Deutchman, a member of the Academy, has stated “Like many Academy members, I was embarrassed and disappointed when this year’s Oscar nominees were announced, but I wasn't shocked. After all, no season passes without several scathing articles about the lack of diversity in Hollywood, both on the screen and in executive suites. On the other hand, when fingers were pointed at the membership of the Academy as the cause of the problem, I bristled at the implications”(Deutchman). As stated, the audience even including the Academy Members are baffled by the Oscar’s nominees. Racial representation is a huge problem in
“Oscars So White” a phrase that began trending on social media sites after the 2016 Academy Awards announce their nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress, it was predominately white for a second year in a row. The movie industry is no stranger to controversy and since its inception it’s constantly been guilty of underrepresenting ethnic people. It’s evident that film is a type of mass media that has a certifiable amount of power to influence audience’s views, yet this platform constantly disregards the need for diversity in favor of stereotypes. Movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Scarface (1983), and Pan (2015) are all guilty of this. The depiction of non-American characters in Hollywood movies are constructed around racial
Many Black women have conquered and overcame many biases barriers to perform a leading roles on #1 television shows in Hollywood, being rewarded for their performance and combining the reinforcement of the bias negativity of black women and the opposing of black women in Hollywood as well. During the early days of television entertainment, a “real black women” wasn’t able to participate in entertainment, but the image of a black women was present on shows.
#OscarsSoWhite is definitely one of the most talked about topic since the nomination for the 88th Academy Awards was announced on January 14th. At about an hour before the ceremony started, the hashtag gained 3.3 million impression on Twitter alone this number continued to increase during the main show as many has declared a boycott towards the lack of diversity that the academy had showcased with the nomination. Looking from a non-American perspective, diversity is definitely something new to be openly discussed in my daily conversation. My understanding on why does diversity matters in the Academy is because movie is a form of art and therefore it has to not only be accessible for many, it should also need to represent the audience from
There has been an outcry, due to a noticeable lack of recognition of people of color, in Hollywood. Sparking the trending hashtag about this year's Oscars (#OscarsSoWhite). There are multiple films, productions, and TV shows that are wildly popular with the public, and not just in theaters and cable, through multiple internet streaming services. Titles such as Scandal, Fresh off the Boat, Empire, Master of None, Black-ish, show a revival for multi-cultural representation not seen since the 1970’s. Yet there is a noticeable pattern of systemic problems against recognition and commendation of someone black or brown, unless if so, in a subservient role, causing many a celebrity to boycott the award ceremony in protest. Both Spike Lee and Jada
If people wanted black actor or actress to be mentioned on The Oscars every year, The Oscars will have to add a special award for black people. Even though Rock’s speech was trying to help The Oscars wriggle out this awkward situation, it still can’t end this arguing. The race problem has existed in American film factory for a long time. In order to solve this problem, The Oscars should not find any excuse to deny this problem. The imbalanced race members of A.M.P.A.S directly cause that The Oscars voting tend to the white films. Meanwhile, the root of this problem comes from Hollywood that doesn’t give equality work opportunities to black people and doesn’t pay as much attention on black people films as whites’. In the long time, the authority of The Oscars will lose.