With plenty great films coming out, many wonder: who will win the Oscars? It is assured that the Oscars will have people tweeting and posting about their favorite films and actors. So why is #OscarsSoWhite the #1 trending topic on every social media page? Since the first Oscar was awarded, it has been lacking one thing and that is diversity. Although television shows and some films have been doing a fair job of casting diverse characters, non-white actors are still lacking winning numbers. The problem is not just diversity, but also gender equality. Movies like Straight Outta Compton and Hidden Figures have shown great success in the box office and yet they are the last to get recognized. How can this problem be resolved? Start at the root
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It may not be surprising to foreign viewers seeing white actors playing their role, but to minorities in America, they take it as an insult. Hiring foreign actors may be expensive and can cause disinterest in people as they prefer seeing well-known actors. But it does not hurt to risk a couple bucks for a bigger cause. The process of solving this problem is easy enough. To avoid whitewashing, moviemakers should do what is right and put the right actor in the right role. Diversity in films should not surprise viewers as America are a diverse nation. It can also help with the tension between different races. Viewers will see the change as a positive step “to say that we recognize there is underrepresentation, and we’re going to do something about it” and should reflect beyond the movie industry (“Leading By Example”).
The Award Academy has also stepped up to solve their own problem. To celebrate more people of color on their board, they have vowed to double the percentage of diversity in their members by 2020. Roughly 683 people, that are deserving, will join the academy board. Of all the invitees, 46% are women and 41% are people of color (Feinberg). Putting more diversity in the Academy does not automatically make it a better Academy but it is progress. It will also set a better example of our beliefs in equality to …show more content…
"Oscars Diversity: The Problem Goes Beyond the Academy." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Deggans, Eric. "Hollywood Has A Major Diversity Problem, USC Study Finds." NPR. NPR, 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
Desta, Yohana. "Diversity In Film Is Abysmal—But There’S An Easy Way To Fix One Big Problem". HWD. N. p., 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Feinberg, Scott. "Oscars: Solution to Academy's Diversity Problem Isn't So Black and White (Analysis)." The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 29 June 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Harwell, Drew. "The staggering numbers that prove Hollywood has a serious race problem." The Washington Post. WP Company, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
"How To Fix Hollywood's Diversity Problem". Theweek.com. N. p., 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
Latif, Nadia. "How To Fix Hollywood's Race Problem". the Guardian. N. p., 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
" Leading By Example: With Recent Projects Including Two New Movies--'Queen O...: Ncwiseowl Resources ". Eds.a.ebscohost.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
McGregor, Jena, and Jena McGregor. "Fixing Hollywood’S Diversity Problem". Washington Post. N. p., 2017. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
"Why Do Most Movies Still Fail To Reflect U.S. Diversity?". PBS NewsHour. N. p., 2017. Web. 15 Mar.
It may not be surprising to foreign viewers seeing white actors playing their role, but to minorities in America, they take it as an insult. Hiring foreign actors may be expensive and can cause disinterest in people as they prefer seeing well-known actors. But it does not hurt to risk a couple bucks for a bigger cause. The process of solving this problem is easy enough. To avoid whitewashing, moviemakers should do what is right and put the right actor in the right role. Diversity in films should not surprise viewers as America are a diverse nation. It can also help with the tension between different races. Viewers will see the change as a positive step “to say that we recognize there is underrepresentation, and we’re going to do something about it” and should reflect beyond the movie industry (“Leading By Example”).
The Award Academy has also stepped up to solve their own problem. To celebrate more people of color on their board, they have vowed to double the percentage of diversity in their members by 2020. Roughly 683 people, that are deserving, will join the academy board. Of all the invitees, 46% are women and 41% are people of color (Feinberg). Putting more diversity in the Academy does not automatically make it a better Academy but it is progress. It will also set a better example of our beliefs in equality to …show more content…
"Oscars Diversity: The Problem Goes Beyond the Academy." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Deggans, Eric. "Hollywood Has A Major Diversity Problem, USC Study Finds." NPR. NPR, 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
Desta, Yohana. "Diversity In Film Is Abysmal—But There’S An Easy Way To Fix One Big Problem". HWD. N. p., 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Feinberg, Scott. "Oscars: Solution to Academy's Diversity Problem Isn't So Black and White (Analysis)." The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 29 June 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Harwell, Drew. "The staggering numbers that prove Hollywood has a serious race problem." The Washington Post. WP Company, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
"How To Fix Hollywood's Diversity Problem". Theweek.com. N. p., 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
Latif, Nadia. "How To Fix Hollywood's Race Problem". the Guardian. N. p., 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
" Leading By Example: With Recent Projects Including Two New Movies--'Queen O...: Ncwiseowl Resources ". Eds.a.ebscohost.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
McGregor, Jena, and Jena McGregor. "Fixing Hollywood’S Diversity Problem". Washington Post. N. p., 2017. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
"Why Do Most Movies Still Fail To Reflect U.S. Diversity?". PBS NewsHour. N. p., 2017. Web. 15 Mar.