In his recent column, Phumlani Majozi weighed in on the recent #OscarsSoWhite2016 controversy asking whether it’s really necessary to boycott the Oscars for its, once again, lack of diversity. Majozi argued that blacks should appear on the nomination list only if they deserve to be there, not because of their race. He also goes after Will Smith and his wife, Jada, who spearheaded the campaign to boycott the Oscars, by telling them that they should simply accept that black actors didn’t do well this year. In Majozi’s eyes it’s simply a matter of “hey blacks in Hollywood, stop complaining and just try harder!”
Majozi seems to think it’s a matter of “may the best man win”, viewing the awards as a place where you win based solely on excellence in film making. What he, and many other people, seem very eager to ignore/deny is the fact that the Oscars is foremost a political affair. This suggestion irks many people who prefer to believe that creative awards are, by their nature, free from the politics that mar so much of our day-to-day enjoyments.
Unfortunately, it’s most certainly not the case with the Oscars. The reality is that no matter how good you are, as a black creator the odds are stacked against you.
First, just looking at pure numbers: since 1929 there has been an estimated 3000 Oscar statues awarded and, in the 80+ years the Oscars have been around, only 32 of those have ever gone to black recipients (never to a black director). Do you mean to tell me that, in all that time, black individuals only deserved the award 32 times? Or how about the fact that 94% of academy voters are white, 76% men, and on average 63 years old. Do you think that that has never influenced a vote before?
You need only look at the critically acclaimed STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, the biopic following the rise of controversial Los Angeles rap group N.W.A, too see the myopia inherent in a single race voting-squad. While many critics felt this film was a shoo-in for 2016 Best Picture, it only received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Boston based film critic Bob Chipman summed up the disconnect perfectly when he stated “Academy Boomers by and large likely looked at STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON and wondered why they’d received a screener for something that looks/sounds to them indistinguishable from RIDE ALONG or a FRIDAY sequel”.
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON isn’t the only example; it’s simply one of the most recent. When you look a past Oscars where black actors took the award it’s usually for playing roles that agree with the sensibilities of the aging white voters: 2013 Best Supporting Actress, Lupita Nyong’o, for playing a plantation slave in 12 YEARS A SLAVE, 2011 Best Supporting Actress, Octavia Spencer, for playing a maid in THE HELP.
In 1990 there was no way that Spike Lee’s racially charged DO THE RIGHT THING was going to win for Best Picture. That year DRIVING MISS DAISY had it in the bag. You could see that coming from a mile away: a film that takes a hard look a race and racism in inner city Brooklyn versus a quaint little film about a grumpy old lady and her black chauffer. Gee, that’s a tough one.
So yes, I think the Academy desperately needs an injection of diversity, not just in race, but in gender as well. Also, I don’t oppose those who wish to boycott the award, I think they’ve definitely got a case. Finally, I firmly believe a more inclusive voting panel won’t just be good for black and female role-players, but for us, the viewers as well. Aren’t you sick of seeing the same old predictable Oscar-bait films popping up year after year? You only need to hear the word “based on a true story” and “Meryl Streep” to know exactly which films are going to get nominated.
Sources:
· http://moviebob.blogspot.co.za/2016/01/2015-oscars-whatever.html#more