# another "white" Oscars - does it matter\>? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 14, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169 "2016-01-14T21:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/1 "2016-01-14T21:48:38Z")
This is an interesting article [http://http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/14/another-all-white-oscars-this-is-bullshit.html](http://http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/14/another-all-white-oscars-this-is-bullshit.html) I don’t see many movies, but I read a lot. I also know there are lots of movie fans and awards followers on this board. Anyway - Do you agree that the major nominees this year are “too white”? Do you find that question irritating? Do you find that the Oscars nominates the best efforts each year? ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/2 "2016-01-14T22:07:01Z")
Yes, I agree. No, I don’t find the question irritating. FWIW, I’m not white, though. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/3 "2016-01-14T22:21:14Z")
The link to The Daily Beast article was dead when I clicked it. Is anybody else having that problem? ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/4 "2016-01-14T22:21:46Z")
Too lazy to follow the link, but I do wonder what their point is? Are they telling non-white movie makers to up their game and win some more oscars? Or are they proposing that from now on, oscar slots are divided racially so everyone gets their equal share? Or maybe disqualify white people for a couple of decades because older people who share their skin color already got so many? As you may have noticed, I do find the question irritating. Then again, I’m “white” (not actually the color of blank paper, but still pretty pale) and not American, so doubly-insensitive to American racial sensitivities. (Triple if you count my general lack of sensitivity.) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/5 "2016-01-14T22:25:43Z")
It’s a valid question, that I don’t find irritating (and I don’t know why anyone would find it irritating). But you can’t entirely blame the Oscars, you have to share the blame with the studios and producers who make a lot more movies starring white people. You can argue whether or not specific people were snubbed this year (and every year), but if there were more prestige movies made starring non-white people, there would be more Oscar nominations for them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/6 "2016-01-14T22:48:32Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > Too lazy to follow the link, but I do wonder what their point is? Are they telling non-white movie makers to up their game and win some more oscars? Or are they proposing that from now on, oscar slots are divided racially so everyone gets their equal share? Or maybe disqualify white people for a couple of decades because older people who share their skin color already got so many? I thought the writer was clear that he was saying none of the above but blaming the mostly-white Academy who votes on the Oscars (the Academy Awards) for conspicuously (in his apparent opinion) avoiding nominating movies about or starring black people. IMHO the author gives concrete examples of plausible black nominees rather than merely insisting _ipse dixit_ that something’s wrong because there are no black nominees: \*Isn’t _Beasts of No Nation_ exactly the sort of “message” movie that is typically considered Oscar bait? No nomination for movie or its star. \*Ditto _Concussion_ to a lesser degree. \*Why not Samuel L. Jackson in _Hateful 8_? Why a nomination for Stallone in _Creed_ but not for the actor who played, umm, I dunno, Creed?:smack: ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/7 "2016-01-14T22:51:03Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > \*Why not Samuel L. Jackson in _Hateful 8_? Why a nomination for Stallone in _Creed_ but not for the actor who played, umm, I dunno, Creed?:smack: Is \*[Arrested Development](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001835/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t4) \*up for an Oscar? ETA: I see now you were referring to Michael P. Jordan. My mistake. Quite right. – Jordan is a fantastic actor (see also “Fruitvale Station,” not to mention “The Wire.”) ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/8 "2016-01-14T23:16:33Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > It’s a valid question, that I don’t find irritating (and I don’t know why anyone would find it irritating). But you can’t entirely blame the Oscars, you have to share the blame with the studios and producers who make a lot more movies starring white people. You can argue whether or not specific people were snubbed this year (and every year), but if there were more prestige movies made starring non-white people, there would be more Oscar nominations for them. I agree with this, however, I’m not sure you can blame the Oscars at all. It would seem to me that they’ve been very ‘inclusive’ in my time on this Earth. Maybe they just didn’t think Creed was as well played as Rocky? But… more importantly; When are lead roles going to go to people who are, not just black, but other ethnicities as well? ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/9 "2016-01-14T23:21:15Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Why a nomination for Stallone in _Creed_ but not for the actor who played, umm, I dunno, Creed?:smack: Maybe because sports movies are a dime a dozen? But we don’t get to see what happens with the characters 40 years later all that often. Apparently Stallone was very good here. (Although to be fair he was also nominated for an oscar as Rocky in Rocky, doing something similar to Creed in Creed.) I do like that the author of the article pointed out some good “non-white” movies, we can now all go see those. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/10 "2016-01-15T00:05:23Z")
No the Oscars are not “too white.” :rolleyes: There are only 20 slots for acting nominees. This question really annoys me because it assumes people were not nominated simply because they are Black. How about, there are hundreds of people to choose from to fill those 20 slots and maybe, just maybe, the nominating committee actually thought the ones they chose were the best? There are tons of white people I can mention who could been easily nominated but weren’t. The way many sjw’s refer to this, it really seems like they simply want a Black face among the nominees, any Black face it does’t matter who, so let’s not even use the pretense of these being the 20 best (or more accurately - 5 best in each category) and just save one slot every year for someone Black. > [@](#): > > \*Why not Samuel L. Jackson in Hateful 8? They only could choose five. > [@](#): > > Why a nomination for Stallone in Creed but not for the actor who played, umm, I dunno, Creed? They only could choose five (and Stallone has the nostalgia vote.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/11 "2016-01-15T00:13:08Z")
The Oscars should be awarded ideally on performance. If there’s a lack of diversity in the actors who win these awards it is more likely due to the lack of opportunity to demonstrate acting ability and not the Academy or it’s process. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/12 "2016-01-15T00:21:55Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > How about, there are hundreds of people to choose from to fill those 20 slots and maybe, just maybe, the nominating committee actually thought the ones they chose were the best? Sure, you can always find excuses if you want to. But do something a few hundred times and it starts to form a pattern. Is the Academy ignoring Oscar-worthy performances by non-white actors? Or is the motion picture industry not offering Oscar-worthy roles to non-white actors? Either one is a problem. And they’re hardly mutually exclusive - the Academy is composed of the people that make up the motion picture industry. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/13 "2016-01-15T00:26:31Z")
Check out the [Every Single Word](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeRTgpWPTBRM45wSjCXYKLSauWCNgOd8g) series on YouTube. It edits major mainstream movies down to just the lines spoken by non-white characters. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/14 "2016-01-15T00:35:45Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > How about, there are hundreds of people to choose from to fill those 20 slots and maybe, just maybe, the nominating committee actually thought the ones they chose were the best? No doubt they did. That’s the problem. When they fail to recognize even a single non-white person in that group–again–the question has to be, what’s wrong with these people? And why should anyone take their awards seriously? Because it is patently ludicrous to say that, in all the films released in the past two years, the forty best acting performances were _all_ white people. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/15 "2016-01-15T00:42:43Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > \*Isn’t _Beasts of No Nation_ exactly the sort of “message” movie that is typically considered Oscar bait? No nomination for movie or its star. I suspect this movie’s distribution strategy (a minimum theater release and day one streaming on Netflix) undermined any chance it had of a nomination. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/16 "2016-01-15T00:44:14Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > This is an interesting article [http://http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/14/another-all-white-oscars-this-is-bullshit.html](http://http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/14/another-all-white-oscars-this-is-bullshit.html) I don’t see many movies, but I read a lot. I also know there are lots of movie fans and awards followers on this board. Anyway - Do you agree that the major nominees this year are “too white”? Do you find that question irritating? Do you find that the Oscars nominates the best efforts each year? Yes, I find the question irritating. If the Hollywood establishment is criticized by one faction for being excessively “liberal” and politically correct, and by another faction for being honky-loving bigots, then I suggest the two sides should come together and work out a story that’s not so laughably contradictory. Nor do I think Oscar nominations are reliably objective or merit-based. The Hollywood establishment has its favorite topics and its pet artists, and they are capable of both remembering obligations and holding grudges. But by and large, with occasional glaring exceptions, the winners and especially the broader field of nominations tends to track merit pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/17 "2016-01-15T00:50:40Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Yes, I find the question irritating. If the Hollywood establishment is criticized by one faction for being excessively “liberal” and politically correct, and by another faction for being honky-loving bigots, then I suggest the two sides should come together and work out a story that’s not so laughably contradictory. Or…y’know, hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/18 "2016-01-15T01:54:21Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Why a nomination for Stallone in _Creed_ but not for the actor who played, umm, I dunno, Creed?:smack: Was his acting worthy of a nomination-- the guy who played Creed? I think it’s more a matter of opportunity than anything else. Most of the parts, especially the good parts, go to white people. Was there someone “of color” who should have been nominated? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/19 "2016-01-15T02:03:14Z")
…when the only nomination for “Straight Out of Compton” gets is for the all-white writing team then either something is seriously wrong or someone is taking the piss. As the Daily Beast article points out: the body that nominates for the Oscars is 94 percent white, 76 percent male, and an average of 63 years old. And as articles like these point out it is nearly impossible to get [Academy Membership](http://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/349994-rob-schneider-denied-academy-membership-all-i-want-free-dvds.html): so change is going to be a slow, long process. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169/20 "2016-01-15T02:07:00Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > No doubt they did. That’s the problem. When they fail to recognize even a single non-white person in that group–again–the question has to be, what’s wrong with these people? And why should anyone take their awards seriously? Because it is patently ludicrous to say that, in all the films released in the past two years, the forty best acting performances were _all_ white people. Within the past 15 years, there have been 29 Black actors nominated in the acting categories and of those 29, 9 have won (including 3 for Best Actor.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-white-oscars-does-it-matter/743169.md?page=2)