Calls for boycott of Oscars grow over diversity of nominees

[SheungWan]

Who cares? Never watched one, probably never will. It's all BS anyway. The best movies never get recognised, just the big industry ones. Just an excuse for the Hollywood crowd to have a party and tell themselves how special they are 5555555555555.

So I guess you have never watched No Country For Old Men, the the best movie at the 2007 awards. A great movie. I assume also that you also have never seen The Godfather, which also won the best picture award.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed along with posts violating Fair Use Policy. Please stay on topic and the topic is not about semantics.

[daoyai]

The academy of motion picture sciences chooses the winners it reflects the opions of those individuals, the winner gets a box office bump, bragging rights and a statue. Controversy of any kind stirs interest.... ho hum....

Edited January 19, 2016 by daoyai

[sebastion]

I just did some research on the voting process for nominees.

6000 people vote for the nominees so is these two fools branding these 6000 voters racist?

http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=54560

[KarenBravo]

Spike Lee, the Kanye West of the film industry.

[Jingthing]

I think the voters will be made more diverse. Then you can't really complain. It is kind of insulting to assume people would usually vote for such awards only based on the race of the contestants.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[Shawn0001]

It was revived in the 1990s as the recommended term to use in some official contexts, especially in US English, to refer to a person who is not white.

You are making my point.

colored people

people of color

a. Of or belonging to a racial group not categorized as white.

Same words. Same definition. Isn't political correctness ridiculous.

You're actually cherry picking from that short definition? How pathetic! It is clearly stated that on one definition that it is out of date and derogatory while the other states that it's use has been revived, quite a clear difference. And political correctness is not ridiculous if it prevents someone feeling hurt, what is ridiculous is that some people feel they should have a say in what another person is being called.

[Steely Dan]

Race only matters to liberals and racists. - Greg Gutfeld.

[Jingthing]

Race only matters to liberals and racists. - Greg Gutfeld.

That covers a lot of people.

Let's not pretend that racism doesn't exist or that it's not a problem.

The goal of awards like this should be to do all they realistically can to increase the chances that merit really is the main reason for winning. That's not only about race but about a lot of aspects of how such contests are run.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[sanukjim]

Do you think that The Oscars should lower their High Standards so as to include a proportionally equal number of Races,Religion,Political beliefs,May be for ever ten white nominee they should have say 5 blacks,3 Mexican Americans,1 Chinese,1 Japanese,1 American Indian.Then to include Ten Protestant,5 Catholic,1 Buddhist, 1 Tao, and 1 Atheist..Now also 1 from each of the political parties and a non voter and a neutralist..To hell with the talent doing a great acting job ,they would then be more like the US cities police forces,US Army personnel,and university students all with lower qualifications and less qualified people.All this just to please some disappointing people " That Did Not Make The Grade" .To understand what you end up with lowering standards ,just look at what most of the so called "first world countries" have as their leaders,.The lower expect ions of of our leaders by the voters produce very poor qualified Leaders..........In my opinion..

Edited January 19, 2016 by sanukjim

[Jingthing]

No, shouldn't lower their standards, but it's naive to consider it any kind of pure contest. There are big money campaigns involved ... come on, now. Humans are involved so there's always room for improvement.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[lostboy]

Do you think that The Oscars should lower their High Standards so as to include a proportionally equal number of Races,Religion,Political beliefs,May be for ever ten white nominee they should have say 5 blacks,3 Mexican Americans,1 Chinese,1 Japanese,1 American Indian.Then to include Ten Protestant,5 Catholic,1 Buddhist, 1 Tao, and 1 Atheist..Now also 1 from each of the political parties and a non voter and a neutralist..To hell with the talent doing a great acting job ,they would then be more like the US cities police forces,US Army personnel,and university students all with lower qualifications and less qualified people.All this just to please some disappointing people " That Did Not Make The Grade" .To understand what you end up with lowering standards ,just look at what most of the so called "first world countries" have as their leaders,.The lower expect ions of of our leaders by the voters produce very poor qualified Leaders..........In my opinion..

I am very interested in this. You seem to have knowledge of what objective standards are used to judge the relative quality of media productions, both dramatic and non-dramatic. This is huge. Please share these criteria with us so that we know what constitutes what you call a "High Standard".

Perhaps also you could explain to we plebs how affirmative action for minorities lowers expectations?

[lostboy]

Race only matters to liberals and racists. - Greg Gutfeld.

Greg Guttfeld, the living oxymoron. A right wing comedian.

White men should not talk about racism or sexism. You lot are completely out of your depth.

[sebastion]

Do you think that The Oscars should lower their High Standards so as to include a proportionally equal number of Races,Religion,Political beliefs,May be for ever ten white nominee they should have say 5 blacks,3 Mexican Americans,1 Chinese,1 Japanese,1 American Indian.Then to include Ten Protestant,5 Catholic,1 Buddhist, 1 Tao, and 1 Atheist..Now also 1 from each of the political parties and a non voter and a neutralist..To hell with the talent doing a great acting job ,they would then be more like the US cities police forces,US Army personnel,and university students all with lower qualifications and less qualified people.All this just to please some disappointing people " That Did Not Make The Grade" .To understand what you end up with lowering standards ,just look at what most of the so called "first world countries" have as their leaders,.The lower expect ions of of our leaders by the voters produce very poor qualified Leaders..........In my opinion..

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/03/oscar-voters-94-white-76-men-and-an-average-of-63-years-old/284163/

[ttthailand]

Yes, some industries including entertainment are not very balanced when it comes to race, like basketball

[Jingthing]

Yes, some industries including entertainment are not very balanced when it comes to race, like basketball

I don't think that's a very fair comparison. Basketball skill can be measured quite objectively. Performance in films is much more subjective.

Seeing the stats about the voters ... this doesn't seem that hard to fix. Just go about making the voting pool more diverse and then whatever the results, too bad either way if you don't like it.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Jingthing

[daoyai]

^^^ Exactly, and in the case of the entertainment industry the most important criteria being is it entertaining, memorable or moving? If so,it may get a vote.

[uptheos]

I didn't realise there was anybody still knocking round referring to 'colored people'. Well, maybe a couple of old nostalgic geezers.

Actually, the term "people of color" is very current, politically correct lingo.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used the phrase “citizens of color” in his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech.

If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for anyone else.

[Steely Dan]

Race only matters to liberals and racists. - Greg Gutfeld.

Greg Guttfeld, the living oxymoron. A right wing comedian.

White men should not talk about racism or sexism. You lot are completely out of your depth.

White men?! QED regarding liberals I think.

[Andreas2]

Instead of whining, Spike and this other nobody should just start another racist, pc-correct campaign, how about

#blackactorsmatter - and only blacks that is, as usual!

I'm so fed up with this , aggressive pc crowd!

[Singharh]

I'm so f&?&?g sick of these people playing the race card when it suits them ! <deleted> about that Black Awards they have ??? Isn't that outright racist....

[Andaman Al]

In a video message on Facebook, Pinkett Smith also said she wouldn't attend or watch the Oscars in February. Pinkett Smith, whose husband Will Smith wasn't nominated for his performance in the NFL head trauma drama "Concussion," said it was time for people of color to disregard the Academy Awards.

"Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power," she said. "And we are a dignified people and we are powerful."

But it sounds like 'begging for acknowledgment is exactly what 'Pinkett' is doing '

[Jingthing]

I wasn't impressed with that video either. I hope for her sake that her target audience does.

[chilli42]

" ... Pinkett Smith, whose husband Will Smith wasn't nominated for his performance in the NFL head trauma drama "Concussion," said it was time for people of color to disregard the Academy Awards." About time is right, I gave up watching or caring about them years ago. Why dignify this sham event by getting upset by it.

[Dumbastheycome]

I is a bit curious .. the "nominees" are pre selected? By ? Never watch the showcase anyway...always strikes me is just a plump for an already profitable production.

Many of the best movies don't come out of Hollywood anyway is my opinion.

[Living in a cartoon]

Maybe, just maybe, it's because their movies suck.

[arjunadawn]

Its just one symptom in the chronic pathology that is the fruit of liberalism. Racial dynamics are the bread and butter of liberalism and Hollywood is especially vulnerable. Under the banner of protesting "race" problems liberals define themselves by the fracturing of populations-Balkanization, and constantly move populations into us and them camps based on race. "Hostage-taking" of white people under the cover of "equality in opportunity" is really no longer disguised demands for "equality in outcomes." It is no longer necessary that merit be the standard in anything, nor the most qualified. All that is necessary is that whomever is socially shamed/indicted capitulate obediently. While there are many level headed well intending black Americans increasingly many of them use victimization to extract concessions = no merit just force. Its blackmail. America is a lost idea.

[mopar71]

Probably? I didn't realise there was anybody still knocking round referring to 'colored people'. Well, maybe a couple of old nostalgic geezers. As for the Oscars a thoroughly unimpressive list of nominations all round and anything the Rev Al Sharpton says straight into the bin.

Old nostalgic geezers and these people...

[jaidam]

I'm so f&?&?g sick of these people playing the race card when it suits them ! <deleted> about that Black Awards they have ??? Isn't that outright racist....

no it's only racist when you are white and proud of your culture and heritage. Nobody likes a bragging winner.

[mopar71]

First of all, it is sad that when nominating people for awards, we are supposed to take into consideration the color of their skin and not what they did in order to get an award in the first place.

Second, there is this classic about "colored people"...