Calling it: "#OscarsSoWhite"

The same problem, the same frustration and anger remain. Even the hashtag is the same: #OscarsSoWhite.

Just like in 2015, all the acting nominations have one thing in common: They’re whiter than the now snow-draped East Coast.

I, along with several others, wrote an editorial last year about my own frustration with the lack of diversity at the Oscars. Yet, somehow, the Academy did not hear me and my fellow angry reporters with our beckoning call for change. They didn’t jump to their feet and say “Rachel, long-time lover and watcher of our program, is dismayed by our misconduct, we must act now!” I’m wounded and shocked that my words as a college journalism student had so little impact.

But it’s not 2015 anymore, and thank goodness it isn’t. Last year wasn’t a turning point, it hadn’t reached the corner, the top of a fizzling test tube about to explode.

In 2015 it was easier to blame the film industry, to say that Hollywood wasn’t making space for actors of color to be in roles worthy of a nomination. The Academy Awards were not the root of the problem, merely the end result. In 2015 the Oscars were absolved of their sins in diversity, and the hashtag quickly disappeared.

My prediction is that this year, it’s here to stay. It’s easy to think that 2016 is just a repeat in history, identical to the year before and therefore producing the same result.

Yet, 2016 is different; it is worse. It’s the tip of the iceberg, the year in which excuses can no longer be made and racism can no longer be opaque or questionable in the awards arena. This year is worse and therefore better.

The Academy can’t shrug their shoulders and say there just weren’t any black actors or Latino actors or Asian-American actors that had performances worth nominating.

As a clearly out-of-the-loop Michael Caine said, “You can’t vote for an actor because he’s black.” He went on to say, “I saw Idris (Elba) in (Beasts of No Nation) and I thought he was wonderful. I thought he would get nominated. Did he not get nominated?”

No Mr. Caine, no he did not. That’s the point.

This year, there weren’t just two or three actors of color worthy, in the traditional Oscar-sense, of an award. There were dozens. Idris Elba makes the top of this list for his groundbreaking performance in “Beasts of No Nation.” Actors like Will Smith in “Concussion,” Michael B. Jordan in “Creed,” Benicio Del Toro in “Sicario,” and Samuel L. Jackson in “The Hateful Eight” should all have been strong contenders for best performance of the year.

Some films based on non-white stories were snubbed entirely, like “Tangerine” and “Dope.” While the films that did swing a few nominations, like “Straight Outta Compton” and “Creed,” were only present in categories in which a white nominee will represent the film.

Yes, snubs have been stitched in the fabric of the Academy Awards from the start. When there are dozens of great films and performances, not all can be represented. I personally was disappointed that performances in critically acclaimed films like “The End of the Tour,” “Love and Mercy” and “Me Earl and the Dying Girl” didn’t make the cut.

These things happen and it’s best not to get too caught up in them, sure. Yet it is ridiculous to presume that every single one of the top performances this year was delivered by a white person.

It’s not a misstep. It’s not an oversight. It’s intentional and it is now wonderfully transparent.

Although there will not be an actor of color up at the podium accepting an Oscar this year, 2016 is actually a much better year for the Oscar diversity conversation to finally be dealt with.

Jada Pinkett Smith, Spike Lee and several others have called for boycotts of the awards. Chris Rock, this year’s host, has announced that his opening speech will reflect the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. SNL even did a skit mocking the Academy’s issue with diversity.

This is not the year in which the angry minority write editorials and get ignored. This is the year that everyone is talking about race: not just actors of color, but white actors as well. Actresses like Reese Witherspoon and Ellen Page have spoken up about Hollywood and the awards’ serious issues with diversity. Nominee Mark Ruffalo has even discussed the possibility of joining the Oscar boycott.

The reality is, level of diversity is becoming a measure of legitimacy. I don’t find an awards ceremony in which only white actors are nominated a credible measure of excellence in film. My stomach turns every time a David O’Russell film comes out with an all white cast, or when Rooney Mara portrays a Native American in “Pan.” Even my beloved Cameron Crowe’s credibility is dwindling with his films’ lack of diversity. An all white cast, or an all white number of nominees is simply one-sided; it’s not realistic.

Because of 2016, because of Jada Pinkett Smith, because of #OscarsSoWhite, the Academy is finally willing to understand that having a membership that is 94 percent white and 77 percent male may not be the most valid measure of film.

The Academy announced on Friday that it would strive to diversify not just its nominees but its voting pool as well. The Academy’s board of 51 members voted unanimously to approve a new set of requirements to increase diversity.

The greatest change is that the voting status of each member will be reviewed every 10 years. The Academy has kept tight-lipped on any other changes, but it’s a start.

 

A list Oscar snubs:

Best Actor

Will Smith, "Concussion"

Michael B Jordan, "Creed"

Benicio Del Toro, "Sicario"

Oscar Issac, "Ex Machina"

Ian Mckellan, "Mr. Holmes"

Tom Hardy, "Mad Max"

Rakim Mayers, "Dope"

Paul Dano, "Love and Mercy"

Jason Segel, "The End of the Tour"

O’Shea Jackson Jr., "Straight Outta Compton"

Best Actress

Charlize Theron, "Mad Max"

Olivia Cooke, "Me Earl and the Dying Girl"

Alicia Vikander, "Ex Machina"

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, "Tangerine"

Best Supporting Actor

Idris Elba, "Beasts of No Nation"

Samuel L Jackson, "The Hateful Eight"

Jason Mitchell, "Straight Outta Compton"

Liev Schreiber, "Spotlight"

Jacob Tremblay, "Room"

Best Supporting Actress

Mya Taylor, "Tangerine"

Tessa Thompson, "Creed"

Elizabeth Banks, "Love and Mercy"

Helen Mirren, "Trumbo"

Best Original Screenplay

Aaron Sorkin, "Steve Jobs"

Quentin Tarantino, "The Hateful Eight"

Charlie Kaufman, "Anomalisa"

Best Director

Todd Haynes, "Carol"

Sean S. Baker, "Tangerine"

Gary Gray, "Straight Outta Compton"

Ryan Coogler, "Creed"

Quentin Tarantino, "The Hateful Eight"

Best Picture

"Straight Outta Compton"

"Creed"

"Carol"

"Tangerine"

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

"Ex-Machina"

"Beasts of No Nation"

"Inside Out"

Rachel Rippetoe is a staff writer for The Beacon. She can be reached at rippetoe18@up.edu or on Twitter @rachelrippetoe