Calls for Oscar boycott over lack of non-white nominees

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Lack of *racial diversity, which should be clear given the topic of this thread. Not all white actors/actresses are the same, likewise for PoC. It's just that PoC aren't even being given the chance to showcase their individual talents because of societal factors that unfairly benefit white people.

Just because segregation and slavery are over, it doesn't mean that racism is. If you're white, perhaps you've deluded yourself into thinking it is - which completely demonstrates that you're more privileged than other races BECAUSE of your skin colour, as it's a factor you never even have to consider. Centuries of deeply ingrained racism and colonialism cannot be overturned in a mere half a decade.

To your last point, I'm not doing to debate with someone who doesn't choose to educate themselves on such important issues, but okay - continue being a part of the problem, buddy.

> "Societal factors" - elaborate please.
> I never said racism was over, this issue is hypocrisy at its finest though.
> Wow, what a massive conclusion to jump to. It's not as if I ever have to work hard in my life because my white privilege gets me everywhere doesn't it.
> You're not going to debate it because what you are suggesting is absolutely ludicrous. You are part of the problem because you perpetuate pseudointellectual nonsense to try to change definitions to suit your own agenda.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 41

ionically

Original post by drbluebox

Thats a joke right? of course you can be racist to white people.And I am sure me growing up in poverty barely able to eat (my parents went without) whilst I had Asian and black people in my year at school who had the latest gadgets and went to good unis means I am more priviledged even though even my school put me down as I was from a council estate stating "you will never make anything of yourself" despite giving free extra lessons for the middle class students who were a mix of ethnicities.And how a friend went to a area which over the years has become more ethnic to have people come out of the streets as they were shocked to see a white face.And I am not an exception.So white people are never called things like "crackers" Black men never call white women their "hos"Racism is racism no matter your "colour" and white people can be racist to white people just as black people can be racist to black people, my own African flatmate (I was called racist in the past on here for calling her African despite thats what she called herself lol) talked about her Nigerian ex flatmate who was racist to her and the white flatmates, like she told me she cleaned the kitchen once and the Nigerian woman came in and went "oh you cleaned the white peoples dishes up but not mine, you are a racist" Im sure my flatmate even said she was told she was racist towards black people as well despite being black herself.Where were you and others when I grew up in poverty wanting to fight for me? Or as a straight while male do i not count as I am default "priviledged" reminds me of quite a few conversations I had with females at uni who claimed that as women they had it harder then men automatically, this was middle class females who could afford the latest phones, clubbing multiple times a week, never were short of cash and when asked if they had it worse than a homeless male they claimed yes!The point is the politically correct people never look too far for the real problems in the world, im sure people homeless on the streets have it worse than a rich black person, or a middle class women but few fight for them.People with mental health issues barely get anything if at all because its not cool to think about that, hey in fact mental health gets demonised as people being murders and violent quite often, wheres the poltical correctness for that?

You completely misunderstand what is meant by privilege. Having white privilege doesn't mean you have everything handed to you on a plate. You will simply never face the same difficulties as someone who is black. Just as someone who is heterosexual will never face the same difficulties as someone who is not. You ARE more privileged than those women who previously told you so, you'll never face the same sexism as them. However, they have class privilege over you, who (from your description) I assume to be working class, which comes down to the capitalist society we live in.

I agree with your last point, mental health is completely stigmatised. The society we live in is extremely ableist, which is something else that very much needs to be changed.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 42

ionically

Original post by Ayyylmaoo

Societal factors = Institutional/systemic racism. Google it.
I explained above that being white doesn't mean you don't have to work for anything. You just never have to overcome adversity because you are white.

Also lmao at me being racist because I am telling you about white privilege. (Absolutely not) Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable that your skin colour is beneficial in ways that your narrow minds had never considered :rolleyes:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 43

Ladymusiclover

The Oscars are dull anyway. I understand the boycott.

Reply 44

Ladymusiclover

It really irritates me when people say you can't be racist to white people. YES YOU CAN!!!!!!!

Reply 45

Eva.Gregoria

Who cares?

Yes, there's some racism with regards to most American awards but really in the grand scheme of things, it's not a crucial issue.

Reply 46

drbluebox

Original post by ionically

You mean like the sexism I experienced where I was turned down for jobs because I was male? Or when at school they had girls only awards? Or they picked more female students for interschool things even if they had a shortage of girls and plenty of male applicants? They even had a female awareness fortnight where the girls got the whole 2 weeks off and male students were forced to learn about how hard it was to be female.

My dad was turned down for a job despite being best candidate for being male and won at court.

I have experienced female bosses who bully male staff for being male, one used to call men scum, and a word beginning with R which means low intelligence, made men do all the heavy lifting, gave me a written warning after a female colleage was going on about lazy men, and how women were superior and me thinking it was a joke agreed with her saying men werent designed for c certain tasks as the boss claimed that meant I was implying a womans place was the kitchen! Been in jobs where the females refuse to do things like heavy lifting and make male colleages do so "just because they are men" their own words such as the time a massive woman (I am fat now and she was bigger than me) goes to this skinny colleage who was actually underweight and demands she take a customers heavy item to their car and said he was a lad therefore stong.

Women get off with more crimes then men and are given lower punishments.

That speaking to a girl on my course once in the library her flatmate came up to me and hurled abuse at me saying I was trying to chat her up, I was a typical man and all men try and intimidate women.

One time I was in a club at opening time and waiting for my brother staring at the door, at some point 2 women came in and sat down whom I never even noticed, after a few minutes one came up to me and accused me of staring at her and fancying her, and how I must move seats and I was scum, a creep, a pervert and when I argued and said I never noticed her nor thought she was attractive she got very offended and went "Im far out of your league, look at the state of you" at which point she went to a bouncer and said I was sexually harassing her and bouncer demanded I leave and refused to believe or even listen to my explaination.

Similarly 2 other times, one time it was a dead club, only me, my brother and about 5 women in the entire LARGE club, this girl put her drink on the dancefloor I tripped over it and smashed it and she choked me and said she was going to kill me unless I left, then called the bouncer and claimed I threatened her and the bouncer again refused to listen and even banned me from the club.

3rd time was when I had a fall out with a girl at work, let me put it in perspective at the time I was 11 stone and I am timid autistic guy, to be polite I saw her in pub and wanted to clear the air, she was a girl so massive that she struggled to breahe when she talked and a ladette(she literally looked like Vicky Pollard, bleached blonde hair, pink tracksuit top) She threatened to beat me up and then get the bouncers to bar me as she was a woman therefore couldn't be violent.

Thats all off the top of my head

Reply 47

driftawaay

Original post by xxAminah

No black or minority actors have been nominated in the four acting categories for this year's Academy Awards. Oscar voters are nearly 94% Caucasian and Black members make up about 2% of the Academy, and Latino members less than 2%.

Boone Isaacs praised the "wonderful work" of the nominees but said she was "heartbroken" at the lack of diversity.

Elba starred in the Netflix film Beasts of No Nation :

He wrote: "To my Academy colleagues, WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. Period. The reason the rest of the world looks at us like we have no clue is because in 2016 it's a complete embarrassment to say that the heights of cinematic achievement have only been reached by white people. I repeat - it's embarrassing. It's unfair to the performers of colour who sacrificed so much, laid it all on the line AND DELIVERED with their projects this year."

I think it's stupid and their were amzaing Black actors this year who should have been picked and What do you guys think ?

I feel like people are barking up the wrong tree. The problem isn't that blakc actors aren't nominated, it's that black actors don't even get cast in big Hollywood projects which are Oscar-worthy. Which is why they aren't nominated for an Oscar. It's usually not because they were in some big role but got ignored by the racist Academy.

Reply 48

Ayyylmaoo

Original post by ionically

Yes but what is it exactly that advantages white people, and please, something that is tangible and measurable? A serious question, educate me. And oh no because another factor such as my socioeconomic background wouldn't cause me to face adversity would it? You're the narrow minded, bigoted one in this discussion.

+ you still won't address your ridiculous definition of racism.

Reply 49

Scrappy-coco

Original post by ionically

It's not about the skin colour that the majority of the population possesses. Even in Africa, after its colonial history, white skin is hailed as superior. It's also the same in many Asian countries - people choose to lighten their skin because being lighter and being beautiful are (wrongly) seen as interlinked.

Obviously nobody should be judged based on their skin colour. Do you have any sources of politicians propagating this hate speech against white people? I'm genuinely interested, I know nothing of this. Obviously there are extreme racial tensions in South Africa, and there are various groups where racial prejudice is at the core of their beliefs, but it's not government-elected officials (nor people running for office) with these ideals to my knowledge.

So you are saying that in all African countries where the vast majority are black, the society is still organised for white privilege? Now you are going from sociology to opinion. I'd like to see some evidence that white privilege exists in all countries. If it doesn't, then you'll have to accept that your definition of racism is not universal. Its funny that this definition which negates white people being subjected to racism assumes a euro centric view. Ironic.

Your point on Asian countries is mistaken. Cast systems are older than European countries themselves in some places and you cannot equate light skin with being a white person. That is simply looking at it through the view of a minority living in 21st century western culture after colonialism. A light skinned Indian is considered superior to a white person in many parts of India.

As for the situation in South Africa:

'In July of 2012,*Dr. Gregory Stanton, head of the nonprofit group Genocide Watch,*conducted*a fact-finding mission in South Africa. He concluded that there is a coordinated campaign of genocide being conducted against white farmers, known as Boers.*“The farm murders, we have become convinced, are not accidental,” Stanton contended. "It was very clear that the massacres were not common crimes," he added -- especially because of the absolute barbarity used against the victims. "We don’t know exactly who is planning them yet, but what we are calling for is an international investigation,” he added.

The number of farm murders, or "plaasmoorde" as it is called*in Afrikaans,*is staggering. Over the last decade, it is estimated that at least 3000 Boers have been killed. Estimating the number of murders is necessary because the ANC has*banned*crime statistics from being compiled, claiming they scare off foreign investment. Moreover, the world knows little about the savagery that accompanies those killings. Many victims, including women and infant children, are raped or tortured before they are killed. Some have boiling water poured down their throats, some are burned with hot pokers, and some are hacked to death with machetes, or disemboweled. Several others have been tied to their own cars and dragged for miles.

The ANC, whose leader*Jacob Zuma was*reelected*with over*75 per cent of the total voting delegates at the ANC National Conference held in Bloemfontein last December, denies that genocide is occurring, insisting that such attacks are part of the larger crime problem. Yet a*report*filed by the*South African Institute of Race Relations notes that while crime has ostensibly declined between 1994 and 2011, "substantial numbers" of police stations have manipulated their crime statistics. The report sub-headline underscores the corrupt nature of crime statistics in the country: "Is this a true reflection of the crime statistics in South Africa? Who knows!" it states.

What is known is that the ANC celebrated in 100th year anniversary with a song*led*by President Zuma himself.*“Dubula iBhunu”*or "Shoot the Boer" was a line in the lyrics of an apartheid-era song,*“Ayesaba Amagwala”*(“the cowards are scared”) that violates the South Africa constitution prohibiting the*“advocacy of hatred that is based on race … and that constitutes incitement to cause harm.” *Yet Zuma apparently felt no compunction to refrain from singing it, because the ANC considers it an integral part of the anti-apartheid movement that is part of their heritage.

In 2010,*Julius Malema, then leader of the ANC Youth League, revived the practice of singing the song after many years. After the South Africa High Court ruled it was hate speech, the ANC*appealed. Last October, the ANC and AfriForum, a lobby group that wanted the song banned from public performance,*reached*an out-of-court settlement.

Dr. Stanton concluded that Malema's revival of a song advocating murder moved South Africa from the fifth stage on his*genocidal scale*to stage six. When the South African judiciary ruled it to be unlawful hate speech,*Genocide Watch put South Africa back at stage five. When President Zuma was caught on*tape*January 2012 singing, "We are going to shoot them with the machine gun, they are going to run/You are a Boer, we are going to hit them, and you are going to run/shoot the Boer…"*South Africa was raised to stage six once again".

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/180781/gruesome-reality-racist-south-africa-arnold-ahlert

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Reply 50

Sgt_Haytham

Original post by DeadEnd_96

I don't understand why this is an issue. What has a person's race got anything to do with getting nominated for an Oscar. Getting nominated for an Oscar should be based on talent and acting ability.

Exactly this. It's clearly an non-issue.

Reply 51

thunder_chunky

Let them boycott it, life moves on.

Reply 52

IamJacksContempt

Lol so many closet racists on here who clearly don't understand the concept of unconcious bias.

Reply 53

IamJacksContempt

Original post by ionically

4) You can't be racist to white people, white people benefit because of their skin colour. Reverse racism is not a thing. Of course you can be prejudiced, however racism would mean that white people suffer at the hands of society, based on institutional and systemic factors, which is simply not true.

You can't just make up your own definitions of what racism is. And if you're suggesting white people can't be discriminated/harassed/victimised due to the colour of their skin then you really are delusional.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 54

STLJA

Original post by ionically

1) White wasn't a colour when people were segregated for being 'coloured' and it's not a colour for the purpose of referring to people of colour.

2) There clearly is a problem. White people aren't some holy grail of talent superior to others in acting.

3) MOBO is for the celebration of black artists, which is needed because other awards fail to celebrate the achievements of black people sufficiently, as demonstrated by the lack of diversity in the Oscar nominations.

4) You can't be racist to white people, white people benefit because of their skin colour. Reverse racism is not a thing. Of course you can be prejudiced, however racism would mean that white people suffer at the hands of society, based on institutional and systemic factors, which is simply not true.

I'm black and, whilst I agree with your first 3 points,I disagree with your 4th.I believe racism is a form of prejudice.Anyone of any race can be racist. It may very well be that the positions of power in society are held by majoritily white people and therefore they,overall, have more power to implement their racist mindsets and ideologies, whether that be directly or more subtly,but fundamentally racism is a mindset that your race is superior and anyone of any race can possess that mindset. If one is prejudiced due to gender it is sexist, if one is prejudiced due to age it is ageist and indeed if anyone is prejudiced due to race then they are racist regardless of whether said person has the power to put their beliefs into practice.

One cannot deny that black people, in a society where white people hold much of the power, are far more likely to feel the effect of racial prejudice e.g. Institutional racism in the police towards black people or longer sentences for the same crimes, but that does not mean black people cannot have a racist mindset themselves and cannot treat white people as inferior to themselves.

My own father is an employer as well as governer of a school. He therefore has the power to choose suitable applicants for certain posts. If he were not to employ a white person due to his race alone surely he would be being racist.

Reply 55

TurndownforWha

Original post by DeadEnd_96

I don't understand why this is an issue. What has a person's race got anything to do with getting nominated for an Oscar. Getting nominated for an Oscar should be based on talent and acting ability.

OH DEAR

A lot of you do not understand that this is bigger than just a small golden statue.

I don't know if anybody on this thread already explained this, I didn't have time to read through it. The fact that pretty much no black (or other races other than white of course) were nominated shows that not enough black actors are out there in lead roles.

Just google 'hollywood actor' and look at Images. You will have to scroll and scroll before you find one black actor among the many white actors that get picked for lead roles. Yes there's people like Will Smith, Idris etc, but that number is so small. Not to mention black actors tend to get roles in comedies, acting as the 'gangster', or being a sidekick. Black female actresses have it much worse. And I won't even begin to talk about darkskin black people Hollywood discrimination.

Point is, black people do not get enough lead roles, and reason being is that Hollywood movie directors are constantly picking white actors SPECIFICALLY (this has nothing to do with talent, the requirement for movie casting often point out WHITE actor requied for lead role) because they believe the movie will sell better.
This is why black people are angry. It is 2016, this discrimination is embarrassing.