According to
Reuters, Hollywood multi-millionaire black actors Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith are boycotting the February 2016 Oscar awards ceremony , "in protest over the absence of nominated actors of color, in any of the 20 acting categories," ie Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
The Smiths and the well-known black Hollywood film maker Spike Lee, who is also boycotting the ceremony, allege that the lack of diversity of nominated actors and actresses is a result of the lack of diversity in the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and in the Hollywood film industry itself.
In other words, if there were fewer white men and women of privilege in the Academy and more black, brown, yellow and red men and women of "under privilege", more men and women of color would be nominated and hence win such coveted Academy Awards.
I am afraid the cancer of politically correct "diversity", which is currently infecting American college campuses, has now metastasized in the Hollywood body politic.
The Smith/Lee boycott of the Academy Awards show, because Will Smith was denied a nomination for Best Actor for his leading role in the film, "Concussion", is a perfect example of how American liberals and the black community are trying to transform American society from a meritocracy to race-based and ethnic-based society, under the guise of "diversity".
The term "diversity" usually means a range of things. It is normally a positive concept. As in, a newspaper contains a diversity of views, as opposed to a single viewpoint. The implication is that a range or diversity of views is preferable.
For many of us on the right, "diversity" has become a politically correct and dirty word.
Because for American liberals and the American black community, "diversity" does not mean to them a range of views, or multiple and different people, it really means, "race-based entitlement and preference." It is not a means, but an end in itself.
To these same liberals and black community, the absence of "diversity", also means racial discrimination
To bleeding heart American liberals, the American black community is incapable of being independent, strong, powerful, personally responsible and standing on its own two feet. And achieving success by virtue of its own efforts..
The mutual push by American liberals and American blacks for diversity, which is in essence, "race-based entitlement and preference" is a natural by-product of this strange master-servant relationship.
And through this theoretical context, I believe we can best understand the actions of the Smiths and Lee and the Hollywood liberals who support them.
Because what Will, Jada Smith and Spike Lee, and countless liberal fellow Hollywood and media travelers,( say hello, CBC ) want in this limited Academy Awards context, are awards, not based on artistic achievement and merit, but based on race-based and ethnic-based quotas.
Or put another way, for the Smiths, Lee and the Hollywood liberals, the lack of success of American black actors, is not due to lack of merit, but due to lack of diversity or racial discrimination.
So let us test these theories by looking at the actual actors and actresses nominated for three different award ceremonies.
The following is a list of the 20 nominees in each of the three major award ceremonies: the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors' Guild.
Academy Awards
BEST ACTOR
- Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
- Matt Damon, The Martian
- Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
- Michael Fassbe nder, Steve Jobs
- Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
BEST ACTRESS
- Cate Blanchett, Carol
- Brie Larson, Room
- Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
- Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
- Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Christian Bale, The Big Short
- Tom Hardy, The Revenant
- Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
- Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
- Sylvester Stallone, Creed
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Golden Globe Awards
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE--DRAMA
- CATE BLANCHETT, Carol
- BRIE LARSON, Room
- Rooney Mara, Carol
- Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
- Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE--DRAMA
- Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
- Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
- Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
- Eddie Redmayne The Danish Girl
- Will Smith, Concussion
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
- Jane Fonda, Youth
- Jennifer Jason leigh, The Hateful Eight
- Helen Mirren, Trumbo
- Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
- Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
- Idris Elba, Beasts of no Nation
- Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
- Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
- Sylvester Stallone, Creed
Screen Actors' Guild Awards
Performance by a male actor in a leading role
Performance by a female actor in a leading role
Performance by a male actor in a supporting role
Christian Bale, "The Big Short" |Review
Idris Elba, "Beasts of No Nation" |Review | Interview
Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies" | Review |Interview
Michael Shannon, "99 Homes" |Review |Interview
Jacob Tremblay, "Room" |Review | Interview | Video:Q&A with the cast
Performance by a female actor in a supporting role
Let us look at the theory that female black actresses are discriminated against in the upcoming Academy Awards on the basis of lack of diversity in the Academy membership.
A review of the Academy Award nominees indicate that not one actress of color is nominated in either the Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress category.
But then let us consider the Golden Globe nominees, nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press, presumably a more diverse and racially blind group. In this situation, no woman of color was nominated in the leading actress or supporting actress categories.
Now the Screen Actors' Guild consists of over 165,000 members in both tv and film. Probably the most diverse and most racially blind organization. Also this group consists of fellow actors. A jury of their peers, so to speak. And as such, this group is immune from allegations of lack of diversity and racial discrimination.
But note clearly, with respect to the S.A.G. nominations, no woman of color was nominated in either the leading or supporting actress category.
And Will and Jada Smith do not seem to be boycotting this S.A.G. ceremony, whose nominations for actresses closely parallel the Academy Award nominations.
Consequently, the Smiths and Spike Lee cannot argue that black actresses were shut out of the Academy Award nominations due to lack of diversity and/or racial discrimination, since their own peers, their own actors' guild also shut out women of color.
Now as to Will Smith, I can see initially why he may have got his hip black jeans in a knot because he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his leading role in "Concussion".
But note, he was shut out for a similar nomination by his fellow actors, the real jury of his peers at S.A.G.
So how can Will Smith legitimately claim a "lack of diversity" (racial discrimination) by the Academy, and not by S.A.G. . He cannot. His argument falls to pieces.
Because as Oscar nominee, Charlotte Rampling, wisely noted, Smith was not nominated for an Academy Award, because bottom line, he was not that good.
Smith's
understated performance was adequate in the film, "Concussion" as Dr. Omalu Bennet, the Nigerian-born forensic pathologist whose findings on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (brain and nerve damage suffered by boxers and football players) were published in 2005 and rocked the National Football League.
But Smith is no male Meryl Streep. Smith has no gift for mimicry or completely committing himself to a role and losing himself in the role. Smith's attempt at a Nigerian accent was atrocious and off-putting. I agree with the
Guardian film reviewer, who laughed himself silly when Smith, as Dr. Bennet admonished the NFL "to tell da troof".
In the spirit of Dr. Omalu Bennet, I want to conclude by "telling da troof "to liberal Hollywood and liberal media power.
The push for diversity and positive quotas and affirmative action Academy Awards, without regard to quality, creativity, craft and artistic achievement- is a dangerously slippery slope.
If the Academy goes down that route as suggested by the Smiths, Spike Lee and # disturber Michael Moore, what about setting aside a certain number of nominations and awards for Latinos, Asians and Muslims?
Once the Academy goes down this crazy Alice in Wonderland liberal rabbit hole, there is no turning back.
Perhaps Hollywood megastar Will Smith, instead of crying racism and discrimination, should pick a better script and develop his craft instead of seeking and expecting to be bailed out by Hollywood Limousine Liberal guilt, as an affirmative action award nominee and award recipient.
