Comments on: Spike Lee & Jada Pinkett Smith Refuse To Attend 2016 Oscars Over Lack Of Diversity Among Nominees

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

The Oscars are just the result of the bigger problem – the film world needs to be more diverse with casting. Ride Along 2 shouldn\’t be nominated for Oscars but it also shouldn\’t be the only example of films starring people of colour. I think Michael B Jordan, Idris Elba, and the ladies of Tangerine deserved nominations (I knew that wasn\’t going to happen though) but the fact that it\’s only the same handful of performances being tossed around is where the problem is.

By: cirkusfolk

cirkusfolk — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

170 out of 175 cornerbacks in the NFL are black. Am I complaining? No because I want to see the best person for that position playing, and if it happens to be blacks because of their superior athleticism, so be it. But just to be fair I\’m starting the hashtag #cornerbackssoblack

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

Let\’s all be grateful that he didn\’t tweet Cheryl Isaac\’s home address, considering how genius a move it was in the past. But honestly, who has time to care about this? Some of us are trying to figure out how to make our mortgage payment and Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett are throwing hissy fits about an awards show. This is like the battle between millionaire footballers and billionaire NFL owners, neither of whom deserve five minutes of sympathy.

By: JZ

JZ — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

FYI: the last three best director -winners weren\’t white and there\’s a chance that Inarritu is going to win again. 12 years a slave won best picture, a lot of actors who\’ve won recently weren\’t white. #oscarsWhite again? I don\’t agree.

By: Liveslow

Liveslow — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

@ MAL you\’re an idiot! And as far as I\’m concerned you\’re part of the problem!

By: lulu

lulu — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

why is it so hard for folk to get that art is subjective, it\’s based entirely on personal experience, there is no mathematical barometer of excellence. All this crap about affirmative action versus merit is a total crock, I can\’t relate to the \’brilliance\’ of Jennifer Lawrence, in my mind if anyone\’s benefiting from affirmative action it\’s her, ditto Streep\’s Thatcher, that wasn\’t affirmative action in action? But who gives a crap, we can shoot off about this performance over that performance forever. The issue seems to me to be the conceit that The Oscars reflect the best of the year when to reach that decision you would need a far broader and more diverse demographic than a body made up of 80% white men over 65, many of whom haven\’t worked in twenty years. The Oscars are nothing more than the awards for movies and performances old bougie white men enjoyed and empathized with, which would explain as well why the show itself is a dreary, overlong bore. I wouldn\’t even bother with a boycott, why boycott a party that\’s that uncool? Diverse actors, writers, directors are the vanguard, they\’re what\’s hip and what\’s happening, they should enjoy that highly cool position cause the day they\’re invited to the Oscars all that heat\’s going to turn stale.

By: yer

yer — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

Performances should be based on the performance itself and not any outside influence it\’s crazy we have to say this over and over. Also there are only 5 nominees per category and hundreds of performances. Personally I think Will Smith deserved a nom, but I don\’t think it\’s racist that he wasn\’t included.

By: a

Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

So no affirmative action: No change. We embrace the status quo forever and ever. Great alternative…

By: MAL

MAL — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000

Yes! Let\’s bring affirmative action to the arts. What a great idea. I can\’t wait \’til next year when Ride Along 2 is in the running for 14 Oscars. Sorry, but this is such a load of crap. Was Idris Elba overlooked for Beasts of No Nation? Probably. But so was Richard Jenkins in Bone Tomahawk and Jacob Tremblay in Room. Should Wil Smith have been nominated in an okay but preachy movie for a showy role with a dodgy accent? No comparison to Michael Fassbender\’s subtle and nuanced take on Steve Jobs. And Mr. Lee — when you have pissed off everyone in your own industry and continue to bite the hand that feeds you, how can you expect to be rewarded for anything?

By: Janny Murphy

Janny Murphy — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:51 +0000

We\’ve only heard this a million times… It\’s all about the performance, color or ethic backround has nothing to do with it… How about the judges that make these decisions shake it up a little? Have a more diverse panel?? The world is a melting pot, including the movie industry.. is this a good ole boys network ? If that\’s the case, shame on you.. If I\’m wrong, my apologies.. But it seems pretty obvious

By: jimmiescoffee

jimmiescoffee — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:51 +0000

what if …oh my…the 5 best lead actors just werent black? this is the most bullshit AA argument ever. i saw concussion (it was garbage) i saw chi-raq (it was underwhelming i saw straight outta compton (good but not very truthful)…this is the dumbest argument ever. maybe one year all the best actors will be black. its just the way it is. don\’t blame the academy. blame the writer and studios for not casting diversity.

By: Bud

Bud — Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:51 +0000

This isn\’t as cut and dried as either side is presenting it. I just published my best films of the year for an online site and I noticed that there were no female directors. Some of my favourite contemporary directors are women; it just happened that none of them released anything this year. I have to agree with some of these posters: affirmative action has no place in the evaluation of art. For me to have shoehorned a few female directors onto my list would\’ve been insincere. The solution to the problem lies further upstream. For myself, I could\’ve noticed this imbalance earlier in the year and made an effort to watch more obscure releases by female directors. But there\’s no guarantee I would\’ve liked any of these films more than the ones on my list, and again I wouldn\’t have put any on the list just for the sake of doing so. Does this attitude toward the appreciation of film reek of male privilege? Maybe. The bigger upstream issue is of course the funding, hiring, and distribution practices in the industry. Absolutely there should be the removal of discriminatory attitudes- assuming that an experienced woman can\’t direct a blockbuster while giving the gig to a relatively inexperienced male, assuming that female or non-white stories won\’t appeal to the masses, etc- but at the end of the day creating the best art is still the ultimate criteria.

By: B

Fri, 13 May 2016 08:19:51 +0000

Susan & Cirkusfolk – Get my vote