The Oscar Boycott

Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
The Dude said:
If you think casting directors are casting parts based on race over talent and/or potentially profit, you're missing the whole point of these enterprises.
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Plenty of time, casting directors cased based on race because it will generate more profit.
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So, do you want them to cast parts with the idea of making less profit? This is where you guys lose me in this discussion.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
The Dude said:
If you think casting directors are casting parts based on race over talent and/or potentially profit, you're missing the whole point of these enterprises.
Click to expand...

Plenty of time, casting directors cased based on race because it will generate more profit.
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This might be true in some cases, but this is not the sole reason white actors and actresses are cast over a person of color. I'm sure some are biased and don't even know it. Other reasons may include the white actor being the best actor, the white actor has a bigger name, and for whatever reason the white actor looks/acts the part better. These reasons are acceptable just like it is acceptable to say that black people typically are better at basketabll. Neither offend me nor should they.
Sure, you can point to multiple parts that were given to white people over a person of color who might look the part better. But how many examples of times are there where the person cast is the same color as the person they are portraying? Thousands.

 
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JJHusker1 said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
The Dude said:
If you think casting directors are casting parts based on race over talent and/or potentially profit, you're missing the whole point of these enterprises.
Click to expand...

Plenty of time, casting directors cased based on race because it will generate more profit.
Click to expand...
So, do you want them to cast parts with the idea of making less profit? This is where you guys lose me in this discussion.
Click to expand...


JJ, this is where I think we keep having a misunderstanding. I'm not calling out any specific people. Not condemning any person or company or anything for trying to make money. All I'm saying is that it sucks and is unfortunate and should be fought against, when possible, that the system exists in a way that can be a disadvantage to minorities in the field.

Your argument is akin to the 60's and a business owner not wanting to allow blacks into their establishment. Can't condemn that person for looking out for themselves, but in doing so, they're perpetuating an environment that contributes to inequality.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
JJHusker1 said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
The Dude said:
If you think casting directors are casting parts based on race over talent and/or potentially profit, you're missing the whole point of these enterprises.
Click to expand...

Plenty of time, casting directors cased based on race because it will generate more profit.
Click to expand...
So, do you want them to cast parts with the idea of making less profit? This is where you guys lose me in this discussion.
Click to expand...


JJ, this is where I think we keep having a misunderstanding. I'm not calling out any specific people. Not condemning any person or company or anything for trying to make money. All I'm saying is that it sucks and is unfortunate and should be fought against, when possible, that the system exists in a way that can be a disadvantage to minorities in the field.

Your argument is akin to the 60's and a business owner not wanting to allow blacks into their establishment. Can't condemn that person for looking out for themselves, but in doing so, they're perpetuating an environment that contributes to inequality.
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We must be on two completely different pages.

My argument is not anything at all like a 60's business owner not wanting to allow blacks. If that is what you've got out of my posts......I'm dumbfounded and question your reading comprehension skills. What I'm saying is that I don't think black people are underrepresented in the motion picture industry. Nobody has provided any data, proof, statistics, or the like to show how they are in fact underrepresented. Pretend I'm from Missouri and show me.

You provided a bunch of anecdotal cases of where you felt a POC could've/should've been cast over a white person. Cherry picking anecdotes is not proof. You and others have posted that the Academy etc. are changing their ways to allow for more diversity. That's great but it does not prove that there is any real problem that requires addressing. It only means that they have heard the complaints from some special interests and they are adjusting to placate them. I will acknowledge that the way the Academy picks their members and the length of time they serve and have an impact on voting does contribute to a skewed white point of view. It is akin to an old white guys club and washing out the old timers, with some outdated attitudes, may take some time. But that condition still does not seem to have negatively impacted black representation outside of what the percentages indicate it should be.

I however have posted some percentages that would seem to indicate that blacks are winning academy awards commensurate with their population in this country and also in line with their attendance in movie theatres. I contend that it might not be a good business decision for Hollywood executives to start casting and catering to an audience that doesn't exist. I have noticed lots of black actors, in lots of roles, in lots of movies that I like. Will Smith- love about everything he is in. Denzel, Samuel Jackson, Laurence Fishborne, Morgan Freeman, Halle Berry, James Earl Jones, Jamie Foxx, Don Cheadle, Danny Glover, Forest Whitaker, Cuba Gooding Jr., Eddie Murphy, and I could go on. I like all those actors and they are good at what they do. But, for the most part, the movies they are in and the roles they play are not usually super conducive to receiving best actor awards. IMO they get plenty of top billed starring roles and are not suffering from any injustices or prejudices that I can see. I could be wrong. Maybe the industry is biased beyond all belief. Where is the proof? Where are the numbers and statistics, not anecdotes, that back it up?

Since 1995 African-Americans have won 12.5% of the acting Oscars...and make up 13% of the US population. They account for 10% of the MPAA viewing audience (2014). Should they be winning awards in percentages in excess of their population? Should Hollywood be catering to the 10% rather than the 56%? What exactly am I missing here? Change my mind. Show me the error of my ways. Or, I guess you and Moiraine and StPaulHusker can continue to call me backwards and ignorant without any proof to backup your claims and concerns.

 
Shouldn't the awards won be commensurate with their presence in Hollywood? I fail to see how the stats of awards won (aka percentage of minorities deserving of recognition in film) relate at all to the audiences or population. They should relate to how many actors/actresses/directors/etc. there are of those respective demographics, shouldn't they?

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Shouldn't the awards won be commensurate with their presence in Hollywood? I fail to see how the stats of awards won (aka percentage of minorities deserving of recognition in film) relate at all to the audiences or population. They should relate to how many actors/actresses/directors/etc. there are of those respective demographics, shouldn't they?
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How different are those numbers going to be? You'd think the percentage of blacks involved in the movie industry would at least somewhat correlate with how they're represented (percentage wise) within the population as opposed to the rest of the population. It's easy to sympathize with any kind of discrimination, and I do. However, not every perceived wrong, or slight in this country can be blamed on race, or other discrimination. The sensitivity and racial grandstanding in this country has become embarrassing.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Shouldn't the awards won be commensurate with their presence in Hollywood? I fail to see how the stats of awards won (aka percentage of minorities deserving of recognition in film) relate at all to the audiences or population. They should relate to how many actors/actresses/directors/etc. there are of those respective demographics, shouldn't they?
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I would assume most groups should be represented commensurate with their population and/or apparent I interest in the industry. Do you have some numbers to indicate that POC are underrepresented according to their actual participation in the industry?

 
JJHusker1 said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Shouldn't the awards won be commensurate with their presence in Hollywood? I fail to see how the stats of awards won (aka percentage of minorities deserving of recognition in film) relate at all to the audiences or population. They should relate to how many actors/actresses/directors/etc. there are of those respective demographics, shouldn't they?
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I would assume most groups should be represented commensurate with their population and/or apparent I interest in the industry. Do you have some numbers to indicate that POC are underrepresented according to their actual participation in the industry?
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I don't, I was just curious why those were your metrics for comparison. I still haven't had the time to really look into your numbers.

Statistics aside, I have a hard time entertaining the thought that there isn't a problem at least on the end of the consumer when non-white characters get cast to white actors all the time as normal/no big deal, but when traditionally white characters might get cast to minorities there is always a huge kerfuffle.

 
StPaulHusker said:
Quote



Joseph Fiennes to play Michael Jackson — wait, what?
https://t.co/hxsXCw87yzhttps://t.co/hxsXCw87yz
https://t.co/hxsXCw87yz
https://t.co/5yPYJAzX0wpic.twitter.com/5yPYJAzX0w
https://t.co/5yPYJAzX0w
— Vulture (@vulture)
https://twitter.com/vulture/status/692125075810734085January 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/vulture/status/692125075810734085








Okay-This one I can actually understand.
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Plus - his brother also played a character without a nose.

Ralph_Fiennes_(Lord_Voldemort).jpg


 
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Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
JJHusker1 said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
Shouldn't the awards won be commensurate with their presence in Hollywood? I fail to see how the stats of awards won (aka percentage of minorities deserving of recognition in film) relate at all to the audiences or population. They should relate to how many actors/actresses/directors/etc. there are of those respective demographics, shouldn't they?
Click to expand...
I would assume most groups should be represented commensurate with their population and/or apparent I interest in the industry. Do you have some numbers to indicate that POC are underrepresented according to their actual participation in the industry?
Click to expand...
I don't, I was just curious why those were your metrics for comparison. I still haven't had the time to really look into your numbers.

Statistics aside, I have a hard time entertaining the thought that there isn't a problem at least on the end of the consumer when non-white characters get cast to white actors all the time as normal/no big deal, but when traditionally white characters might get cast to minorities there is always a huge kerfuffle.
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More anecdotes? Maybe you'll post some examples of these kerfuffles while we patiently await the proof of how this group is underrepresented.

 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_featuring_whitewashed_roles

Jeffery Mio, author of Multicultural Psychology: Understanding Our Diverse Communities, hypothesizes that the film industry, mostly white, hires people of similar backgrounds. Mio said of the rationale that only the most qualified actors are cast, "That’s the argument that directors and casting directors make, but a lot of times ethnic actors will tell us that when they say we're just choosing the best actor, they mean we're choosing our friends, or people we're used to."[1] Craig Detweiler, professor of film history at Pepperdine University, said, "There are a shortage [sic] of African American, Asian and Latino stars. For all Hollywood's progressive politics, its casting decisions look remarkably retrograde."[5] In 2010, TheWrap ascribed the lack of racial diversity to institutional racism and a lack of bankable actors of color and that whitewashing in films like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Last Airbender aggravated the issue.[5]
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http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/news/8595-stan-lee-speaks-on-black-spider-man-controversy.html

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Michael-B-Jordan-Addresses-Controversy-Over-Fantastic-Four-Casting-41989.html

http://www.people.com/article/roger-moore-idris-elba-james-bond-racist-quote-controversy

http://www.eonline.com/news/609262/rush-limbaugh-says-idris-elba-can-t-play-james-bond-because-he-s-black-and-then-admits-he-s-racist

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/movie-news/james-bond-idris-elba-anthony-horowitz/

 
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