The Oscar Academy Changed the Rules But Still Doesn’t Get It
Posted on January 11, 2016
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced new measures aimed at making the Oscars more diverse. And a quick look at the “solutions” shows that the Academy is still missing the mark when trying to understand why everyone got upset in the first place.
The Academy seems to be obsessed with the makeup of its own body, as if adding more members would right all of the ills of the industry. Marginally increasing diverse membership on a percentage scale doesn’t alter representation at awards’ time or in the industry at-large. This type of faux inclusion just sidesteps having to deal with the truth and doing the hard work.
In truth, the Academy is fighting a battle that it isn’t in a position to fix, a problem that was ironically created by and continues to be perpetuated by members of its own body.