#OscarsSoWhite Is Total Bullshit

There’s no “lack of inclusion” of blacks in the acting categories — It’s the opposite

Since 1965, the year after the Civil Rights Act was passed, black actors have made up roughly 6% of both nominees and winners in the four acting categories. If we count only from 1980, that number jumps up to 8%. It jumps further to 9% counting only from 1990, and 11% counting only from 2000. So there’s been a rising trend since the Civil Rights Movement of greater inclusion, with more quality film roles for black actors and more recognition of their performances by the Academy.

But people like Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett-Smith think that’s not enough. They want more, more, more. But how much more inclusion can they reasonably expect? Black people make up only 12.6% of the US population. Their representation at the Oscars is approaching that percentage and gives every indication that it will reach it within the next generation. (In fact, 10 out of the last 80 winners have been black, which is 12.5%). Asking for any more than that would just be greedy, but that’s exactly what they’re doing.

A lot of fuss is being made about the fact that this is the second year in a row with no nominations for black actors. But that means nothing because it’s offset by years when blacks have been overrepresented, like 2004 and 2006, when they made up 25% of nominees and a whopping 50% of winners. If zero nominees in the last two years is too few, then those numbers are way too many. Sometimes #OscarsSoBlack, but you’ll never hear any complaints about that.