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Entity reports that there is a lack of diversity showing up at the Oscars.

When you hear the words “Oscars and Golden Globes 2016,” what do you think of?

Maybe big wins for “The Revenant,” “The Martian” and “Mr. Robot”? Or perhaps the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar – and all the hilarious memes that followed? If you kept up with social media and online entertainment news, however, you probably think of the viral hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, the Oscar’s boycott and widespread criticism of cinematic diversity.

In case you don’t remember the exact numbers, Bustle reports that only 21 percent of nominees in the 2016 Golden Globes were “diverse.” Even worse, only 24 percent of winners – whether actors of color or cinematic pieces or songs that feature people of color – weren’t part of the white majority. And that 21 percent? It’s almost double the stats from the 2014 Golden Globes when only 12 percent of actors were diverse. If this is cultural progress, it’s a shockingly slow version.

This doesn’t mean that the white winners didn’t deserve their awards or that they only won because of their skin color. However, it is difficult to ignore the worrying statistics on race and success in Hollywood. The University of Southern California conducted a study on the diversity in America’s top grossing movies. In 2014, 73 percent of the characters in the most popular movies were played by white actors. If Caucasians dominate the characters in top films, then it makes sense that they will also dominate award shows. For example, if there are 100 roles and 97 go to white actors and three go to Hispanics, the Hispanics aren’t as likely to score a Golden Globe.

Instead of blaming the Oscars or the Golden Globes for not nominating a diverse group of actors, maybe we should call for more diversity in casting and perhaps even scriptwriting.

Before you vow to throw out your TV and boycott movies, realize that diversity is becoming more common in television. Just think of your favorite shows that have come out in the past few years such as “Blackish,” “Jane The Virgin,” “Orange Is The New Black” and “How To Get Away With Murder.” These shows aren’t whitewashed; in fact, some of the protagonists are men and women of color. If you look at the nominees for Best Actors in a TV series, you’ll also find different results than film awards. White casts may still be overrepresented but diversity in television awards is definitely higher than in movie awards.

Yet, the fact that this argument – that whites have an advantage in winning film awards – even exists tells us that our culture is not as close to equality as we would like to believe. Of course, there will always be variables beyond people’s control. Children of famous actors, for instance, will have an advantage in show business compared to the average kid off the street. However, we can call for greater diversity in scripts and casting. We can reward films that highlight diverse actors by purchasing a movie ticket. In the end, we can try to ensure that when award winners receive their trophy, they know they won it for their acting skills alone, not the color of their skin.

Edited by Casey Cromwell
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