Oscar Diversity is not as Black-And-White

The #OscarsSoWhite controversy is deeper than the skin, several recent studies. As Academy Awards tomorrow you get close, the conversation has been defined by interjections without ear aging white actors, threats of a boycott of prominent black artists, and the lukewarm response of the Academy itself. But the question is not so simple. These studies show the diversity of Hollywood problem is not as bad as it seems ... and at the same time, much worse.

The infographic below nominations this year, compared with the breakdown makeup of both Hollywood and the US population is broken down. It also shows how the Academy plans to represent the diversity of the presenters of the ceremony.

Oscars Diversity Visualized | PrettyFamous

One of these things is not like the others. Actually, none of them really looks like each other, and that's the big problem here. The breakdown of the presenters is perhaps most jarring - the Academy seems to be doing the impossible to show a diversity that is ignored otherwise. However, there is another piece of this puzzle, shining a more favorable light on the awards.

While this year's nominees are a cover-up, a study by The Economist shows that black actors are not drastically under-represented since 2000, in relation to the black population of the United States - from 10% to 12.6% . In other words, the Oscars actually represent the black population more accurately than any other demographic group.

This is excellent fuel for conservatives and liberals devil-lawyer who want to stoke the fires of a "post-racial" America. But the fire is a mistake. The question is not under-representing minority artists - is more -on behalf of whites. And regardless, the conversation should not be about perfect statistical parties. That does not account for the disenfranchisement of centuries of black voices in the United States, first through slavery and then Jim Crow and all its fallout still present. It also does not address long-standing criticism of the census itself, which could skew statistics in the first place.

On the other hand, it does not account for the almost complete lack of recognition of Asian and Latino artists, relative to its population of the United States. This part is not really a topic of debate. Represents 17% of the population, Latinos do worse in Hollywood, with only 3% of all applications. And despite representing 7% of Hollywood (more Latinos), no Asians will present the awards this year.

It is tempting to see the lack of actors who are not white, tweet #OscarsSoWhite, and leave it there. But the biggest problem behind the scenes, production and promotion. A recent study by FiveThirtyEight analyzed the "For your consideration" print campaigns run studies to attract voters. The results showed a clear lack of support from people of color of their own supporters. Of the thirty most promoted films, only nine show people of color, and of these, only three garnered nominations (only one of which was in the top half of the list).

Important to note here is that we are looking at correlation, not causality - several films that received almost no support ad reaped great nominations (Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, The Big Short). But the two most heavily minority Hucked movies - Straight Outta Compton and Beasts Of No Nation - received nothing. (Technically Compton has a nod "Best Screenplay", but it was for a white writer.) The question, then, is twofold. Studies put more money behind white talent, and when they do support people of color, artists are not nominated.

And speaking of voters, who are trying to attract studies in the first place? Any guesses? If you answered "white", congratulations. You did it. 94% of Academy voters are white, and vote on what is presented. If nonwhite stories are not being funded or promoted, it should not be a surprise that they are not nominated. Some voters have also gone on record saying black films are simply "too strong". So ... there's that.

Finally, a comprehensive study of IDEA stops at the deep roots of diversity issues in Hollywood, and they get worse as gender and sexuality come into play. "The film industry still functions as a center, white, straight kid," says the study, the major findings read as much as an indictment as an analysis. Less than a third of the speaking roles in films go to women, and only about 2% are LGBT characters. Behind the camera is an even starker picture - women rudder only 4% of the films, and represent only 20% of leadership positions in major media companies and studios.

While this year is an outlier in terms of black candidates, which fits perfectly with longstanding patterns of Hollywood in general. Starting tomorrow, the conversation has to change to #OscarsSoWhite #HollywoodSoWhite if defenders want to see a real structural change.

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