COLUMN: Both sides of "Oscars" debate are wrong
Columnist Ben Solis
Flint's water is poisoned with lead. A whole generation is either sick, disabled or dying because of mismanagement and lies.
Still, my social newsfeeds lit up over something far more important to American consumers than poisoned poor kids: Will Smith, his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith and Spike Lee have finally had it with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Academy released this year's slate of nominations for the Oscars, the made-for-TV awards spectacle that lauds the achievements of industry elite and rising stars. It is considered Hollywood's biggest night – for those that actually give a damn.
Oscar's latest controversy is not a new one. For two years in a row, the Academy failed to nominate a single black actor or director for the hallowed best picture, director or best individual performance awards.
The easy refutation: maybe 2015's slate was fantastic that the Academy simply didn't have room to include the likes of "Straight Outta Compton," "Beasts of No Nation" or the Smith-led "Concussion."
Sad fact: they had plenty of room left in its Best Picture option to include at least two of the aforementioned films. How do I know this? History.
In 2008, after the death of Heath Ledger, the Academy raced to find a way to include "The Dark Knight," his final role, in the top category. It could not, and later expanded the nominations from eight to 10.
As each year unfolded, the Academy filled all 10 slots, begrudgingly, and sometimes with absolute garbage. This year, they left room for dessert, and the black community was outraged.
The move harkens back to a day when black actors and filmmakers were almost systematically shut out of Hollywood; a time when these artists were only accepted if they shimmied to the tune of stereotypes and flat out racism.
With good reason, some black actors and directors have stood up to say enough, along with a big list of white superstars to legitimize their already legitimate complaint. Yet their reasoning is just as suspect as the nominators themselves.
It's true that the Academy is made up of mostly white members, all over the age of 65 years old. To date, a total of 44 black actors have been nominated and only 12 have actually won. It's easy to dismiss the entirety of Tinsel Town as racist, considering the half century's marginalization of Blacks, Asians, Natives and Latinos in Hollywood.
You cannot convince me, a young Latino, not now or ever, that Hollywood isn’t racist. Especially when I look at some Latino acting credits and see brothers spending their whole lives playing "Hector."
It’s shameful and Hollywood needs to answer for their ignorance. But forget the past for a moment.
Forget the justified rage. Will Smith simply doesn’t deserve an Oscar this year.
He surely didn’t deserve one for "Concussion", a plodding sports drama steeped in social justice for brain damaged athletes. Smith’s derpy portrayal is a pale shade to the likes of Elba, who by all accounts should have at least been given a nod. I understand that "Beasts of No Nation" missed on technicality alone – the film is a Netflix original, and a far outside the clutches of the Hollywood money machine.
Now, out of jealousy or boredom – flopping a lot will do that to you – Smith, his wife and his compatriot Spike Lee are holding a boycott. Smith simply cannot accept, it seems, that he is irrelevant to our generation, one that views his collective work as nothing more than nostalgia.
He also most likely forgot his two previous nominations for far less hard hitting roles. Smith is a half-talented, haphazard actor who has spent more time this past decade indulging his talentless children than focusing on his craft.
Let's be real. In no way is Smith a Sidney Poitier, or a Denzel Washington, or God forbid an Idris Elba.
He is not worthy of these accolades, nor is he worthy to share the same space as those poignant stars. His creative drought has absolutely nothing to do with his race, and his arrogance blinds him to that fact.
Ice Cube, the famed rapper-turned-actor, said in a recent interview that he wasn’t surprised the Academy snubbed “Compton.” He said he absolutely expected it. His response was brief but telling: Step your game up and you'll be taken seriously.
Seriously. Try harder, push yourself to the limits of acting and what you are willing to sacrifice for a role. Leonardo DiCaprio is perpetually snubbed by the Oscars, and it took the freezing wilderness and a bear attack to even garner a chance at winning.
If he doesn’t, therein lies the proof that chops are more important to this mostly white country club than the color of your skin. With that, maybe Lee will accept that he’s become a pariah; a former champion of black thought now ostracized by his own community.
And maybe – just maybe – Smith will accept the fact that he’s just not that good.
There's more to fight for than trophies and success, namely the people of Flint, and the institutional problems that placed them squarely at hell's doorstep.
When will you boycott that, Will?
