Weekly Discussion Prep Sheet #2

BMST 4404 WEEKLY READING/PODCAST/VIDEO DISCUSSION PREP SHEET Winter 2025 Name: Date: March 3rd 2025 PART I KEY POINTS: 1. In 2015, activist April Reign started the hashtag to call out how there were no people of color nominated in the Oscar acting categories. It started a huge conversation, and even celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee boycotted the awards. Because of all the backlash, the Academy made some changes, like increasing the number of diverse members and adding diversity requirements for movies competing for Best Picture. But even after almost a decade, the progress feels slow. It’s like the Academy is making small adjustments rather than truly changing the way they recognize talent. It makes me wonder, how much of this is real progress and how much is just them trying to avoid bad publicity? 2. Seven out of the 20 acting nominees were people of color, which is the same number as last year. That might sound like progress, but when you really look at who actually won, it’s still mostly white actors taking home the biggest awards. Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American nominated for Best Actress, but she didn’t win, and that loss got a lot of attention online. It feels like Hollywood is okay with giving nominations to people of color, but when it comes to actually awarding them, things don’t always go in their favor. This pattern makes it hard to say whether real change is happening or if it’s just about looking more inclusive on the surface. 3. One of the most interesting moments of the night was Cord Jefferson’s speech after winning Best Adapted Screenplay. He talked about how Hollywood tends to only accept Black stories when they fit a certain stereotype, like slavery, gang violence, or racism. But there’s so much more to Black experiences than just struggle. His speech made me think about how important it is for all marginalized groups to have stories that go beyond trauma. People of color should be able to star in films about adventure, romance, sci-fi, or just everyday life, without it always being about suffering. It’s frustrating that Hollywood still hasn’t fully embraced that. We’re seeing more representation, but the way people of color are portrayed still feels limited. PART II DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: provide two questions related to the reading/media for the group to stimulate discussion. 1. The Academy introduced diversity rules for movies competing for Best Picture, but do you think this will actually lead to long-term change? Or is it just an easy way for them to make it seem like they’re doing something without actually fixing the problem? 2. Social media has played a big role in calling out problems in Hollywood, like #OscarsSoWhite. Do you think movements like this still have the power to make real change, or will people eventually stop paying attention? Are social media movements enough to fix deep-rooted issues in the industry?