Oscars so woke: Academy to enforce new ‘diversity & representation’ standards on Hollywood

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is jumping on the woke bandwagon, announcing changes to ensure even more “diversity” of the Oscars, setting up an ‘inclusion and equity’ office and mandating lectures on racism.

Surfing the wave of calls for “racial justice” in the US over the past two weeks, the Academy announced several initiatives on Friday, as part of its 'Aperture 2525' program. CEO Dawn Hudson said there was “much more work to be done in order to ensure equitable opportunities across the board,” calling the issue “urgent” and adding that the Academy will amend and continue to look at its rules and procedures “to ensure that all voices are heard and celebrated.”

The announcement comes just days after the cringe-worthy “anti-racism” video narrated by an all-white cast of woke celebrities, which has been met with mixed reactions at best. 

Some of the reforms are not strictly speaking related to diversity; the Academy is implementing term limits as well as setting the Best Picture category at the annual Oscars awards at 10 entries, Variety reported. 

When it comes to the pressing issue of the day, however, the Academy is fully on board the woke train. It will “encourage equitable hiring practices and representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the film community,” to start with.

A task force has been charged with developing the new “representation and inclusion standards” for Oscars eligibility by the end of July. They won’t affect this year’s nominations, but will presumably apply starting in 2021.

The Academy will also establish an Office of Representation, Inclusion and Equity. Going forward, the “unconscious bias” training given to the current Board of Governors earlier this year will be mandatory to all governors, executives and staff, and offered to all 9,000-plus members.

There will also be a series of “conversations” about “race, ethnicity, history, opportunity, and the art of filmmaking,” including one hosted by Whoopi Goldberg – one of the governors and a co-host of The View – on the “lasting impact of racist tropes and harmful stereotypes in Hollywood films.” Another one will be about “systemic changes” needed in casting, screenwriting, producing, directing, and financing of films “in order to afford opportunities to women and people of color and to help create a new narrative for recovery.”

Some of the most Orwellian language pertains to the Academy’s Museum of Motion Pictures, which is now “committed to building an anti-racist, inclusive organization that will contextualize and challenge dominant narratives around cinema, and build authentic relationships with diverse communities.”

This includes creating “spaces that highlight and prioritize the experience of traditionally underrepresented or marginalized people.”

The New York Times helpfully translates what this actually means: quotas. The paper made sure to note that as of last year, “people of color made up 16 percent of the membership…and women made up 32 percent.” Out of 54 governors on its board, 26 are now women and 12 are “people of color,” including the latest addition, African-American filmmaker and activist Ava DuVernay.

Just to make sure no one misses the point, the Times adds that this is a direct result of a push to double the Academy’s “diversity” in the wake of 2016’s 'Oscars So White' online outrage.

Ironically, the diversity announcement comes in the same week when ‘Gone With the Wind’ was taken off the HBO Max streaming service, amid the outcry over “systemic racism” raised by activists protesting the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The 1940 Best Picture winner starred the first African-American to win an Oscar, actress Hattie McDaniel. 

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