BVNW reacts to lack of diversity in the Oscars

Many people had complaints about the lack of diversity in the 2016 list of Academy Award nominees. BVNW students and staff lend their opinions on the matter before the Oscars Sunday.

Brandon Fagen, Staff Writer

Derks

Diversity Council

sponsor, Sarah Derks

“It’s a discouraging factor for African American actors and actresses,” Derks said. “It skews the view of who America is and what America is.”

“It’s frustrating to watch because I don’t think it’s a representation of our culture, but it kind of is at the same time. If you look at our population, [the nominee list] doesn’t look like our population; if you look at the attitudes of our population [the nominee list] looks like the attitudes of our population.”

Lauryn copyJunior Lauren Nelson

“With the lack of diversity, it just undermines the talent of the minorities that are in acting and in theater and it brings out in the open that there are still people who – they might not say it out loud – but they will think that white actors are superior, they make superior movies, they write superior scripts.”

“There will be a little bit of [the lack of diversity that] is in the Oscars…in every aspect of life that happens. That’s just the way society works.”

Ryan

Sophomore Ryan

Sanford

“I think we have become accustomed to the the whole idea of racial tension during this age. Regardless of whether or not there is actually an issue, we tend to point fingers at different things…There could some issues going on, but there are probably some cases where it is like ‘ok, there is really nothing going on.’”