#OscarsStillSoWhite

We talked a little about the #OscarsSoWhite section in Jeff Chang’s book and the importance of representation. (This was in the chapter “The Odds: On Cultural Equity). Chang here is discussing another kind of activism, what he calls twitter activism and how it can be effective in bringing attention to matters but also, even in its brevity, of revealing the complexity of issues that might seem simple on the surface. Even if protest deepens the conversation or clarifies the language or just simply connects people, then it has value.

How ultimately effective the hashtag campaign was in terms of actually changing behavior in the larger institutions can be debated. I mentioned in class that the Academy had recently introduced rules that were geared towards increasing diversity in the nominating process. Here’s an article from The New York Times about these changes. They seem like little more than a white-flesh-toned band-aid to be honest. But how do we we gauge change?

We’ll talk and write more about “cultural capital” and “cultural equity.” Have any of you watched Lovecraft Country?