The Golden Globes' Race Problem

[Redfairen]

We were there. We are always there, whether our nominations are sparse or relatively plentiful. Last night, nods for people of color at the Golden Globes were the latter, with Chiwetel Ejiofor nominated in two categories, his “12 Years a Slave” costar Lupita Nyong’o and director Steve McQueen also in the running, Don Cheadle up for his lead role in Showtime’s “House of Lies,” and Idris Elba nominated for playing Nelson Mandela. As is the case when more than one or two of us are gathered in the name of Hollywood’s top honors, black viewers were also planted in front of their TVs at home and logged into their Twitter accounts, waiting to see if the winds of change were favorable.

We didn’t have to wait long. Lupita Nyong’o’s category was the first of the night. When she didn’t win best supporting actress in a motion picture for her gut-wrenching turn as Patsey, it should’ve been clear how the rest of the night would progress. But we watched and tweeted on, through Cheadle’s and Elba’s losses (which came as little surprise, given their competition). We shrugged off Ejiofor’s snub for “Dancing on the Edge” — even he looked unsurprised by that one — and we waited to hear his name called again, this time for playing the role of his career: Solomon Northup.

He lost. Adding insult to injury, he lost to Matthew McConaughey who, though he did great work in “Dallas Buyers Club,” is no Chiwetel Ejiofor, even on his best day — and especially not when he’s competing against Ejiofor’s work in “12 Years a Slave.”

Not every person of color approaches Hollywood’s awards season with an eye toward race, but it can be difficult not to when Hollywood and pop culture media most certainly use a racial lens to peer out at non-white audiences. Much was made of USA Today’s “race-themed” headline gaffe a few months ago, but it underscored the truth of the marketing matter: “race” is still a conflating category in Hollywood. Across genre and regardless of quality, if a film has more than one actor of color in a lead role, it becomes a “race film” — which is to say that it’s solely marketed to people who were once only allowed to sit in the decaying balconies of America’s movie houses.

http://www.salon.com/2014/01/14/the_golden_globes_race_problem_why_awards_shows_matter/

[Nye Bevan]

1. Interesting how the collage is incomplete.

But then again I guess Best Drama is a fairly minor award.

[kwassa]

5. It is discussed in the piece. It helps if you read it to the end.

black consumers make 195 million trips to the movies annually. What we see, how we connect to it, and how that connection is acknowledged matters to us. As great as it would be to be able to ignore the import of mainstream validation, we can’t and we shouldn’t. In a year like this, when the front-running films featuring black actors are based on real people and events, we should feel fully justified in wanting these powerful dramatizations to be revered. Award wins are one way to affirm that we’ve told our stories to someone other than ourselves, to someone who would not have otherwise known them, to someone who may have been loath to acknowledge that they happened.

For those of us who weathered last night’s losses long enough to witness “12 Years a Slave’s” big win for best picture, that affirmation came just in time.

[Nye Bevan]

7. Yep. Left until the very last paragraph. And the photo excluded from the collage.

Gee, I wonder what the author's agenda was here.

[kwassa]

11. The author's agenda is obvious and public. This is an OPINION piece.

She is hiding nothing. You act as if she is.

She is an writer who would like to see more mainstream awards for non-white actors in a year that has featured exceptional roles for black actors, in an industry that rarely has them.

As the writer of this piece, she doesn't get to choose the pictures, or the headline, either. That is usually up to the editors.

[NoGOPZone]

34. What's yours? nt

[Nye Bevan]

35. To honor Steve McQueen for his achievement (nt)

[NoGOPZone]

37. perhaps then

the author's agenda was to honor the actors for theirs

[LittleBlue]

13. Wouldn't fit Salon's racism claims if they included that picture

Dumb article

[kwassa]

14. What is dumb about this opinion piece?

Be specific.

[vaberella]

25. Yes because 1 Black man is comparable to 14 White counterparts. Amazing...really Amazing. n/t

[cali]

59. hey, v. I think the author absolutely has a point, but statistically-

1 in 14 isn't that shocking. What about Latinos? Or Asian Americans?

Honestly, I'm not convinced that this kind of article spells out anything definitive,

[fishwax]

27. The collage is accurately captioned as being the winners of acting awards.

[fishwax]

26. it isn't incomplete. Those are the winners of acting awards.

It even says so in the caption at the article.

[Nye Bevan]

28. So the theory is that the voters are racist when voting for the acting awards,

but not for the other awards such as directors?

[fishwax]

29. I'm not sure where you get that idea from.

[fishwax]

47. Also, Alfonso Cuaron won for director. McQueen didn't win an individual award

So it wouldn't make much sense to include him in the collage.

[marmar]

39. Ooh, 1 nonwhite face !!!!

Dr. King's dream has been realized !!!!

[Nye Bevan]

42. So anytime awards are handed out, every racial group should be represented

according to its percentage in the general population? Is that what MLK was hoping for?

[marmar]

43. In a just world, that would happen naturally.

[Nye Bevan]

44. In every single awards show, every year?

And how about sports teams? Baseball, hockey, football, basketball? When their racial makeup does not reflect that of the general population is that evidence of racism?

[vaberella]

46. Actually how do you compare sports to acting.

Sports are based on region and having a certain skill in a sport. For instance is it racist that most Hockey players are not Black or Hispanic...most of those guys are living in a cultural dominant area. Same for the reason many speed skaters are not Black. While the field of acting is massively broad.

The reason I don't compare it to acting is because there are shows that are made up predominantly of Hispanics that are not listed or recognized by the Emmy's or Actor's Guild and that are produced and aired in America and in English. Many Black tv shows have been systematically shunned and ignored from these same major organizations. When it comes to Foreign films it rare to see an African movie ever chosen as Best Foreign film or recognition to Hispanic and Black directors. Which there are many of. Majority of those recognitions are going towards the pale side of yellow.

My point is this the genre of acting and Hollywood in general is actually a massive and broad group that is not wholly unrecognized on a regular basis.

[merrily]

55. Is it your position that Hollywood in general has treated African American artists

fairly, as a general rule?

[morningfog]

61. His position is to deny racism and claim reverse racism at every opportunity.

[merrily]

63. If so, he is far from alone, even on this board.

Very small point, but I don't consider anything "reverse racism.". Either something is racist or it isn't. JMO.

[morningfog]

52. Wow. You are unbelievable. Fucking unbelievable.

Never seen a race issue you are all to happy to shit on. You and your white privilege strike again.

[merrily]

54. Deleted by author. Other posters already made the point.

[morningfog]

62. I think if they had included one African-American in the collage, the point would be stronger.

[MADem]

2. Hollywoodland is still very pale....but the Golden Globes are coming from the perspective of the

foreign press, so they've got that European bias still working.

Hell, they gave the lifetime achievement award to a child molester...what does one really expect?

[kelly1mm]

3. FFS - is Kanye West writing for Salon now? exerpt:

"He lost. Adding insult to injury, he lost to Matthew McConaughey who, though he did great work in “Dallas Buyers Club,” is no Chiwetel Ejiofor, even on his best day — and especially not when he’s competing against Ejiofor’s work in “12 Years a Slave.”"

In the writers OPINION. Others may not agree, thus (the writer aledges) there MUST be racism at play.

The Salon writer was correct in describing systematic racism (even when leaving out the best drama recipient - wtf?).

[dionysus]

17. im'a let you finish... but i need to see 12 Years, i hear it's very powerful.

[kelly1mm]

20. Alas, I have not seen it yet either (nor have I seen Dallas Buyers Club)nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

22. You need to make time this weekend, dionysus, and go see that movie. It is powerful! POWERFUL!

Probably the most powerful move I've ever seen. Seriously.

[dionysus]

23. after payday, i think i shall!

[merrily]

57. It's an opinion piece, so the author's opinions are the point of the piece.

And people draw conclusions based on their interpretations of reality.

You are certainly free to disagree with the author about McConaughey's performance versus Chiwetel Ejiofor's. (Do you disagree on that point, btw?) However, nothing is wrong with what the author wrote.

And, yes, the systemic bias evident in all kinds of award shows over decades is the overarching issue..

[NCLefty]

4. I thought they only gave them to golden people.

Which is DAMNED racist!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

6. "Hollywood" does not vote for the Golden Globes

That's the Oscars.

The least the author could do is get the focus on the right people, the Foreign Press....except, that doesn't fit the "America is bad" argument, does it?

[RainDog]

8. Chiwetel Ejiofor should have won best actor, imo

I thought it was crazy, back in the day, when Spike Lee didn't win at Cannes for She's Gotta Have It instead of Soderberg. And I thought it was crazy that Malcolm X didn't win for best picture.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. Agreed. And Lupita Nyong should have won. Hands down. Many people are upset about that.

[RainDog]

48. Agreed. She was also great

Both were powerful performances. People in the theater where I saw the movie clapped when it was over.

It's great, tho, that McQueen won the biggest award.

I don't really follow or care too much about awards, tho, because a lot of it has to do with insider stuff. Orson Welles never was acknowledged for his work, Alfred Hitchcock - lots of people who you would think would get recognition.

The films I think should win rarely do.

If you like more "non-mainstream" kind of narratives - did you ever see "To Sleep With Anger?" Charles Burnett. Danny Glover was amazing in that one.

Another one - even less conventional, as a narrative, is Julie Dash's "Daughters of the Dust." It's very poetic, and not so much about a plot as the lives of generations of Gullah women.

Everytime I think of TSsA, I think of this song from the soundtrack - the best version of this song, to me.

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Dang. Looks like a Republican convention.

[SummerSnow]

10. Don Cheadle won last years Golden Globe for House of Lies

[madinmaryland]

12. Why do they have FIVE FUCKING shows to give out the same FUCKING "honors"?????

Just seems really fucked up. Don't think I was ever make it through more than 5 or 6 minutes of one of those shows.

[JaneyVee]

15. Hollywood? The winners are chosen by The Foreign Press.

[NV Whino]

16. I wonder if the author actually watched any of those shows

House of Cards?
Breaking Bad?
Top of the Lake?

Those are the few I watched, and have to agree about the awards. Spectacular performances, one and all.

[ScreamingMeemie]

30. Breaking Bad was a throwaway because it ended.

I was never impressed with that show. It's the "in" show to watch and say one loves. I simply didn't "love it."

[NV Whino]

38. I did love it

But as for performance, I thought Kevin Spacey was better in House of Cards.

[RainDog]

49. I think Breaking Bad was outstanding

The cinematography was filmic, not small screen. I watched it from the time it started.

Cranston deserved the award, to me, but I couldn't even get through House of Cards because I had seen the British version (via tapes at my library - the original and the 2nd sequel - never saw the third.) and it was just so good, I couldn't stand to watch the Americanized one.

did you see Borgen, about a Swedish woman who becomes the first pm? That was streaming via KCET, but I don't think it's available through them anymore. It's very good - but it's not amoral like House of Cards, but it was amazing to see what an actual liberal democracy looks like, with labor and feminist parties actually having representation - all the characters have their flaws, agendas, etc. It was 3 seasons long.

Orange is the New Black is also good - very funny - and also netflix generated.

[NV Whino]

50. I watched the original House of Cards, too.

Loved it as well. I do think the American version is brilliant... In it's American way. Apples and oranges and all that.

Haven't seen Borgen. Have seen Orange is the New Black. It took me a while to warm to that one, but I look forward to the next season.

I don't have cable service so I'm limited to Netflix and what my local library stocks.

[RainDog]

64. I may have to give it another try

Borgen might show up on Netflix - I recommend looking for it if you like political drama - I don't have tv, either. Dropped cable long ago.

check out linkTV, online, for streaming programs - they also had Borgen up for two weeks at a time per episode.

I don't know if it's on netflix, but I also enjoyed a French series, Les Revenants, and I don't watch much "horror." Also Broadchurch - I think both of these are being remade, or have been, as American series - but I like to watch how different cultures tell their stories.

[cthulu2016]

18. Who does this person think votes for the Golden Globe awards?

Yes, the Hollywood Foreign Press is perfectly representative of American culture, and what Hollywood studios think.

[merrily]

58. Regardless of who votes, more people of color need to win US awards more often, IMO.

I think that is the important point.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

19. Lupita Nyong should have won that award. Period! She had be bawling in the theater. She was amazing!

[Comrade Grumpy]

24. Weak. n/t

[question everything]

33. Are you trying to say that African Americans should have won becaue... they are African American?

Personally, I think that the movie "Nebraska" and the two actors should have won. Bruce Dern is 77 and June Squibb is 84. Does this mean that seniors were excluded?

[Harmony Blue]

40. I read the article in its entirety

I did not find anything wrong with it. What I believe the author is trying to point out is that progress is still slow even in Hollywood but the author ended the article on a note to indicate the tide is changing but slowly.

[gollygee]

41. Matthew McConaughey?

Over Chiwetel Ejiofor? That does seem odd. He was amazing, as was the actress who played Patsy.

People seem defensive over this op/ed piece. The point is that it seems to be harder for black actors and actresses to win awards like this. And if Matthew McConaughey beat Chiwetel Ejiofor, I have to agree.

[cali]

60. not really odd. he's this year's "it" actor- for whatever reason

adulation seems to be catching and adulation in waves, is drenching him.

[Baitball Blogger]

45. It is a real problem. The process works against minorities at every step of the process.

Main roles that were meant for minorities, or people of darker complexion, can be given to people who are Caucasian. Katniss Everdeen is the most current example. Although I can't imagine anyone else playing the role, besides Jennifer Lawrence, the truth is that we are left with the false impression that there aren't that many talented minority actors out there to pick from.

[cilla4progress]

51. I noticed.

Hard to imagine only one win for a person of color, out of all of the choices available...

[Skittles]

53. I am rooting for Chiwetel to win the Oscar

yes INDEED

[merrily]

56. Usually, the problem starts with casting and proceeds from there.

But, as the author of the Salon article pointed out, people of color were nominated this year, including people who did a fantastic job in an excellent film.