Chris Rock and the 2016 Academy Awards: Is Hollywood Actually Racist?

Some might believe that Leo winning his first Oscar after being nominated by the Academy six times during his acting career was the highlight of the 2016 Academy Awards. However, what was most significant during Sunday night’s ceremony was actually not DiCaprio’s accomplishment for his performance in The Revenant, but it was Chris Rock’s provocative, comedic account of what he called, “The White People’s Choice Awards.”

Rock did not waste any time diving into the controversy, racism, lack of diversity, and other political issues surrounding the film industry. In his opening monologue, he said that black performers have been overlooked by the industry for decades; he continued, “We were too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer.” He also joked, “In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies.” Chris Rock went on while explaining why he did not protest the Oscars the way other black actors and actresses, such as Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, did. Many African American celebrities acted accordingly with the Smith family, but others felt that their voice was crucial for the issues surrounding the entertainment industry’s biggest event of the year.

I believe that the 2016 Oscars provided increased awareness about uncomfortable issues to the general American public; millions of people got to witness first hand the blatant cries of wanted equal opportunity by people of color, sympathy and love for victims of sexual abuse, and even global climate change. However, I can see why some individuals responded poorly to Chris Rock’s perception of unequal opportunity within the film industry. One viewer was astounded and disgusted to hear that many white individuals thought Rock “slayed” in terms of his hosting. This is because although Rock provided perspective and support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, he failed to include other minorities who might feel oppressed within the industry. Specifically, he mocked Asian Americans by enforcing stereotypes about child labor in Asian countries, which simply furthered the controversy into only a black versus white controversy. Not only were many black performers disregarded in the best acting and supporting acting categories, but other people of color were, too. I am almost positive that Rock’s crude comment about Asian Americans was unintentional, but his allusion to the Civil Rights Movement, which was less than 60 years ago, as well as Stacey Dash’s appearance on stage after recently expressing on public television that there is no need for an African American History month anymore, was an indicator of how uncomfortable both white and black audience members felt during the award show. On the other hand, this could also be an indication of how unwilling our country is to face the the everlasting controversy of racism due to the amount of pain, oppression, isolation, and confusion it has caused among Americans.

One last thing I would like to end with is that it is interesting to see how both Chris Rock and Beyonce were criticized for alluding to social and political issues during the Oscars and the Super Bowl; many Americans believed it was inappropriate or not the time or not the place. But when Leonardo DiCaprio, a well-recognized white actor, received his award on Sunday, the American public was ecstatic to hear him discussing important issues such as climate change and how it affects indigenous people within our country.