Recently we have all been bombarded with a media frenzy concerning the lack of diversity in the list of movies nominated for the Academy Awards, i.e., an Oscar. I do not claim to be an expert on movies or by any means seek out "quality" movies above ones that just give me pleasure to watch but I do have to say that it appears that the subjectivity of the process should insulate the academy from most criticism. You would think so anyway. Obviously it has not. So, is there really cause for concern here? I mean how important is all this anyway in the grand scheme of things? Well, to answer my own questions I say sure, there is a need to address bias anywhere it raises its head and yes the Academy should be worried if nothing else because if the perception is one of bias then they lose credibility and a chance to promote the movies as an artistic venture. The latter seems contradictory because can we really rate art? Isn't the need of art just to let humans express and appreciate? Oh well maybe that's a topic for a different venue. Here, I say yes, Academy, please acknowledge your insensitivity to diversity and proceed with making the selectors (which I heard but did not confirm are mostly men over 50 and Caucasian) worthy of your award. So the final unanswered question as we relate these events to our own profession, are we creating enough frenzy about our methods of selection and attention to diversity in all our processes? Do people see us as unbiased in our professional organizations and work? We may not be "movie stars" but we all have a responsibility to "shine" with respect to diversity matters!
Rey
January 2016