Despite significant steps in the fight against racism, racist manifestations occur in American society, including in the film industry. The boycott of the 2016 Oscars by some black actors is a controversial development. On the one hand, not a single black actor or director was nominated for the award, which caused an unfavorable public reaction. On the other hand, is this boycott a manifestation of segregation, as Stacey Dash rightly pointed out (Entertainment Tonight, 00:00:32). A boycott of the award can be seen as racism against whites. It appears that none of the black actors deserved to be on the final list because of their acting talents, not because of skin color. Blacks should be treated equally with whites, and there should not be a bet that awards blacks just because of their skin color.
As far as attractiveness standards are concerned, in the United States cinema, for the most part, they reflect a preference for Whiteness. A striking example is the film Green Book directed by Peter Farelli. One of the heroes is a black pianist with a conservatory education, elegant manners, and tastes. The other, white of Italian origin, on the contrary, is very simple and direct, straight to the point of rudeness. Don does a tremendous amount of work on himself to gain recognition in society. At the same time, social principles do not allow him to live an ordinary life for whites. In turn, despite his many shortcomings and some lousy character, Tony is famous in his environment. However, there are films where the directors go against Hollywood whiteness. Despite some criticism of acts of unjust racial oppression, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther (2018) is such a film. The film aims to fundamentally destroy the core function of Hollywood as the lifeblood of whiteness and white supremacy. Coogler’s work seems to be mainly about creating a Black Hollywood aesthetic. Thus, Black Panther raises the question of whether a black film can be a box office success.
Reference
Entertainment Tonight. (2016). Stacey Dash on Oscars boycott: Get rid of BET and Black History Month instead [Video]. YouTube. Web.