Oscars Controversy...borderline idiotic?

[acatfrommars]

For those that haven't been keeping up or just simply don't care, there has been much controversy in Hollywood lately concerning the Oscars and their lack of diversity in nominating and choosing those to win an award.

Will Smith is at the forefront of the current boycott against the Academy Awards following a lack of diversity among 2016's nominees. Really, the problem runs much deeper than that. The lack of diversity has been a trend throughout the 87-year history of the Academy, which is reportedly 94 percent white and 76 percent men.

The controversy caused a very public backlash against the Oscars and prompted passionate responses from all sides. But Smith wants everyone to pump the brakes on all the anger. On a recent appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," the actor said he wants to get rid of the whole "us and them" mentality.
Source

Do you think this makes Smith look like an idiot, or is it a plausible case?

 

[Crunch Punch]

Read an article in The Verge recently about the controversy which read that the issue runs not just from the actors but rather also from people behind the scenes - directors, producers, technical professional etc.

They have some crazy facts about the amount of non-white males who were nominated for any kind of Oscar, you should check it out https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/16/10775316/oscars-2016-whiteness-diversity-behind-the-scenes

 

[FireSnow]

I would say yes to it being surprising at how little diversity there is in this year's Oscar nominations but Will Smith is right about pumping the brakes on this. There's no reason, imo, to be getting this worked up about the Oscars. How i see it is, yes the the nominations could've been ore diversified, but at the same time, the nominations are meant to be about nominating those actors, actresses, directors, writers, etc... who they feel were the best of the best this year. If it happens to be that most, if not all, the nominations are white, so be it. Just means that their movies were better this year in the eyes of the nominating committee.

Will Smith is so right that this "us and them" mentality needs to disappear. The Oscars is a time to celebrate the excellence of movies this year and those in them not about boycotting and division.