Picture courtesy of http://www.kansascity.com

By now, we have been overly saturated with the “Oscars so white” issue. I am not going to spend anymore time rehashing the who, how, why and wheres of this debate. I am just going to give my two cents.

In my opinion, the Academy Awards show needs a complete overhaul. I hate the fact that this debate has become a black versus white issue when it really involves all races. The Academy is notorious for its race and gender inequality. The seven biggest categories in the award show rarely display any type of diversity and it has been this way for decades. So while many are angered by this debate, I believe we need to boycott the Oscars for a lot more than black actors being snubbed for this coveted award.

Yet, where does the change really need to begin? It certainly does not start with the award shows since they come after the movie has already been released. I think it begins much, much sooner. Hollywood in general needs to modernize and start to promote diversity. Our movies should not have a token black, a token asian, a token homosexual, a token latino, etc. Writers need to envision diverse actors when they are developing their screenplays. In turn, those who conduct the auditions should look for the actor that truly embodies the character and not have a pre-defined image that excludes the majority of the population.

I could go on and on, but today, I would like to hear from my readers. You have supported me, my writing, and my opinions for the past four years. I would love to hear your views and opinions on this controversy. Leave your comments below or meet me on twitter (@maraprose) tonight from 7p to 8p CST, using hashtag #LetsTalkProse; and let us enjoy a respectful conversation/debate about what changes really need to take place.

Until next time, it will be interesting to see what changes the Academy actually makes to put out all these fires.

~ Mara Prose
P.S. If anyone from the Academy ever reads this, go ahead and give Leonardo an Oscar please, LOL! 😛