The pessimistic message of #OscarsSoWhite campaign

Editor’s Note: John McWhorter teaches linguistics, American studies, philosophy and music history at Columbia University and is the author of “The Language Hoax: Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

The #OscarSoWhite controversy is, in itself, necessary. It is sadly unremarkable that a body of mostly older and white people in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, by failing to nominate people of color in the top acting categories, showed that it does not see black performances with the same eyes as a more diverse group would. This is something that must be fixed.

John McWhorter

However, especially during this Black History Month, we might also put this into perspective. Just think: We are protesting that black people don’t get enough Oscar nominations! Just 30 years ago that would have sounded like science fiction.

Before the 1980s, one could catch pretty much every black film, and any major black performance in a white one. That stopped being possible in the early ’90s. Today, only an obsessive could catch the entirety of black film performance on screens (to say nothing of direction and writing).

That is neither historical trivia nor the proverbial one step forward, two steps back. When it comes to Hollywood, it’s as if black people started with barely any clothes, but today have gotten to the point of being decked out in lush finery, and now just wish people would pay more attention. It’s a legitimate wish. But on this, it’s not just that we have “gone a long way but have a long way to go.”

Sometimes you have to admit you’re almost there.

Oscar’s blind spot

To be sure, the Oscar voters have had a blind spot. If “Straight Outta Compton” were about white street toughs and introduced a slate of vibrant young white actors on the order of, say, “Breaking Bad’s” Aaron Paul, it’s reasonable to imagine at least a couple of them nominated for, and perhaps winning, Oscars.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Sky Arts

Actor Joseph Fiennes was cast to play late superstar Michael Jackson in a British made-for-TV movie about a road trip Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando took after the September 11 attacks. Some Jackson fans have been dismayed that a white actor would be cast to play the African-American singer.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Fame Pictures

Zoe Saldana's casting as music legend Nina Simone is a stunning choice, and not just because the actress hasn't shown any proclivity toward jazz (or singing, for that matter). Physically, Saldana bears no resemblance to the icon, and none of the options present have been appealing to moviegoers: Either Saldana maintains her natural appearance and offers an inaccurate portrayal, or the actress would be made to appear darker. Judging from production photos, the creative team behind "Nina" went with the latter.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

warner bros

Sometimes, casting directors can't win for losing when selecting actors for an anticipated film. It's too soon to see how the choice of Ben Affleck as Batman will play out, but you couldn't tell the Internet that. When the news arrived, nearly everyone was convinced that his portrayal would be so awful, it'd make history.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

focus features

With "Fifty Shades of Grey," fans were outraged over Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam (who dropped out and was replaced by Jamie Dornan) being named as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey in the adaptation of E.L. James' racy best-seller.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Lionsgate Films

Jennifer Lawrence took criticism of her casting as rugged, resourceful "Hunger Games" heroine Katniss Everdeen in stride. "I'm a massive fan too, so I get it," the actress said in response to fans who thought she had the wrong look for the dystopian character. Some complained that Lawrence is "too big" and had the wrong hair color to properly fill the role, but that whining was quickly snuffed out by the positive reaction from fans, critics and the box office.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Paramount Pictures

The war to cast Marlon Brando -- or anyone in "The Godfather's" Corleone family -- was tougher than what was depicted in the film, insiders told Vanity Fair in 2009. Paramount wanted "anyone but Brando" and dropped hints for stars like Laurence Olivier, Ernest Borgnine and Anthony Quinn. But director Francis Ford Coppola knew that Brando was the right man for the part, and after a screen test, executives did, too.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Hulton Archive/Getty Images/File

Brit actors playing iconic Americans is commonplace these days, but in the late '30s, producers feared backlash if they cast then-unknown English actress Vivien Leigh in the role of Scarlett O'Hara. To bring Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" character to life, Leigh would have to adapt a Southern accent and demeanor, and there was also the matter of her scandalous relationship with Laurence Olivier. But instinct paid off: Leigh wound up with an Oscar for her work.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Walt Disney Pictures

Johnny Depp promised to "reinvent" Tonto's relationship with "The Lone Ranger" in 2013's summer flop of the same name, but audiences were wary. Casting Depp to begin with was sketchy, considering that the actor is not a Native American (although he does claim some Native ancestry). That fact coupled with "Lone Ranger's" characterization of Tonto, which critics called heavily reliant on stereotypes, made Depp's promise a nonstarter.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Twentieth Century Fox

Hollywood's portrayal of Egyptian queen Cleopatra has been hotly debated, as some feel that casting a non-woman of color -- most famously done in 1963 with Elizabeth Taylor -- is a classic example of Hollywood whitewashing. When Angelina Jolie was mentioned as a successor to Taylor's iconic performance, many vehemently disagreed, saying that it was time to cast a woman of color.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Warner Bros

Batman fans are a touchy bunch. When Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," the typical reaction was, "you've got to be kidding." Of course, Ledger turned in such an outstanding performance, he won an Oscar for the role.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

summit entertainment

"Twilight" fans initially hated the very man they'd grow to love. When little-known Brit actor Robert Pattinson was cast as Edward Cullen in the adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's runaway bestseller, fans felt "unanimous unhappiness" over the man picked to fill the gorgeous, sparkling shoes of their favorite vampire. Of course, after five movies in, R-Patz couldn't shake his "Twilight" fame.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Warner Brothers/Getty Images

Given that Audrey Hepburn couldn't sing, her casting in 1964's "My Fair Lady" was a head-scratcher -- particularly when they could've gone with Julie Andrews, who a) could sing and b) had played the role before. The drama came to a head at the 1965 Oscars, when the Academy gave Hepburn the cold shoulder and handed Andrews the Best Actress Oscar for "Mary Poppins."

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

When Anne Hathaway was revealed as the new Selina Kyle in "Dark Night Rises," some moviegoers threatened to boycott as they filled comments sections with alternatives. But Hathaway was a lithe, cunning and sensuous Catwoman, all qualities her critics were positive the actress would never pull off.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

SCOTT DEL AMO/AFP/Getty Images/File

When Jennifer Lopez was picked to play Mexican-American singer Selena in a biopic about the singer's sadly shortened life, critics shook their heads and a few even protested. How could Lopez, a Puerto Rican-American who had yet to show any vocal range, take on the legacy of immensely talented Tejano songbird? With lip-syncing and commitment. "Selena" wound up being one of Lopez's standout performances.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

United Archives/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Before the world came to hate Ben Affleck as Batman, they bestowed their angst on Michael Keaton. When Tim Burton cast the actor known for his comedy in 1989's "Batman," reactions ranged from "disappointed to disturbed." In retrospect, though, the 1989 film is a classic (not solely because of Keaton but not in spite of him, either).

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Greg Williams/Eon Productions/Getty Images

Daniel Craig brilliantly embodied James Bond in 2012's blockbuster "Skyfall," but when he was first cast as 007 for 2006's "Casino Royale," even director Sam Mendes thought he was the wrong guy for the job. Mendes then had to eat his words as he watched Craig "go through that intense pressure and come through that with flying colors."

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Disney

Jake Gyllenhaal's career has had its high points, but 2010's "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" was not one of them. Criticism of the film aside, the casting of Gyllenhaal in the title role was awfully suspicious. The Atlantic succinctly summed up what everyone was thinking at the time with the headline "Why is a White actor Playing (the) 'Prince of Persia' title role?"

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Warner Brothers/Getty Images

No one hated Tom Cruise's casting as Lestat in 1994's "Interview With the Vampire" more than the character's creator, Anne Rice. The author publicly criticized the choice and said her readers were just as upset. "The very sad thing about Tom Cruise is, he does not have that kind of distinct voice. How is he possibly going to say those lines? How is he gonna exert the power of Lestat?" she said to Movieline. "I don't know how it's gonna work." Somehow, Cruise's voice did the trick, and Rice changed her tune.

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Paramount Pictures

Although it may be hard to make authenticity demands on fictional characters, "Thor" fans didn't hold back with their frustration over Idris Elba's casting in the 2011 film. When Kenneth Branagh tapped his fellow Brit to play Heimdall, some fans complained that a black man couldn't play a Norse god. Elba's response? "We have a man who has a flying hammer and wears horns on his head. And yet me being an actor of African descent playing a Norse god is unbelievable? I mean, Cleopatra was played by Elizabeth Taylor, and Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley."

Photos: 20 controversial casting choices

Paramount Pictures

M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender" was a disappointment, from the casting on down. Although the cartoon that inspired the film was clearly populated with characters of Asian descent, the cast was oddly -- and noticeably -- white. Said one 16-year-old fan, "(The) target age already loves the show, and they could take the 'risk' of casting ethnically appropriate actors to the characters. ... Instead, they have alienated the fans in a way that is not only racially inaccurate and offensive but untrue to the characters or archetypes."

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That it isn’t the case recalls a similar blindness only 20 years ago, when Jim Carrey was chattered about as a major thespian for his transformations into assorted crazy characters, while Eddie Murphy, pulling off a half dozen subtly portrayed and utterly distinct people in the Nutty Professor movies, was considered just passingly amusing.

Even so, the #OscarsSoWhite controversy is being conducted with the same fury, sarcasm and doom-saying of yesteryear’s complaints that black people had a hard time getting cast in decent movies at all. It’s as if it’s always the same old, same old and all that changes is surfaces. This is typical of a dominant strain in smart writing on black film – an almost recreational pessimism, as if the goal itself is to be indignant regardless of reality.

I’m exaggerating? The recent past suggests not. A black film executive in 2005 says “I don’t think much has changed for black films. …They still think that we’re monolithic, and mostly the films are limited to urban themes and comedy.” Cue the applause, right? But that year, “Hitch,” “Guess Who?” “Coach Carter,” “Are We There Yet?” and “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” were playing in theaters all at the same time.

The first four were about middle-class people; “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” in classic Tyler Perry style, split the difference between ‘hood and buppie. Monolithic? Jamie Foxx had won an Oscar for “Ray” a few months before, and this was not a fluke, as Morgan Freeman had won one, too, for “Million Dollar Baby.” Neither film was “urban” or comedic. The year before, Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo had been nominated for Oscars for “Hotel Rwanda,” again, hardly a funny ghetto picture.

The Tyler Perry factor

Meanwhile, a more reasonable complaint was that there weren’t black producers who could greenlight a film. Soon, though, Tyler Perry was doing just that, with massive success. But no, the new idea: This didn’t count because Perry’s films aren’t exactly deep.

Yet if Perry opted to concentrate on subtle, challenging films like “Beloved” and “Amistad,” which were directed by white men, as it happened, and embraced by few Americans of any color, then Perry would long ago have gone under and – bitterly – been lamented as an example of how racism continually does in black people’s attempts at creativity.

What to do about #OscarsSoWhite

Instead, Perry has gone on greenlighting left and right, getting rich, and providing a new generation of black people with a shelf of treasured DVDs of his films, which amid the hijinks showcase serious black acting by top-drawer performers. Just whom does it benefit to dismiss this success story with acrid “critique”?

This is the kind of damned-if-they-do-damned-if-they-don’t Cassandraism that we should beware of cultivating as we revisit the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. We don’t have to imagine how this insistent gloom could mislead us on the Oscars specifically, because a widely read article is already showing the way.

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

IMDb

The cast of the first "Star Wars" movie in 1977 was all white and predominantly male. Since then, the sci-fi franchise has slowly moved towards greater diversity in its roles.

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Lucasfilm

Billy Dee Williams was the first -- and for a while, the only -- African-American actor to hold a prominent role in the series, appearing in "The Empire Strikes Back" and then "Return of the Jedi."

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

One of the most divisive characters in the "Star Wars" series was Jar Jar Binks, the computer-generated amphibian voiced by actor Ahmed Best in 1999's "Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." Jar Jar was widely booed for what some felt was a stereotypical accent and appearance that the Wall Street Journal likened to a "Rastafarian Stepin Fetchit." Best rejected the criticism, calling it "really stupid."

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Lucasfilm

Hugh Quarshie played Captain Panaka, the bodyguard for Natalie Portman's Queen Amidala character in "The Phantom Menace."

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Lucasfilm

Latino actor Jimmy Smits played Senator Bail Organa in "Episode II: Attack of the Clones."

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Lucasfilm

Samuel L. Jackson played Jedi Master Mace Windu in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith."

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Lucasfilm

Temuera Morrison, who is of partial Maori descent, played Bounty Hunter Boba Fett in "Attack of the Clones" and Commander Cody in "Revenge of the Sith."

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ/AFP/Getty Images

Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o will co-star in the next "Star Wars" movie, "Episode VII: The Force Awakens," to be directed by J.J. Abrams. It's scheduled to hit theaters in December.

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Walt Disney Pictures

Actor John Boyega also will appear in the next Star Wars film. He popped up, literally, in the first trailer for the film, generating complaints from some fans about "black stormtroopers." He told them to "get over it."

Photos: The growing diversity of 'Star Wars'

Random House

The upcoming Star Wars novel, "Lords of the Sith," will feature the first gay character in the official Star Wars canon, the lesbian Imperial official Moff Mors.

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Namely, had you considered that the best actor Oscar nominations black people do get are still, themselves, racist? Brandon K. Thorp’s contribution to the #OscarsSoWhite debate is that the Academy prefers to nominate depictions of black people in trouble, pain and poverty.

It’s hasty to assume, however, that this is about keeping black people “in their place.” The guiding principle here is atonement. It is part of being an educated white American these days to sustainedly disavow racism, and part of this effort treats depictions of racism as “coming to terms” with the past.

Yes, this results in a degree of bending over backward and even condescension.

Why the real problem isn't #OscarsSoWhite

But imagine if the Academy started ignoring black depictions of poverty and became more interested in celebrating depictions of black success. Immediately the charge would be that whites were trying, as always, to deny the reality of racism and hold off the “conversation” about race we are always supposed to be having.

We don’t have to wonder about how it would play out: “The Help” was roundly condemned for exactly this, despite depicting the suffering of black maids in the deep South of the 1960s. Apparently, black women enduring entrenched bigotry and even physical abuse was offensive because the film was too “glossy;” it focused as much on the whites as the black people, and Viola Davis’ character (an Oscar nomination) loved the white child she took care of every day for years.

#OscarsSoWhite in 2016 is not what you think

Need we wonder how the same critics would feel if Hollywood stopped addressing black pain at all? Or even much less?

So: Yes, the Academy needs to diversify, and thankfully there are signs this will be happening. And yes, there need to be lots more nonwhites behind the cameras. However, in 2016, #OscarsSoWhite cannot be taken as an indication that the news for black film actors is lousy as always. A 1950 segregationist brought to our times would be revolted at how utterly unavoidable black actors now are all over the silver screen in roles big, medium and small. That matters.

Wariness is important, but taken too far, it implies that success – faced squarely and fully celebrated – is racially inauthentic, that the very soul of blackness is frustration and failure, and that without it we don’t quite know who we are or why we are here.

I reject that, and so should all of us, as well as the rest of America.

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