Assailing the White House From Hollywood’s Glass House

Given the cultural and political rifts that have followed President Trump’s election, and the aggressive way in which President Trump has pursued his agenda, it was natural that some would want to use their international Oscar platforms to make big statements about free speech, diversity and cherished American values. But they were treading on tricky terrain.

First, there was the question of whom they were actually winning over with political oratory delivered amid a bacchanalia of self-celebration and haute couture, some of it costing as much as the average American’s home down payment. And for all the talk of inclusion in the political speechifying leading up to, and during, the Oscars, how inclusive is Hollywood itself? The answer is that despite the big honors that black actors and black-themed films took home, the industry still has a long way to go to improve diversity throughout its ranks. Hollywood’s judgment would go a lot further if it directed some of that political energy back at itself.