Racism 2.0

A hot topic right now in the media is the Oscar Boycott led by Actor Will Smith and his wife, Jada, who have decided not to attend the award ceremony, February 28, due to the lack of African Americans on the nominations list the past two years. This stance has received support and criticism from others among the film community.

Will Smith said in an exclusive interview on Good Morning America, “Diversity is the American superpower. That is why we are great. So many people different places adding their ideas, their inspiration and their influences to this beautiful American gumbo. At its best, Hollywood represents and creates the imagery for that beauty. But for my part, I think I have to protect and fight for the ideals that make our country and make Hollywood community great. When I look at the series of nominations, the academy is not reflect its beauty.”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFJhNUwGysQ)

I’ve looked back on the nominations lists since 2006 and I counted 9 nominations for African Americans in both the actor and actress in a leading role category. This is not the first time this has occurred where no African Americans have been nominated in back to back years (2008 and 2009).

I see Will Smith’s call to action of racism in the film industry, but I don’t believe this is racist. 

Actor Michael Caine said, “You can’t just vote for an actor cause he’s black. He’s not very good, but he’s black then I’ll vote for him. No, you’ve got to give a good performance… Be patient. It will come. It took me years to get an Oscar.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIdhnd51yM8)

Let’s not even talk about Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar drought….

I agree with Caine and that actors and actresses must earn their nomination, it's not given to them because of their race. Is there a rule that states at least one African American has to be nominated each year? All an actor or actress can do is give the best performance they can and the rest is in the hands of the academy; Race should not be a factor.

I think the real question to ask is are there enough Oscar-worthy roles for African Americans and even minorities each year that reflect the standards of the Academy Awards?” George Clooney commented, “Honestly, there should be more opportunity than that…By the way, we’re talking about African Americans. For Hispanics, it’s even worse. We need to get better at this. We used to be better at it.” (http://variety.com/2016/film/news/george-clooney-white-oscars-1201682504/) 

The Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced that the academy is pledging to double the number of female and minority members by 2020, and will immediately diversify its leadership by adding three new seats to its board of governors. (http://nypost.com/2016/01/22/oscars-adopts-diversity-reforms-after-race-controversy/) I think this is a step in the right direction to create a more diverse perspective in the academy, but the belief that it will change which races are nominated, is questionable.

My Opinion

We’ve come a long way since slavery. I agree with Smith when he said diversity is America’s superpower. Unfortunately, racism is here to stay, especially if people keep using their race as leverage or a tool to segregate America. As a citizen, all I ask for is equality or a fair chance as an individual, not because I'm Asian. You can't demand more than the average person or expect to be treated any greater because of your race, religion, or sexual orientation. 

I think stereotypes play a role in our perception of certain races that believe they don’t even have equal rights and I acknowledge that there are biases. (Know that stereotypes are generalization affiliated with certain groups of people whereas racism is the belief that a race is inferior to another. www.quora.com)  

 I try to condition myself to see people as equals. My personal stance on racism is similar to religion and gay marriage. I will respect your beliefs as a Catholic, your decision to marry someone of the same gender and the color of your skin, but by having the same rights, you can't expect the special treatment.

Dixie State Softball Facebook Page

This semester, I will take over the Facebook page for Dixie State Softball. I’m really looking forward to do this! By posting frequently, I hope to keep our followers of all ages informed of what the team is doing, when and where we will be playing, and the results of our games, but ultimately I want people to get a glimpse of what it is like to be collegiate student-athlete. I think it will be great way to promote Dixie State as well as be a reference tool for young athletes interested in playing softball in college. I want to provide a behind-the-scene look with videos, pictures, and testimonials to let people know what Dixie State softball is all about!

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https://www.facebook.com/DixieStateSoftball/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel  

Mission Statement: 

This DSU Softball page is where family, friends, and fans get the latest updates about our program. We are devoted to keep our followers updated with the team's scores and accomplishments as well as an inside look at the fun and excitement happening on and off the field. This a great way to stay connect with the Red Storm!

Three market personas include:

Riley Gonzalez, 16. Riley is interested in playing college softball and is trying to earn her education through an athletic scholarship. Her coaches have encourages their players to look into colleges that share their athletic and educational interests such as major, location, or graduation rate. Riley can come across the DSU softball page and get educated on the program and venture over to the Dixie homepage where she can look more into the school.

Byron Yung, 56. Simply put, this is my dad. My dad has and still is very invested into my softball career. Although he can just go to the athletics website for final scores and stats, with the Facebook page, he can "keep a close eye on" what the team is doing in preparation for games such as traveling days, practices, or even community service projects we participant in. The athletics page only scratches the surface of our season where as our Facebook page give him a look at what we do on and off the field. 

Jim Bo, 70. Jim is retired and resides in St. George with his wife, who are enormous supporters of Dixie athletic teams. Jim isn't as technology savvy, but is quite active on Facebook. By liking the softball page, Jim will get the latest updates on when our games are so that he and his wife can attend, and the results of the games for when we are away. The Facebook page is handy for Jim because he doesn't have to keep switching from website to website, it's just click away on the same app. Also, Jim can become a booster to help support our team's endeavors.

In addition to Facebook, I hope (it's not definite yet) that I can also do the softball Instagram account. Sometimes, visuals are more appealing to followers than just words. In addition, I want to make player profiles, time lapses and have testimonials on the Facebook page which I can promote on Instagram because I believe Instagram only allows for 15 seconds of video per post. I want to get the Dixie State name out there, so friend and page requests are crucial. I am on a mission to get people to click the "like" button or double tap on a link just once, because I think that's all it takes to get Dixie State Softball onto your News Feed and then it's my job to keep you interested.

#SOTU

I followed the SOTU hashtag on Instagram and it was interesting to follow specific items Obama touched on that gain positive or negative feedback. Some pictures were Obama quotes about working together to create necessary change, his reference to “We the People”, curing cancer and available education. Surprisingly, many pictures on my feed were about audience members, in particular Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, Kim Davis, and Speaker Ryan. Lots of memes about certain facial expressions they made or what they were wearing. Some people screenshot Donald Trump’s tweet about Obama’s speech. Overall, I would say people would post to praise than hate on Obama’s speech and others were posting just to make fun of the situation in general like my friends who posted on snapchat about audience members (below). 

I’m not a follower of politics, but I’ve become more interested since I’ve been in college. Therefore, the content of Obama’s speech didn’t have any influence or sway me in any political way, but I do have a lot of respect for him. I appreciate his optimistic perspective of our nation’s future despite all the negativity going on in the world. Although it is his last year in office, Obama is still driven to create change and plans to improve America despite this “stalemate” in our government and election season.