Does Racial Diversity at the Oscars Really Matter?

Nor is it to say that the entertainment industry couldn't afford some introspection, and that it shouldn't take steps to get with the times. The academy recently announced that it was making changes, including instituting new rules aimed at doubling the number of women and minorities in its ranks by 2020. As a result, some members who have been inactive in the film industry for 10 years could lose their voting privileges.

That sounds like common sense, and it is long overdue.

And speaking of introspection, you may have noticed that this is not a strong suit for journalists. My tribe prefers to look outward, not inward.

One exception is Jose Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant who recently chided his colleagues for being so quick to criticize the Oscars for not honoring minorities when our own profession could use a splash of color. Vargas tweeted: "American newsrooms are less diverse now than when I started in journalism in 1999. A disgrace. And irresponsible. '#JournalismSoWhite.'"

Lastly, the whole "#OscarsSoWhite" ruckus perpetuates a culture of powerlessness. Here you have all these activists in the world of entertainment who are essentially begging for acknowledgment and validation from an industry that refuses to give it. There is no mystery as to who has the upper hand in that relationship. Folks, have some self-respect.

The silver lining in all this is that it's fun to see Hollywood liberals squirm as they confront the idea that -- when it comes to racial diversity in their own industry -- they aren't nearly as liberal as they pretend to be. Just because they may think corporations ought to practice affirmative action to bring more minorities into the executive suites doesn't mean they're ready for the concept of using racial quotas to dole out Oscar nominations.

That's not the answer. But then what is?

Even the academy's recent efforts to attract more people of color are based on the assumption that Latinos are more likely to vote for Latinos and African-Americans are more likely to vote for African-Americans. And yet, for some reason, we don't find that concept as odious as what brought us here in the first place -- the assumption that, in the current voting process, whites are only voting for whites.

It's enough to make you change the channel, and skip the whole spectacle.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.