The film industry in America has been known for a lot of things – dominating the field of art worldwide, being one of the most prominent domestic markets in gross revenue…but the most recent Academy Awards have also branded another label for this prominent part of our culture: lacking any diversity. The 2016 Oscars nominees certainly produced an outrage with the absence of any actor of color for the second year in a row (the full list can be reached here). Prominent figures of today’s society, including George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, and President Barack Obama, have spoken out about this current issue by asking Hollywood if people of all races are truly “getting a fair shot”. There have been several movements against the popular movie awards, including the viral hashtag #OscarsSoWhite and boycotts from celebrities including Michael Moore, Will Smith, Spike Lee, and others.

According to The Economist, 10% of the Academy’s acting nominations have gone to black actors, who make up 13% of the total population of the United States; Hispanic actors secured 3% of the nominations, though 16% of Americans are Latino; Asian-Americas, who are 16% of the country’s population, made it to 1% of the Oscar nominations.

Not all blame can be put onto voters’ prejudice, of course – The Academy has limits in their choices, as minorities only make up 15% of the top roles in movies within this century. But perhaps this brings about the true roots behind this significant issue: it is not just the Academy that is cheating minorities – it’s the film industry itself. According to The Guardian, “currently, ethnic minorities make up around 40% of America’s population, yet they are outnumbered two to one among film leads, two to one among film directors and three to one among film writers.”

The excuse behind Hollywood’s decision-makers boils down to economic necessity; many claim that on-screen whiteness is a primary part of the revenue behind major films. When Ridley Scott, director of Exodus: Gods and Kings was criticized for casting white people for characters with key roles as people of a certain culture, replied, “I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such.”

It’s 2016, yet we’re actually having the same conversation regarding race and representation as an interview in 1983 between David Bowie and MTV:

“I’m just floored by the fact that there are so few black artists featured on [MTV],” Bowie said. “Why is that?”

That’s a really good question. Why are we still stuck in the same position, 33 years later?