Diversity is an interesting concept. We all know we want it, and no one would ever publicly come out against diversity. Yet, its absence is felt day in and day out, primarily because of self-made structures.
Sunday evening’s 68th Emmy Awards were a fleeting moment of acknowledgment of a job well done in terms of equally depicting today’s America. However, this applause needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Television is perhaps one of the only entertainment industries that openly embraces diversity in many forms, a fact Emmys host Jimmy Kimmel would not let us forget.
One of the highlight of the evening was Aziz Ansari’s acceptance speech for his hit show “Master of None,” who gave credit to his parents. “Master of None” co-writer Alan Yang encapsulated the struggle of nonwhite actors in the entertainment industry.
“There’s 17 million Asian Americans in this country and there’s 17 million Italian Americans. They have ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Goodfellas,’ ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Sopranos,’” Yang said. “We got Long Duk Dong. So we got a long way to go, but I know we can get there. I believe in us. It’s just going to take a lot of hard work.”
Their selfless stance to their accolades lends legitimacy to diversity being something that needs to just be accepted. “Master of None” joins the ranks of other race-centered shows making waves in Hollywood like “The People v. O.J. Simpson” and “Black-ish.” The shows remind us that old Hollywood and old money is shifting to new content, new faces and a more accurately portrayed America.
Host Jimmy Kimmel’s behavior in relation to race was quite peculiar. On one hand, his commentary proved the fact that television is quite diverse in comparison to other entertainment sectors, particularly the film industry.
Talking about diversity is a good start, but what does it say about the institution of the Emmy Awards when viewers feel as though the host has boasted about diversity, but turned it into a joke? Interpreting diversity as a joke is tacky and unacceptable, even if the joke at hand is funny at the moment. Diversity is not a quota that needs to be filled or flaunted.
Diversity is something that should be celebrated, but in a genuine and natural manner. A disparity still exists across vast swaths of the entertainment industry, proving that jokes are not yet warranted. A quick glance at the shows in any of the major TV networks will prove this. A successful television show is the combined effort of cameramen, producers, directors, extras, writers and many more, and until all areas of the team are diverse, then jokes about diversity will remain tacky.
Another point of contention comes when examining the Tony Awards. Though they drew a smaller crowd, the Tony Awards were incredibly diverse this year, reflecting the historically diverse New York theater scene. Despite the many groups represented, the Emmy Awards garnered far more attention for something that should already inherently exist within the institution.
Both groups are collections of talented people that should be equally represented in every way. The most interesting thing to look for in the future is the precedent both awards shows set for others, like the traditionally white Academy Awards.
