Real quick.
The whole thing about no African Americans being nominated for Oscars (way to go, Academy) and Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting them, and then the African American actor lady (forgot her name) who made a video response arguing against Jada. One of the first things she said was something along the lines of, "There are so many other problems in the world, and you're choosing to make a big deal about this?"
And that's what I disagree with.
Many people pull out that card, the "there are so many other things in the world that you should be worried about" but... that doesn't mean that the original issue at hand is nonexistent.
Let's put this in a different context. Let's say that Andy and Brian go to a bakery. Andy buys a chocolate chip cookie and then Brian gets awfully offended, saying, "There's literally so much in this bakery, there's pecan pie, there's brownies, there's banana bread, there's so much more, and you chose a cookie."
Like... so?
Just because other desserts exist in the bakery doesn't mean that there aren't chocolate chip cookies there to be bought and eaten and enjoyed.
Just because there are many, many problems in the world that deserve to receive an effort to fix them, it doesn't mean that problems in our comparatively privileged American society aren't valid problems. The under-representation of non-white people in film and on the stage is a very real issue. It affects more people than it does others, but it is happening and, unless people do things, it will remain.
Choose your fights. You can't fight for everything. You can and should only fight for the changes you most want to see.
