No, It’s Not Racism; It’s Just Hollywood

The Rev. Jesse Jackson has once again proven that he is an opportunist in a (low) class by himself (“Jackson Protest Renews Debate on Race’s Role,” March 19).

Because it’s a politically lightweight issue, we can and should laugh off Jackson’s willful ignorance of how the film academy and Hollywood work. Here’s a hint: Hollywood is not fair to anybody. If 25 African American actors and filmmakers feel that their works have been ignored, there are 125 white actors and filmmakers who feel as if they were overlooked too. And all 150 will have a valid argument.

But there is a larger issue that we must take seriously. If the academy consciously nominates more African Americans because of public protest, there might be two terrible results: First, the awards will become another instrument of pop social engineering, a plum prize to whoever yells loudest or most often. Second, and worse, African Americans might then be held to a lower standard of artistic excellence. This would be intolerably insulting and far more racist than the deliberate exclusion that Jackson claims has occurred.

JOEL LEVIN

Studio City

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Since it is called the Rainbow Coalition I am sure that Jesse Jackson will protest that Latinos are not as visible as blacks on TV and commercials. And of course he will also point out how few Native Americans appeared in major films last year. I am also confident that he will bring up how many Asians have been nominated for the Oscar in the last 10 years. Rev. Jackson, look up the word “coalition.”

RAMON ANGELONI

Los Angeles