Julia Chowdhury

The Woke Mind Virus in Academia

A decade ago, Hollywood decided it would no longer honor films based purely on merit but also on the diversity of the cast and production team. In 2020, they formally tied Best Picture to diversity. The Academy expanded its membership by roughly 40% in a decade through an explicit push to diversify its ranks. The Oscars will proudly tell you that last year’s invitees were: >41% women >45% people of color >55% from overseas For 88 years, the Academy selected members and honored achievement based on merit. For the last 10 years, invitees went from 112 per year to over 900 to meet diversity targets. This devalues and dishonors great American films and creates perverse incentives that lead studios to inflate diversity numbers in hopes of recognition by their woke peers. Meritocracy must be restored to film.