In 2023, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced a new set of criteria for Best Picture nominees at the Oscars, stipulating that to be eligible for this most prestigious of awards, films must meet two out of four diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements. On the surface, this might seem like the inevitable next step in a cultural landscape in which social justice considerations are increasingly central. Hollywood, long the preeminent purveyor of both cultural and political trends, has decided that diversity should not only be an aspiration but a quantifiable and mandatory metric. Yet, this shift in values seems as much activist as it is “distractivist”—an exercise of superficial virtue that obscures a far more pressing issue at hand. Hollywood’s real problem is not one of diversity or inclusivity—it is a deeper, more foundational issue with the moral rot that suffuses its films, particularly the glorification of violence and sexual explicitness, and overall dysfunction.
Imagine, for a moment, a world in which the eligibility for awards is not dictated by the vapid and increasingly nebulous requirements of DEI, but instead by a far more basic and far-reaching standard: films should not contain gratuitous violence or sexually explicit material. Such a proposition might seem radical, but it reflects a need for real, substantive change in a culture that has, for decades, bombarded its audience with an endless parade of destruction, debauchery, and depravity. And yet, despite the prevalence of these harmful themes, the very same industry that has peddled them for years continues to call itself a moral beacon, a guidepost for society. The result is a dangerous disconnect between what is depicted on the screen and the values that the industry purports to espouse.
Consider the frequency with which violence is not just depicted in Hollywood films but celebrated. From the blood-soaked action flicks that litter the multiplex to the gritty, ‘realistic’ depictions of criminality, torture, and war, Hollywood has turned human suffering into entertainment. One need not be a bleeding-heart pacifist to see that this is a morally questionable practice. We live in a culture that is increasingly desensitized and thereby inclined to violence, as the line between fantasy and reality grows ever more blurred. It is no longer enough for a film to simply tell a story, or perhaps this is asking too much, so it takes the cheap shortcut, providing the audience with a spectacle of destruction.
This obsession with violence in film speaks to a broader cultural problem: the normalization of aggression and brutality. In a world where violence in video games, television, and cinema is ubiquitous, we ought not to be surprised when this cultural saturation spills over into real-life actions. The problem, however, is not simply that violence is depicted—it is that it is so often glorified. Look no further than the endless franchises in which the heroes are not virtuous, well-meaning individuals, but rather, vigilantes and antiheroes who fight fire with fire. These films hold up destructive tendencies as not only acceptable but laudable. Is it any wonder, then, that we live in a society where the line between good and evil is increasingly difficult to discern?
Moreover, it is not just violence that Hollywood revels in, but also sexual explicitness. The prevalence of sexually explicit content in mainstream films, particularly in the realm of so-called “romantic” comedies and dramas, distorts the natural human experience of intimacy into something transactional and exploitative. What should be an exploration of complex emotional and physical relationships has become little more than a commodified display of nudity and promiscuity. Rather than celebrating love, connection, and mutual respect, Hollywood tends to treat sex as little more than a spectacle, void of any meaningful emotional engagement.
And this from the group that prides itself on promoting #MeToo movement… after causing it.
We group here both violence and sexually explicit content because really, they are much the same evil, as both dehumanize, reducing others to mere targets. And at their heart lies the unfortunate reality that the line between art and exploitation has long since been crossed. Where once cinema was an avenue for artistic exploration, social critique, and moral reflection, it has degenerated into a platform for mindless entertainment that seeks only to titillate and shock, all while reinforcing the very behavior it purports to critique. The result is a culture in which the most outrageous, the most extreme, and the most controversial actions are held up as the pinnacle of artistic achievement.
There are two contradictions at work here, and both are glaring. First, Hollywood continues to insist that it is a bastion of progressive values — fostering diversity, inclusivity, and social justice. But it promotes a worldview in which violence and sexual excess are not only normalized but celebrated. To counter this complaint — and here’s the second hypocrisy — the Hollywood crowd are wont to argue that their product has no real impact on how society behaves. Violence in movies isn’t responsible for violence in society, goes the familiar refrain. But if that were true, if these movies have no impact on culture, then why the insistence on promoting diversity, or a progressive agenda?
The new Oscar rules may aim to address some of Hollywood’s more superficial shortcomings, but they do nothing to confront the deeper moral question at the heart of the industry. In fact, one cannot help but wonder if this is deliberate: focus on one minor thing in order to distract from the greater problem. But how long can we continue to reward films that, rather than elevating the human spirit, degrade it by celebrating its basest instincts? Indefinitely?
What Hollywood needs, more than anything else, is a return to a moral standard that prizes the value of human life and the dignity of the individual. It is not enough to promote diversity if that diversity is being used to serve a worldview that glorifies the very behaviors that contribute to societal decay. If Hollywood truly wants to champion progressive values, it must first confront the damaging messages it sends through its films. It must begin by asking itself not whether a film can check all the boxes for diversity, whatever else is fashionable in progressive circles at the moment, but whether it can tell a story that adds something meaningful to the human experience, rather than simply pandering to our basest instincts.
