Monday, January 19, 2015
Dr. Martin Luther King and the Oscars
Today is the official Martin Luther King federal holiday in America. It was celebrated yesterday by a march in Selma, Alabama, by members of the "Selma" film cast, led by Oprah Winfrey. Selma was the site of Dr. King's most famous civil rights march. The film has been the focus of a discussion by Black artists and all-race media analysts about the "racism" inherent in the Hollywood Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - the professional organization that chooses the nominees and winners of the Oscars. The complaint seems to be that no Black actors were nominated for any of the Best and Best Supporting roles this year because -- and here, the arguments range from the "non- representative" makeup of the Academy's membership - white males whose average age is 62, according to the dissatisfied - to the idea that Blacks are only nominated and win once every ten years as tokens. Here are the facts. *Black winners of Best Actor in a Leading Role - 20 nominated, starting in 1954, and 4 won, the first winner in 1958. *Black Best Actress in a Leading Role - 10 nominated, starting in 1969, and 1 won, in 1982. *Black Best Actor in a Supporting Role - 17 nominated, starting in 1962, and 4 won, the first winner in 1969. *Black Best Actress in a Supporting Role - 19 nominated, starting in 1939, and 6 won, the first, Hattie McDaniel, in 1939. So, there have been Black nominees and winners, dating back to Gone with the Wind in 1939. ~~~~~ But, dear readers, for me, the entire polemic is out of place, and frankly, ridiculous. The Academy is not an equal rights commission. It is not the US Department of Justice. The Academy does not have an oversight and enforcement function to be sure that governmental agencies, businesses, universities and voting districts don't discriminate. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an association of film actors and actresses and all the technical experts and writers and designers who make the movies we love. The Oscar nominees and winners are the result of the members' best effort to find and reward what they, as artists themselves, consider to be the best artistic performances each year. If equality is the goal - consider also Hispanics and Asians and Native American artists, who have almost no nominations or wins. And, my advice in that case would be to give the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to the federal government -- appoint an Equal Opportunity for Actors and Actresses (EOAA) czar -- and forget about watching the Oscars because the winners will be, like everything else the federal government touches, a mediocre but multi-racial mix of those who survived the gauntlet of well-meaning but incompetent bureaucrats. In fact, forget about going to the movies, because they will be the dull as dishwater products of the EOAA czar - whose knowledge of film-making is limited to the smartphone 5-second videos he takes of his kids playing touch football every weekend. Really. If there is no more pressing race relations problem in America, Dr. King can truly Rest in Peace.
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An excellent critique of the simple mindless of those who think that artistic expression can be judged a a list that would include "cold of nominee skin,"
ReplyDeleteBlack Americans only seem to be able to portray blacks -so on this account they reduce their potential roles, thereby reducing their nomination opportunities. They are playing in the Big Leagues but on a very small field
I don't know whether to laugh or applaud...this is terrific!
ReplyDeleteThere is a certain level of “non-responsibility” attached to the irresponsibility of the Liberal Compassion crowd in their dealing to up-lift the minorities and illegal immigrants to a place that neither of the two groups are prepared to be.
ReplyDeleteSo rather than prepare them for advancement these Liberal Compassion practitioners, these do-gooders simply pass out more entitlements freebies and thereby creating a false impression of the way life is in a competitive world.
Soon this creation of the Liberal Compassion crowd feels entitled to perks they cannot achieve on their own playing on the same filed as the rest of us.
Two twin brothers graduate from Harvard medical School. The one brother Thomas graduates first in the class and is so proud to be called ‘Doctor’. Meanwhile the other brother Timothy graduates, but is last in the class. What do people call old Timothy? Simple Doctor. They are both Doctors but with far differing abilities and qualifications.
ReplyDeleteIt’s the same in every profession. Everyone may be good … but some are much better and deserves the recognition of awards.
Much like acting, anyone can play King Lear – but only Richard Burton could do it the best.
Instead of jumping directly to the race card - maybe the Black activists need to examine the "quality" of the films this year that had potential nominee Black actors/actress for an Academy Award? And when examining the films be honest and not racists (yes Blacks can be and often are such) in you opinion.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a few Black actors/actress given various awards (not just Academy Awards) that didn't deserve them on a professional level, but received them on a sympathy.