By Alan Caruba
I do not care who was nominated for
the 2015 Oscars and I care even less about what the Rev. Al Sharpton has to say
about the fact that this year no blacks were nominated in any
category.
The Oscars are about films,
not race, but you wouldn’t know that from all the nonsense about the “all white”
nominees this year. Back in 1998 the same thing occurred and maybe it had
something to do with the films that year?
Sharpton has shown a talent for
getting involved in various events over the years claiming racial connotations;
beginning with the lies he told about Tawana Brawley in the 1980s, alleging she
was a victim of rape that led to a defamation suit he lost in 1998. Flash
forward and you have a man whom The
New York Times reports has “more than $4.5 million in current state and
federal tax liens against him and his for-profit
businesses.”
This is the same man who has been
rubbing elbows lately with the President of the United States (!) and hailed as
a civil rights icon at a recent fund-raising event by New York Mayor Bill de
Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Obama hailed him for his “dedication to the
righteous cause of perfecting our union”, whatever that means. As The Times
reported, “Major corporations sponsored the lavish affair.”
There is the reek of corruption
surrounding Rev. Sharpton that speaks poorly of the high ranked politicians who
lend him credibility and the corporations that help underwrite his blatant
exploitation of racial events such as those in Ferguson, Missouri. It does not
speak well of MSNBC that has provided him with a television show as a platform
devoted to stirring up resentment among blacks.
“The lack of diversity in today’s
Oscar nominations is appalling,” Rev. Sharpton said “and while it is good that
Selma was nominated for ‘Best Picture’, it’s ironic that they nominated a story
about the racial shutout around voting while there is a racial shutout around
the Oscar nominations.”
The Oscars are not about “diversity.”
They are the result of the voting by some 6,000 members of the Motion Picture
Academy. The Hollywood Reporter noted that 94% are white, 77% are male, and 86%
are age 50 or older. The Academy, however, has demonstrated its support for
black films and performers dating back to 1939 when Hattie McDaniel won a
Supporting Actress Award for her role in ‘Gone with the Wind.’
The list of black actors and actresses
who have either been nominated or won Oscars is rather impressive and includes
Sidney Pointier, Louis Gosset Jr, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle
Berry, and Morgan Freeman among the 44 black actors nominated. Others include
Ethel Waters in 1948, Dorothy Dandridge in 1954, James Earl Jones in 1970, to
name just a few.
The attention the Oscars get is based
on the films Hollywood produces, many of which are quite forgettable. The
award show is one of the most tedious shows on television bar none. Am I upset
because one of my favorite actors and directors, Clint Eastwood, was left out of
the director category? No. Am I miffed because Jennifer Aniston, another
favorite of mine, did not receive an acting nomination? No. I am a fan, but
whether they win a prize or not is of little importance to
me.
I am at the point where every new film
seems a re-run of every earlier one I ever saw. Others are merely cartoonish
violence. I am sure some good films are being made, but I no longer have much
interest in films these days.
As for “Selma”, I remember the actual
event and that was dramatic enough. On top of that, I later personally met Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. and had a short chat with him. He was an extraordinary
man. The film received a best picture
nomination, but I am under the impression that it has not drawn much of an
audience.
I can only speak for myself when I say
I am deeply offended by the antics of Rev. Sharpton because he’s unhappy this
year’s Oscar nominees are “white.” Last time I checked, not paying your taxes
was a crime.
Oh, by the way, I will not be watching
the Oscar awards. Other than the State of the Union speech, it is one of the
most boring annual shows on television.
© Alan Caruba, 2015
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