The brawl over the 2016 Oscars was like a runaway train when it started. Everyone from entertainers to politicians to Ordinary Joes were ripping each other’s heads off on the Internet just for having a differing opinion. The Academy decided to take another look at its voting policies while people on both sides of the issue showed off their awesome bullying skills.
Let me sum up my thoughts about this hot steaming pile. It won’t take long.
I’m not a Stacey Dash fan. I don’t like or dislike her, frankly. But, regardless of whether her comments were considered misguided or not, she had the right to say them and to open up a conversation. Too bad the “conversation” turned into shit storm instead, as it usually does when humans are involved.
As a melting pot myself — Black, Native American, 2 cups of White — I’m all for any ethnic group having their own TV channel, history month, award shows, whatever, because of the educational value. The more education that’s out there about all the different colors in the U.S.’s melting pot, the better. Even Caucasians originally came from other places, right? Educate about that, too. Include everybody, why not? Include all Americans in this kind of programming. With that said, whether anyone likes it or not, that is a form of segregating yourself. Look it up.
Segregation doesn’t always involve force, and anyone can do it. Why get your panties in a wad? Just own it. It is what it is.
BET was pissed at Ms. Dash and weighed in, too. Huh. I haven’t watched BET in over 25 years. Seriously. Every time I turned it on back in the day, I got nothing but sistas twerking on big-ass yachts for rappers making it rain $$$ on repeat, on repeat, on repeat. That’s why, sometime down the line, our local cable providers finally added TV One as an alternative. Hopefully it’s better now, I wouldn’t know.
There will never be concrete evidence that the Oscar nominations this year were purposely whitewashed. If they were, it’s disgusting, and regardless, the Academy should follow through on its promise to dig out its problems and clean some damn house. This is larger than black and white. Native American, Latino, Asian, and Middle Eastern communities, hello?
THAT SAID: I don’t want anybody nominated or winning because of their color. I don’t need that crap. I don’t want some bullshit quotas going down (we need this # of White nominations, this # of Black nominations, this # of Hispanic nominations, etc. so on and so forth, all even-steven, wrapped and tied with a pretty bow). Hell, that’s just as bad of a lie, if not worse. Is it really that hard to just do stuff fair and square? (I know, I know, humans, what a stoooopid question)
Chris Rock, glad you’re not dropping out of your Oscars hosting job, dude. Get on up in there and get paid. The big draw this year isn’t who’s going to win Best Picture. It’s…
Lawdy! What’s Chris gonna say live (with a 7-second time delay)?
Manuscript. Head. Drawer. 