The eyes of the civilized world are on us! Or they were in 1864, apparently.
So the Academy Awards are done, and the results can be summarized in one word: Boosterism.
Winners included the following pep-talks for America:
The most egregious example of "the Academy loves America" is, of course, Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis is always fun to watch, even when he's sleepwalking, but how could you stay in your Coke-and-butter-stained chair when the movie proposes the concept that "the eyes of the world are looking to us for moral leadership" on the issue of race relations and--get this--slavery. Wait, are you referring to us? You mean the U.S.?
The gall. The wonderful if somewhat divided United States of America was the only western country which allowed slavery in 1864. Every one else had either given up on it (England) or never had it in the first place (Canada--where on earth do you think the Underground Railroad went--Indiana??? Walden Pond????).
Yes the eyes of the world were on us...because we were morally debauched, even to early Victorian eyes. They were looking in disgust--or trying to wring free their last profits before the only remaining open market in human flesh was inevitably closed to their gold coins.
Me, I voted for Django Unchained. All you had to do was look around the typical Quentin Tarantino extravagances--usually to a spot right in the middle of the film screen--to get the real picture of race in the U.S. "Say goodbye to Miss Emily!" You go, Quentin. You got the Academy Award from me, at least.
Winners included the following pep-talks for America:
- Best picture for a movie that shows how Alan Arkin outsmarted those violent Iranians!
- Lots of discussion about a movie that takes as a given America's right to summarily assassinate any one else's political leaders (the discussion about the NYTimes facts on hostage abuse plagarized in 50 Shades of Zero Dark 30 are another example of using bright shiny objects to deflect our ADD-burdened intellects from the essential truth: that the goal of all this covert bullshit is murder. Without rule of law, trial, or anything. Murder. Guys! Pay attention!)
The most egregious example of "the Academy loves America" is, of course, Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis is always fun to watch, even when he's sleepwalking, but how could you stay in your Coke-and-butter-stained chair when the movie proposes the concept that "the eyes of the world are looking to us for moral leadership" on the issue of race relations and--get this--slavery. Wait, are you referring to us? You mean the U.S.?
The gall. The wonderful if somewhat divided United States of America was the only western country which allowed slavery in 1864. Every one else had either given up on it (England) or never had it in the first place (Canada--where on earth do you think the Underground Railroad went--Indiana??? Walden Pond????).
Yes the eyes of the world were on us...because we were morally debauched, even to early Victorian eyes. They were looking in disgust--or trying to wring free their last profits before the only remaining open market in human flesh was inevitably closed to their gold coins.
Me, I voted for Django Unchained. All you had to do was look around the typical Quentin Tarantino extravagances--usually to a spot right in the middle of the film screen--to get the real picture of race in the U.S. "Say goodbye to Miss Emily!" You go, Quentin. You got the Academy Award from me, at least.
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