It began with Marlon Brando’s refusal to accept an Oscar for his 1973 performance in The Godfather. Instead of attending the ceremony, he sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his stead. Littlefeather, dressed in Apache clothes, explained to the audience that because of the “poor treatment of Native Americans in the film industry,” Brando would not accept the Golden statuette.
At the time, it was an oddity that anyone would use the awards show — once a huge TV draw — as an occasion for a political statement. After all, Hollywood movies were a way for moviegoers to escape from the tensions of daily life for a couple of hours, and the Oscar presentations were entertainment. At least Brando’s stunt had some connection to the motion-picture industry itself.
But now, political statements have emerged as the central feature of the show, even more so than waiting to see which actress wears the weirdest outfit. As the show has become increasingly political, its ratings have declined significantly.
On Sunday night, Regina King began this year’s awards ceremony praising the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd. King said, “It has been quite a year, and we are still smack dab in the middle of it. We are mourning the loss of so many. Now, I know that a lot of you people at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you.”
No doubt that was true, for those who had bothered to tune into the program at all. King, however, dismissed any such objections. “But as a mother of a black son, I know the fear that so many live with, and no amount of fame or fortune changes [that]. That OK?”
Naturally, the live audience of 170 actors, writers, directors, producers and other film professionals cheered her on. Often, such statements are even hailed as somehow “courageous.” This is no more courageous than condemning Hillary Clinton at a Republican Party event. What would be truly courageous is if an actor, or other Hollywood figure, came to the podium and decried the millions of unborn babies being slaughtered in America, or praising Donald Trump.
The left-wing tirades continued, with Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, and Jamika Wilson bringing up identity politics while accepting the Oscar for Best Hair and Makeup. Neal and Wilson are the first two black women to win the award, and this was celebrated for its great social significance.
Neal said, “I want to [say] thank you to our ancestors who put the work in. Who were denied but never gave up. And I also stand here, as we break this glass ceiling with so much excitement for the future. Because I can picture black trans women standing up here, Asian and Latina sisters, and indigenous women. And it won’t be unusual or groundbreaking one day, it will just be normal.”
Why a black trans woman winning an Oscar would be groundbreaking, especially if the person deserved the award, is not clear, but black actors and actresses have been honored in Hollywood with multiple nominations, and awards, dating back to Hattie McDaniel, who won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Gone With the Wind in 1939. Sidney Poitier, an accomplished African-American actor, won Best Actor in 1963. Denzel Washington, among the finest actors in Hollywood today, has been nominated six times, and won Best Actor for his 2001 performance in Training Day. (Who had the best performance in a particular year is, of course, highly subjective, as I would rank Washington’s among the best in most years, particularly his performance in Malcolm X, for which he did receive an Oscar nomination).
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As “woke” as Hollywood attempts to be, however, it seems it is still not enough. When the Oscar presentations ended with Anthony Hopkins winning Best Actor, it touched off anger among many on the Left. Hopkins, 83, became the oldest actor to win the award (I suppose old white guys are not an honored category), playing an old man with dementia in The Father.
Why did this result in angst among those who see everything through a leftist lens?
Well, favored for this award was Chadwick Boseman, a black man, for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Boseman died of colon cancer at the young age of 43 last year, and there was anticipation he would receive the award posthumously. The Academy even altered the tradition of closing the show with the award for Best Picture, which this year went to Chloe Zhao, who also took home the award for Best Director for Nomadland, to closing with Best Performance by an Actor, expecting Boseman would win.
To the shock of many, Boseman lost out to Hopkins. Joaquin Phoenix accepted the award for Hopkins, who was not in attendance.
One must understand that this emphasis on race over substance fits in very well with the Marxist tactic of conquering via dividing society. Not only does the Left make every effort to stoke anger in the black community, the present pandering to them creates anger among white Americans, as well. Of course, this fits the Marxist cause, as well.
In the 1960s, a Methodist minister in Mississippi, Delmar Dennis, infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) there for the FBI. (One can read this story in Klandestine, by William McIlhany). Dennis revealed that the leader of the KKK in that part of the state was a man who told him that he saw racial division — which the Klan contributed to greatly — as a good way to advance the communist cause. The man told Dennis that he had been active in the Communist Party, but thought he could do more for that cause by joining the Klan.
This is not to say that Hollywood personalities are communists, but whatever their motivation, this continued effort to stoke racial hatred in America no doubt does advance the cause of those who want to make us a socialist nation.
