Oscar Nomination Pettiness

  I have noticed a lot of petty whining over scarcity of recommendations for Black artists in this year’s Oscar nominations. One of the opinions I read was that overall quality for all the 2015 movies was not as high as it has been in past years.

     Opinions are like noses. Almost everybody has one. Awards recommendations tend to be very subjective and that is why I think the whole awards culture is over-rated.  

     I confess I don’t go to a lot of movies. Therefore, I am automatically disqualified to make any kind of judgment as to who or what may be award-worthy. I would respectfully suggest that anybody who is not a regular moviegoer and who has not seen all the movies under consideration, is equally unqualified to have a legitimate opinion.

         To automatically assume that the lack of award nominations for certain kinds or categories of artists is the result of racism, is ignorant and reflects an insidious form of cultural rot that is ripping our world apart.  It degrades everybody and everything rather than lifting up the highest and noblest that is within and among us.

    To assume that every decision is or ought to be guided by special considerations for race, culture, gender, and sexual orientation -- demeans the entertainment industry as a whole and everybody associated with it. If people are going to squabble and descend to this kind of pettiness, maybe the best solution would be to do away with the awards all together. That would be my preference at this point.

   Yes, of course it is nice to be recognized for one's efforts, but I have observed that people who are mature and comfortable with themselves don't need fancy medals and trophies or to have folks fawning all over them.

    True leaders and heroes do the best they can with what they understand. They find joy and meaning in doing the work for its own sake and have dedicated themselves to accomplishing the mission often in the face of overwhelming opposition.

    Awards sometimes honor maturity and professionalism. Sometimes it gets overlooked. But it doesn't really matter. In the words of the great American essayist and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The reward of a job well done is to have done it.”