It seems Hollywood just can’t help itself. Once again, the major Oscars go to a picture which ruffled feathers everywhere from Disabled Rights Groups to conservative and pro-life groups. This was, in a sense, predicted, by Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger, when he said a couple of weeks ago:
“All the conservative outcry [about the shocking twist at the end of Clint Eastwood’s best-picture nominee Million Dollar Baby] is going to steel Oscar voters in favor of this movie. It already has the most emotional power of any of the [best-picture] nominees, and this is going to intensify that sentiment. … You’re never a true Oscar contender until you’ve angered a group.”
The interesting thing about Kruger’s comment, of course, is that it’s not just any old group the Oscar voters want to anger – it’s only ever conservative groups. This behaviour is usually justified on the basis of breaking down stereotypes, or breaking new ground, or “asking difficult questions”, but we all know that the Oscars will only ever do this with liberal causes celebres. Imagine the Oscar for best-picture going to a show which tacitly endorsed gay-bashing (as Million Dollar Baby endorses assisted suicide), or even taking a pro-life stance on abortion. You can’t – it’s simply unimaginable. And so, once again, the Oscars are true to form, going to pictures which endorse or glorify euthanasia, drug abuse and sexual immorality. But if we’re still surprised at this, we’re just not paying attention. It’s been this way for years.
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