A place for my thoughts and ideas, my creative outlet, a little piece of the web for me to call my own...yeah...right...
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| a bite of chocolat... ::home:: A place for my thoughts and ideas, my creative outlet, a little piece of the web for me to call my own...yeah...right... |
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Wednesday, March 27, 2002 The best speech at the 2002 Oscars was for the humanitarian award. When Arthur Hiller said basically “Thank you all very much, but I’m a little embarrassed to be receiving an award for doing what everybody should be doing.” I loved how Whoopi was making fun of all the fuss that some people make when they think they are not being treated fairly. At one point she said something along the lines of: “Because of all that’s gone on this year, now all the nominees are black!” One thing that I found annoying was how in the tribute to Sydney Poitier, there were only other African-American actors and actresses. If it was coincidence, that’s ok. I think it was an idea to tribute him with other actors and actresses who follow in his footsteps as African-Americans in the industry. This idea is ok, I guess, but I think it should be made known that it’s not only the African-Americans who appreciate and thank him. Everyone does. My only problem is how if there was a tribute like that for a great white actor, and the commentators were all white by mere coincidence or by the same idea, there would probably be a massive outrage about how “racist” it was. I just wish people would learn to see past a person’s race and see it really doesn’t matter. Who cares how many whites vs. how many minorities were used as extras in the latest Kevin Spacey film? No one should! It isn’t a reflection of prejudice if there are only three Asians or two Mongolians. It’s only coincidence, and it doesn’t matter. On another Oscar note, Halle Berry was very hypocritical with her acceptance speech. She had the best line in the Sydney Poitier tribute when she said how his accomplishment wasn’t just an accomplishment for the blacks, but it was an accomplishment for everyone. Later in the evening, she won for best female actress, becoming the first African-American woman to win the Oscar. It is a great accomplishment, but she didn’t win it because she was black; she won it because she did an outstanding job in her latest movie. In my opinion, she was quite immodest about being the first, and she went on and on about how she has opened doors for black actresses and she dedicated her award to all the “nameless black actresses who now have a chance.” Well, we’re not racist; they’ve “had a chance” for a while now. They just hadn’t won yet. Well, I suppose I’m just not being very nice… Minorities happen to win less awards simply because there are less of them acting. Equality isn’t giving every race the same amounts of awards; equality is treating everyone as one race and awarding whoever deserves the awards, no matter what race they are. If this fuss is about “equality,” why are people not happy until they have more than equality, special treatment, because they are a “minority”? Being a certain race does not mean someone deserves special treatment. Following what was said in Sydney’s tribute, “black accomplishments” aren’t black accomplishments, they’re “accomplishments”. I mean, it is interesting to know, but it doesn’t define the accomplishments. For example, if I were Japanese, it would be fun too look up what was invented by other Japanese people. My point is just that these accomplishments shouldn’t be titled due to race. Everyone always talks about what Martin Luther King did for the blacks, and he did do a great thing for blacks in America. But what he did wasn’t just for blacks in America. It was for Asians; it was for whites; it was for Canadians, Indians, Mongolians, Arabians; it was for America; it was for the world. He helped to create a world where people have begun to realize that what really matters is who a person is, not what a person is. We are all the same biodegradable material; we are all human, and he helped show the ignoramuses of the earth the truth. He did something for me. If I had been around back when segregation was going on in America, I would have been in a much more severely hypocritical nation. A nation that says all men are created equal, and then turns its back on its own people. I would have been cheated of my freedom as an American. The truth is, every good person suffered. Most people do not see that the white Americans who opposed segregation suffered along with their fellow Americans who just happen to have darker skin. It would have been torture being forced away from others whom they wanted to befriend, just because of the color of their skin. The roots of all humans can be traced back to Africa at some point millions of years ago. We all are African to some extent. Martin Luther King opened doors for everyone in the world to get closer to what they deserve, equality. And since race doesn’t matter, why does America stand for Affirmative Action? It is said to help prevent racism in the work place, but it is racism. This law states that companies must hire at least a certain amount of minorities. Why does it matter what race a person is? I mean, yes, having different races is wonderful and should be celebrated, but it shouldn’t determine who a person is. And yes, it does prevent racist businessmen from not hiring people because of their race, but what happens because of this policy is that businesses are being forced to hire people who are less qualified for a position than other applicants, just because of their race. Race should not be the determining factor in hiring someone. That person should be hired because he or she is the best for the job, not because the law says they must hire one more minority. Race should not be the determining factor in anything, except for determining what race a person happens to be. Sad but true...you can't prevent the world from having racists... Yet another thing, there was much controversy over a powerful photograph taken of firefighters at the rubble of the Trade Centers. People were complaining because the photo was getting publicity and there were no minorities in it. They wanted to retake the photo with added people in it. Would it make the photo a lie? Yes. Would it ruin the photograph? Yes! Is it ridiculous? YES! They weren't there; the minorities just happened not to be there at the second when the picture was taken, and it’s JUST A PHOTOGRAPH! They just weren't there. Does it really even matter? No. Yet another thing, I saw this thing on the news where some people were trying to shut down some companies that had [or might have had] ties with slavery over a hundred years ago. It was a long time ago. It didn’t happen to you people personally. The people who work there have nothing to hold against you, why should you hold something against them? Something they didn't do! The company's present prosperity was in no way caused by its past ties with slavery. It was ages ago. It’s just a company. GET OVER IT! Do the Jews go back to Egypt and knock down the pyramids?? Do the Irish boycott New England textile mills?? And if you believe in all that religion stuff, does not the Bible say, “Love your enemies?” Also, I was watching an episode of Seinfield and Jerry buys Elaine a wooden carved Native American statue. He and Kramer say some jokes related to it and Elaine’s Native American friend gets upset. Later, Jerry upsets an Asian Postman by asking him where the Szechwan place is. Why is everyone so “sensitive”? It’s a joke. It’s meant to be funny, not to cause harm. I don’t get upset every time I hear a joke about my race or my voice or my taste in music. I don't get upset when I hear an American joke or an Irish joke or a Canadian joke or a French joke or a European joke or a New England joke or a joke about my cousins’ city accent or a joke about my feminine male friends or about my blonde friends or my Californian friends…get my point? The only time a joke should be taken offensively is if it was meant to be mean. And if it was meant to be mean, then whoever said it should not have said it and should be confronted. A joke is just a joke. Again, it doesn’t really matter, so get over it! People have nothing better to do, so they make an incredibly big deal about insignificant things… Please, no one be upset by what I've said... posted by Shannon | 12:23 AM |
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