Last night, the Oscars were all about throwing shade. Blatant remarks targeting the boycott were made throughout the night. Many black actors, actresses and directors decided to boycott the Oscars because of its lack of diversity in the nominees. 2016 marks the second year in a row that no black nominations were made. An uproar on social media took place led by Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith and Spike Lee. The stars acknowledged the clear racism in Hollywood that still exists and their outrage with no opportunities being present for the black actresses and actors to win an Oscar even though their talents were displayed on screen. Movies like "Selma," "Creed" and "Straight Outta Compton" were left off the ballot completely. So how did the Oscars handle the fire last night? Not too well. Let's recap, shall we?
First, Chris Rock's monologue was trash. It had some key points but overall it gave off a nonchalant attitude. By the fourth sentence of Chris Rock's monologue, he questioned why black people were deciding to boycott the 88th Oscars by saying, "when we had at least 71 other times this happened." His explanation, "We had real things to protest at the time."
I stared at my TV blankly, I was in shock Rock didn't view the unequal opportunity as a real issue. Times have advanced, racism isn't as blatant as it was in the 50s but racism has transformed and hid within power, money and success. The directors and writers hold ultimate power on who gets the leading role in their movies. A role for a black actor is a one-in-a-million. If they aren't getting cast as a runaway slave, black actors just don't get the recognition they deserve.
Later that evening, Stacey Dash made an uncalled for appearance at the Oscars. Dash came out on stage as Chris Rock announced her as the new Director of the Academy's Minority Outreach Program. Now, I am not only baffled about what that is, but also why did she have the guts to show her face in a time like this? She only added fuel to the fire as crazed social media went along and ripped her to shreds. Sadly, even Kevin Hart admitted her appearance was awkward.
The Oscars went on making skits that ignited many awkward laughs in the audience. The poor audience did not know when they should laugh and when they should applaud due to the whole night's high level of edginess. Only one star got it right during the whole broadcast, Mr. Kevin Hart. While announcing the Weeknd's performance, Kevin Hart took the time to applaud all the people of color who didn't get nominated this year and congratulated them on an amazing year. This was the type of acknowledgement the host should have given. Good job, Kevin!
When the awards came to an end, Chris Rock did shout Black Lives Matter and I did feel minutely touched by those words only to have the feeling washed out by hearing Fight The Power being played to conclude the Oscars broadcast. It was clear that the Academy was not only mocking the boycott but mocking black people fighting for their rights and opportunities worldwide. As Fight The Power went on, I realized that nothing said in this award ceremony even held value. It was just one big mockery poking fun at black people for speaking their mind and uprising against the white man.
