Post by Oss Rae on Jan 30, 2016 20:42:25 GMT -8
The Academy Awards haven't been the same for me since '03. That was the year they were held about three days after the U.S. began invading Iraq. It disturbed me that while people were dying from U.S. bombs, Americans were having a great celebration over the previous year's movie fantasies and obsessing about celebrity attire. I was struck by how callous and self-absorbed so many Americans are.
I was outside protesting the invasion. (Was anyone else there?) The police stood inches away from us in riot gear and without any provocation whatsoever, suddenly began lowering their face shields and producing their batons. There were more than a few families there. I carpooled there with one, and it was decided we best leave.
I haven't watched the Awards since then; the idea of it is just distasteful. However, I did hear Michael Moore's acceptance speech the next morning for his Best Documentary award. It was nice hearing him mention the invasion and describing it as the abomination that it was.
Exactly 30 years before Moore's speech, there was another disruption during the ceremony, Sacheen Little Feather's explanation as to why Marlon Brando would not be excepting his Award. In that instance, Brando was trying to draw attention to another life-and-death issue that was happening simultaneously: the events at Wounded Knee.
Little Feather was recently interviewed about that night 43 years ago (she says she doesn't get asked about it much). Among other things, she says John Wayne was in the wings wanting to assault her but was being held back by six security people. Also, she says that if she had not mentioned Wounded Knee to the world, those involved would've been disappeared and never heard from again.
www.jasmyneacannick.com/blog/sacheen-littlefeather-43-years-later-on-diversity-in-hollywood/
And so we continue traveling on our "carousel of time."
I was outside protesting the invasion. (Was anyone else there?) The police stood inches away from us in riot gear and without any provocation whatsoever, suddenly began lowering their face shields and producing their batons. There were more than a few families there. I carpooled there with one, and it was decided we best leave.
I haven't watched the Awards since then; the idea of it is just distasteful. However, I did hear Michael Moore's acceptance speech the next morning for his Best Documentary award. It was nice hearing him mention the invasion and describing it as the abomination that it was.
Exactly 30 years before Moore's speech, there was another disruption during the ceremony, Sacheen Little Feather's explanation as to why Marlon Brando would not be excepting his Award. In that instance, Brando was trying to draw attention to another life-and-death issue that was happening simultaneously: the events at Wounded Knee.
Little Feather was recently interviewed about that night 43 years ago (she says she doesn't get asked about it much). Among other things, she says John Wayne was in the wings wanting to assault her but was being held back by six security people. Also, she says that if she had not mentioned Wounded Knee to the world, those involved would've been disappeared and never heard from again.
www.jasmyneacannick.com/blog/sacheen-littlefeather-43-years-later-on-diversity-in-hollywood/
And so we continue traveling on our "carousel of time."
