Hollywood is said to be the land of inclusion and progression. When a marginalized group finally gets due, everyone claps and uses those rare opportunities to tell others that change is a good thing. While that is all true, Awards shows have become less about performances and technical ability and more about who can make the most jarring comment. From Marlon Brando’s refusal to accept an Academy Award to Meryl Streep’s Golden Globe speech, Hollywood is using their privilege to show everyone else how incredibly out of touch they truly are.
The art of the acceptance speech has changed
If you were to go online and look Academy Award acceptance speeches from the 1950’s something that shock everyone is how short the speeches were. The winners would go on stage, thank the Academy and then walk off. Nowadays, speeches have become so long that a person could take their dog for a walk and the same actor would be accepting their award once they got back home.
We understand that you have to thank everyone you’ve ever met in your life but it does not have to be taken literally. And of course, every speech also now has to be in some way political. Whether speaking about racial equality, women’s rights or climate change, the speeches have become less about the Academy and seem to be a call to action.
While all important issues that need addressing, there is a time and place to speak on those issues. A lot of people have become turned off by these constant political statements and in an industry that is all about numbers that could spell trouble come Sunday.
You are accepting an acting award, not a Nobel Peace Prize
It might be harsh but Hollywood is filled with rich people that are out of touch with the real struggles of the everyday person.
In an industry where at least half of the people are famous because they are a legacy, many of them have not experienced any of the kinds of injustices that they speak on. And while you do not have to be poor to advocate for the poor, an award show is not the place to make those types of statements.
Many of those actors that stand in front of their peers in dresses worth more than a house would never dare go to the hood or a very rundown neighborhood and roll their sleeves up.
The message becomes much less effective when it seems like the messenger is giving yet another performance.
I am not saying that all actors do this because Audrey Hepburn did dedicate the latter half of her life to philanthropic efforts but (in most cases) actors do not take their own message very seriously. Sometimes it is better to just accept a peer given award, thank those that made the film possible and then walk off before the music drowns you out.
