The first thing everyone needs to realize is that tonight wasn't a battle in the culture wars. It wasn't a referendum on homosexuality. The Oscars aren't an opportunity to prove a point or to give one segment of the population its rightful respect from society. The Oscars are an award show for make-believe.
So the wingnuts who think Brokeback losing was some sort of victory and anyone hear who thinks it was some sort of loss should both hear this: This wasn't a battle, some people in the motion picture industry just liked one movie better than another.
But even if you don't buy any of that here is why tonight was still a good thing.
There are two main views regarding progressive participation on Fox News and right-wing talk shows that I think everyone here is familiar with. Advocates of the first view argue that liberals and progressives should entirely refuse to appear on any right-wing media outlet. The justification for the boycott, as I understand it, is that a liberal guest on a conservative show is forced to debate on enemy ground where the debate framed in an unfavorable manner and the conservative host controls the time and the questions. Furthermore advocates of the boycott claim that appearing on Fox allows the network to claim that it is objective since it is including views from the left.
I don't care if you like Crash or not. I happened to. What's important is the subject matter. If you haven't seen it Crash deals with the subconscious racism and bias of an entire cross-section of LA.
Now, in a year where Republicans mocked the funeral of a black leader, are in large number calling for walling off Mexico and deporting illegal immigrants, are stereotyping and torturing Arab-Americans, are ignoring genocide, disease and famine in Africa and couldn't bring themselves to GIVE A SHIT about the thousands who died or lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina because those people were poor and Black I think its about time we had this discussion.
In the next few days tons of Americans will go out and watch this movie. This is an opportunity. Talk about this movie with your coworkers, with you friends, with your family, with people you meet at the supermarket. If everyone who reads this makes ONE PERSON more aware of racism this week than this is nothing but a devastating loss for that bigot Anne Coulter and her ilk.
And as a side note how the hell could anyone take tonight as a loss for GLBTQ movement? Between Brokeback, Capote and Transamerica I can't think of a year where the motion picture industry has ever been more accepting and supportive of the people and the movement.
Movies don't change much but the changes encouraged by this year's films are only for the better.
