So, I Was Watching the Academy Awards On Sunday and...

So I Watched The Oscars....

for about a 1/2 an hour last night. When I first tuned in there were a bunch of Indians on stage whooping and hollering, beating a drum. At first, I thought I'd tuned into an old John Ford western, then I thought "Oh my God, they are scalping Jimmy Kimmel." Then, I figured out it was just another pseudo gratuitous nod to woke identity politics. When all the attendees stood up in applause, it reminded me of the scene in Tom Wolfe's book, Man in Full, where all the art exhibit attendees at the Piedmont Driving Club obsequiously "applauded" in herd mentality fashion to the "chic" pornographic paintings, the subject of a black tie gala.

I didn't watch any of the movies being discussed last night so I was at a disadvantage. I thought it was weird when the Zone of Interest guy "refuted" his Jewishness. If I was his mother, I'd be pissed. The next thing I remember is seeing Danny DeVito on stage with Awe-nuld. I couldn't believe how short he was, and it gave me a new sense of respect for his accomplishments. But after a while, I became disinterested, turned it off and just read.

The reason the Oscars does not interest me is mostly because I don't think it takes extraordinary talent to be a film actor or a Hollywood glamour queen. Don't we all act in our daily lives? Is it really that hard? We act that we are interested, we act that we are braver than we are, we act that we care when we don't and in a million other situations, like when we pretend that we had nothing to do with the a sudden flatulence outburst. And as far as glamour, I know lots of beautiful women who are every bit as pretty or prettier than the Hollywood set.

I'm sure that many of these Hollywood types have worked at their crafts and honed their skills and are good at what they do. But I also think millions of ordinary Americans could do exactly the same. There are millions of electricians and plumbers who have also honed their skills and have become pretty good at their jobs. If the electricians or plumbers want to have an award show for their own kind, I'm not interested, that's great, but I'm not interested and the same is true for Hollywood.

I think some people are drawn to certain professions via their background, cultural contacts, etc., and they pursue these industries, but maybe aren't all that "extraordinary." Good on ’em for achieving their goals, but like politicians, some are good at "getting" to the top, but woefully untalented. And let's face it, there are some industries, law being one, which attracts people who devolve into people of less than noble character.

What grabs my attention are people of extraordinary talents and life stories. Artists like Van Eyck, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, people who have rare talents that few people can match. There are great authors, great financiers, statesmen, inventors, military leaders, Billy Grahams, inventors and those that are simply brave who have changed the world. I don't view Hollywood in this way. Indeed, I see a lot of boorish cultural rot that degrades humanity rather than lifting it up. To me the woke platitudes are simply a byproduct of the culture and a way to grab self-centered attention for one's own benefit instead of the cause celebre.

So that's just my take....., my favorite theatrical performances were always watching my kids in school plays.