Tannishblog

The Oscar season is upon us. Does anyone care? Sure, as an industry measuring stick of profitability, the Oscars are important. As a commercial for recent movies and upcoming DVD releases it can’t be beat. Besides that, it stokes the already inflated egos of the Hollywood firmament - as if that needs doing…

Can anyone tell me what import the Oscar ceremony with its attendant pomposity contains? Beyond the occasional well-delivered punch line, the whole thing is boring. Yet every year, I read in the news, prognostications, tidbit and vignettes aimed to bolster the ceremony to superbowl status. As I imagine beautiful people strut before cameras in self-serving splendor, I try to envision starving children in war torn areas who, because America is so full of its self, cannot receive the medical benefits of education – let alone food and peace – they need to thrive. As I think of the billions of dollars wasted to feed and industry of sycophants and drama queens, of technogeeks and theatricks, I cringe. There are so many people suffering in this world, caused indirectly from America’s hoarding of its money. We, a warmongering state of the richest, most ignorant and self-consumed humans on the planet, must wake up to the plight of the rest of humanity, as we leech mine gold in Indonesia, force slaves to dig up our diamonds in Africa, go to war to preserve an unfair advantage in the dwindling oil reserves. Because of these things and more, thousands are dying and suffering.

Go ahead, play ostrich and stick you heads in the tube for another night of ignoring the planet. When you die from your excesses, why should you care what the world looks like? It’s not like you’ll be coming back…