HOLLYWOOD’S INFAMOUS RAMPAGE

The Oscars aired this Sunday with late night celebrity Jimmy Kimmel as host. Usually, award shows are light-hearted and fun; however, since 2016, it seems every Late Night show or televised “Hollywood event” has to make a political remark. This year was no exception.

Comments over immigration, “Dreamers”, and “inclusion” flooded the Oscars, and while everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions, the entertainment industry needs to stick to entertainment, not to political drama.

Late night shows and award ceremonies used to bring delight to audiences, but currently hosts and attendees of these programs too often provide their input on political situations in America. At the Oscars, presenters Lupita Nyong’o and Kumail Nanjiani began to speak a message to “Dreamers”, or undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. They went on to specify that everyone in the room AND everyone watching at home agree and side with the “Dreamers”. While both Nyong’o and Nanjiani are great actors, they do not need to infer anything about the American public. It is not their place to speak on behalf of the American people.

The Oscars or late night television do not seem to understand that half the country will not agree with the opinions and ill-will they are sending toward the government. In fact, this year’s Oscars viewing reached its low point, with only 26.5 million viewers. This record low is no doubt attributed to citizens unwilling to hear political strife on an event that is supposed to represent Hollywood’s achievements. Although everyone has a right to voice their opinions, the problem arises when the point of the programs (to entertain and celebrate the achievements of the industry) are overshadowed by people disguising their sour attitudes with “political awareness”. These shows have become saturated in the host’s two-cents over politics. There is a difference between political punchlines and blatantly disregarding the other half of Americans as crude, terrible people just because they believe in different values. The whole “political slant” in the entertainment industry would be less annoying if half of the late night hosts leaned more conservative, but this is not the case. Because of regional circumstances, most late night hosts lean liberal. They can believe want they want, but their job is to entertain, not turn away half their audience.

Everyone deserves the right have views on politics, and everyone deserves to speak those views; however, that does not mean that other people should be forced to hear those views over and over in a loop. If someone wanted that, they would watch the news. Every single person gets that Hollywood hates the direction of the government. But honestly, if conservatives acted the way these liberal programs acted, there would be unimaginable backlash. There is a big, hypocritical double-standard in this situation. Since when is believing in one’s country so improper? The Oscars focus this year was on hope, diversity, and inclusion, but everyone that disagrees with Hollywood feels anything but included and accepted.    

These programs will not change the government system. Complaining on television at every opportunity does nothing, and it’s time to move on from the petty arguments. It is okay to talk about politics, but there is a time and place to speak and a time and place to remain void of this type of conversation. These light-hearted programs should not include politics in every punch-line or every monologue.