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The Academy Awards

I watched the Oscars this year, as I do most years.  My wife likes to watch them, and I kind of like to keep up with some popular culture.

This year the focus was on how none of the nominees, for the second year in a row, were black.  The irrebutable presumption was that black actors had deserved nominations.  I have no idea whether that was true.

The Oscars reacted to the charge of racism the way all liberal institutions, including the universities, do.  They engaged in a parade of self criticism, promised to do better, and then moved on.  There was no discussion at all about whether the lack of black nominations was deserved.

The one exception to this was the black host, Chris Rock, who directed his barbs in all directions, not only at the alleged racism of Hollywood, but also at the fact that rich actors were worried about nominations when real people had real problems.  Rock’s performance stood in stark contrast to the remainder of the show.  Presumably, Rock could get away with it because he was black.

While the show went on and on about how Hollywood should reflect America and the diversity it encompasses, as usual the focus was solely on racial diversity.  When it came to political diversity, the show was clueless.

Climate change, transgender activism, sexual assaults on campus, Democratic politicians and a host of other liberal causes were on parade all night.  The possibility that half of the country might disagree was never considered.

This is nothing new, of course – at the Oscars or on college campuses or any other place that is dominated by liberals or the left.  Do these people realize that their actions have some relationship to the rise of Trump?

Is there anything to be done about it?  That’s hard to know.  If conservatives were to protest the matter – if they were to publicly point out the hypocrisy of the academy – would they be heard?  It is not clear they would.  But even if they were heard, would it be worth the effort?  Are the Academy Awards important enough to merit this level of action?  My guess is that the show matters more than one might otherwise think – not entirely by itself, but as part of the relentless assault of the liberal culture.