The Integrity Of The Oscars

Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock on live television. Smith has been banned from the Oscars for ten years, and one Academy member wants him to return his trophy for Best Actor. Harry Lennix said, “At this point, the only person who can redeem the integrity of the Oscars is Smith himself.”

Now is an excellent time to hold the door open for another, much larger conversation. What is the “integrity of the Oscars?” For nearly a century, the Academy has been publicly slapping Black performers and, by extension, everyone. The Academy has not repaired the damage they have done. 

You insult our intelligence. But there’s more. Revered institutions are everywhere and need to be scrutinized. Harvard is just one of many universities beginning to acknowledge its crimes. A recent report found that,

“Harvard leaders, faculty, staff, and benefactors enslaved people, some of whom labored at the University;⁠ accrued wealth through the slave trade and slave labor; and defended the institution of slavery.⁠”

The very foundations of our society, including the Declaration, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and monuments, have questionable histories. For this reason, we should not be trying to “save” democracy. Maybe we should be creating democracy. Instead of inviting more people to the table, we need to build a new table together. The U.S. needs to stop trying export a product it doesn’t have. The only beneficiaries are arms dealers.

We will build a table with integrity that will withstand the kind of pressure under which the country is caving.

Integrity and honor await us. Beauty awaits.

The tables 'bout to turn.

The tables 'bout to turn.