quote: Chris Rock at the Oscars

[orangerful]

I didn't watch The Academy Awards this year. Actually, I haven't watched in awhile because I don't have a antenna on my TV so I don't get any network channels.

But I did Google Chris Rock's opening monologue this morning because I was curious about what he had to say. This is the quote that stood out for me:

Hey, if you want black nominees every year, you need to just have black categories. That’s what you need. You need to have black categories.

You already do it with men and women. Think about it: There’s no real reason for there to be a man and a woman category in acting.

C’mon. There’s no reason. It’s not track and field.

You don’t have to separate ‘em. You know, Robert De Niro’s never said, “I better slow this acting down, so Meryl Streep can catch up.”

No, not at all, man. If you want black people every year at the Oscars, just have black categories like Best Black Friend.

Comments

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I feel like we have internalized it as normal. Like Chris Rock points out - why is that a thing? Why can't we pit Meryl Streep in her most serious moments against Sean Penn crying in a jail cell? Is it because "people" feel like a grown man crying is "better acting" than Meryl Streep being a badass?

There is a similar issue in the publishing world right now, where male authors get more credit (and money) for writing family sagas than women. But why should it matter? Why is a man's book about a family called "literary fiction" but a female author's book is "chick lit"?

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Why is a man's book about a family called "literary fiction" but a female author's book is "chick lit"?

Exactly! Or 'moving drama' versus 'romantic flair'. UGH.