Although we love to view the world in absolutes, things are seldom black and white. Heroes have skeletons in their closets and assholes secretly donate money to the ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan. Okay, maybe not.
But the point is that the world is a complex place, full of moral ambiguity, double standards and mixed feelings.
So we have taken it upon ourselves to bring back the epic binary of good versus bad, right versus wrong, and virtuous versus evil.
We humbly present you Asshole and Hero of the week.
Via: Indie Wire
Asshole: The Oscars
Last week, I praised the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for awarding accolades to diverse stories and people who told them. This week, I’m criticizing the Oscars for doing just the opposite.
With the Oscar nominations that came out this week, people were disappointed to find that no person of color was nominated in any acting category. It is the whitest Oscars since 1998. Come on, guys. Racial tension is high in our world today, and you decided it would be a good idea to snub anyone who isn’t white? What are you doing?
This clear lapse in judgment led many people to look at the breakdown of just who decides who gets invited to the show and who has to watch it from the back room. Not surprisingly, 94 percent of the people who vote for the Oscars are white; 76 percent of them are men; the average age of all the voters is 63.
Now it all makes sense.
With organizations like the HFPA honoring people of diverse backgrounds, why is this institution still pretending like the world is white-washed? The Oscars are considered prestigious and as a long-standing tradition for filmmakers, actors and storytellers.
So instead of sticking to a tradition that rewards only certain members of Hollywood, fuck tradition and nominate the best actors and films of the year. Because right now, you’re just coming across as tired, old, white assholes who have lost touch with the industry and what people actually want to see. Shame on you.
Via: Q13 Fox
Hero: Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
This week, the Attorney General of the United States made a very important check on police power that limited the scope of civil forfeiture.
For those of you who don’t know or didn’t feel like watching the breakdown provided by John Oliver, civil forfeiture basically means that state police have the right to seize assets without warrants or criminal charges in accordance with federal law. These seizures started about three decades ago as a part of the war on drugs.
The revenue taken from these seizures is then “adopted” by federal agencies and is able to be used on just about anything that the law enforcement agency wants or needs. There have never really been limits on the spending.
Now, at this point in my education on civil forfeiture, my cynicism reared its ugly head. “But if they can seize anything they want with no real cause and they don’t have limits on how they can spend the revenue, what’s stopping them from being corrupt?” I asked myself.
The short answer is nothing.
But now, Eric Holder has taken a stand against it. “With this new policy, effective immediately, the Justice Department is taking an important step to prohibit federal agency adoptions of state and local seizures, except for public safety reasons,” said Holder in a statement.
I’ll admit; I’m a sucker for anyone who calls the government out on its bullshit. And today, Eric Holder, you are that person. So kudos to you and keep on keepin’ on.
Feature photo courtesy of: The New Yorker
