Seeing ads pop up everywhere for the Oscars reminded me of the night Lisa and I watched “Get Out”, the movie that was popular a few months back and will hopefully slide into well-deserved obscurity.
I have not seen such an appallingly and blatantly bigoted, racist movie in I don’t know how long. Let’s take a moment to recap the themes of this piece of trash: White people are evil and not to be trusted. You will very likely have to kill them. They (whites, and especially rich whites) only want to use blacks for their (far superior) physical abilities and talent. Women are similarly not to be trusted; they will probably sell you into slavery. Black people are weak minded and easily manipulated, especially if you dangle a white chick.
I could go on, but if you’ve seen the movie you had to have gotten the point. It was like something out of Germany in the 30s colorized a little differently.
People like to harp on the violence and glorification of drug culture in rap (or R&B or whatever it’s called this year) music. It’s certainly not my style, I don’t listen to it — ever — and so could not tell you just how prevalent the themes are. About as polar opposite as you can get, though, is the current crop of country stars. Of course in country music it’s OK to murder your husband, at least according to Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. And drug use is OK, according to — well, just about every country singer. Just imagine, though, Luke Bryan or Blake Shelton singing about beating or murdering their girlfriend or wife.
So why do some people seem to think it’s OK to be bigoted and racist — as long as you’re not white? Or it’s fine to talk about shooting or poisoning your abusive spouse — as long as you’re a woman? Rioting and destruction is fine — as long as you’re a minority? And drug use is OK, no matter who you are?
We can and should be better than this. Murder, destruction, racism, bigotry, drug abuse — it doesn’t matter who you are. It’s not OK.