What The Golden Globe Awards Taught Me
I attended a Golden Globes viewing party on Sunday night. The attendees had varying levels of investment, and some were content to chatter away over the awards while others (myself included) were excited to see the results of the awards and more importantly, what everyone was wearing.
One person at the party, during a commercial break, expressed her disgust. “This whole thing is such a lie,” she proclaimed. She went on to say how so much was going on – including the police raids on the Occupy camps – like racism and inequality and injustice, and how the media was in a frenzy covering the Golden Globes and not the other things they should be focusing on.
Considering we were at a Golden Globes viewing party, there was an awkward silence after her pronouncement. Generally, I have a problem with sweeping, generalizing statements like the one she just uttered, but for a brief moment I felt guilty. Sure, she was right – in a continuum of frivolity to impactful societal phenomenon, the Golden Globes was definitely on the extreme end. But should I feel bad for enjoying them for three hours a year?
No, absolutely not.
“I don’t think that’s a fair statement,” I responded to her as respectfully as I could. “it’s not an either/or situation. Just because we are interested in the Golden Globes, doesn’t mean we don’t care about the other issues.” The commercial break was over, and I had to leave the party soon after, so an in-depth discussion didn’t happen. That’s too bad, it would have been really interesting and I definitely wanted to hear her side of the story.
Here at Broke-Ass, our philosophy is about the importance of life experiences, not how much we make or how much we buy. That certainly doesn’t mean that we are a bunch of over-the-top heathens who will do anything for a good time- we can enjoy entertainment, art, film, etc….but also still be socially conscious; there’s room for both.
So, it proved to be an educational night. Here are some other things that Sunday’s Golden Globes taught me:
1. It’s OK to enjoy all the celebrity hoopla, but it’s also a good time to think about the momentum behind it. Why is everyone obsessed with celebrities? What does that say about us as a culture? Does pop culture reflect our society or does it influence it? Hopefully you have people in your life with whom you can have interesting conversations and friendly debates about that topic.
2. You should definitely watch Homeland, because it’s an amazing show. It won for best drama and Claire Danes won for best actress FOR A REASON. It’s amazing, trust me.
3. Everyone’s a comedian. For those of you on twitter, you probably noticed that it was full of everyone giving their up-to-the-minute snark on every second of the ceremony. Not gonna lie– I certainly gave a running commentary while I was watching it (and was quite witty, of course) but can’t people just relax and watch things? God forbid we enjoy something for face value.
4. Geez, Morgan Freeman has been in a lot of movies. Some I need to watch again (Glory) and others I need to avoid forever (The Bucket List).
5. Madonna should stick to singing. Her movie, W.E., looks dreadful.
6. Seth Rogen shouldn’t make himself the guy that always tells dick jokes. He’s more talented than that.
7. Modern Family needs to be humbled a little bit. The show has some of the same issues that plague many sitcoms before it, and will soon jump the shark.
8. Helen Mirren should never, ever attempt stand-up comedy.
9. I really, really need to see The Artist.
10. I will never apologize for my love and pursuit of great film, television and pop culture. It’s my livelihood!
Photocredits: popsugar.com, nymag.com
