 A Life of Luxury and Hypocrisy: Diamonds and Limousines
Last week one of the most important events was the 79th Academy Awards. It was not just
about movie awards; it was a place to promote something very serious for the whole world.
Both with the movies and the actors' speeches, the Academy Award underlined the awful
future that is coming in the guise of global warming. From Leonardo Di Caprio and Al Gore
to the songs that were sung, all seemed to draw attention to global warming. The ceremony
was full of messages that depend on your perceptions and your intentions.
What should be considered is the realistic side of these messages. When someone talks
about global warming and draws attention to the issue, it leads me to think about his or
her life style. It is difficult to live without the technological devices and the
resulting life style in favor of saving the planet. But the hypocrisy as the celebrities
arrived in limousines while they screamed to stop global warming was palpable. I would pay
attention and take their message seriously if I saw all of these beautiful ladies and
gentlemen coming to the show on a horse or bicycle. That would be challenging and
meaningful! Even I appreciated that giving the Best Documentary award to Al Gore's An
Inconvenient Truth does not complete the mission to save the planet. Especially after
the newspapers published in the news that Gore's one-month electricity bill is more than
the average American citizen's one-year electricity bill! He must think his huge mansion
is immune from the issue of global warming.
The movie Blood Diamond captured the world's attention with regard to the issue
of the slavery of African people for diamonds. It worked in one way, depending again on
people's perceptions, but it definitely did not change the mindset in the Hollywood hills,
since the beautiful actresses wore their diamonds (or diamonds on loan) for the entire
world to see as they walked the red carpet. It reminds me of the documentary that the BBC
broadcast a few years ago about chocolate and African slavery. It was appalling to see
African children kidnapped and forced to work for cacao by torturing them to work long
hours, giving them little food and taking them away from their families. The saddest part
was that the children said they had not even once, eaten chocolate in their lives. That
really made me shy away from chocolate for months. I wish Blood Diamond would
have the same effect on the rich and famous for a few months.
I would be glad to see these "messenger" movies find their place. Making movies
that try to show the real, dark and depressing side of humanity using a documentary style
of fiction with gorgeous actors and actresses is not realistic enough, though. I believe
that movies can create change, but blockbuster Hollywood movies do not seem to be the best
catalyst for that change.
There is no doubt that Al Gore did a great job with his documentary if we ignore his
secret envy regarding political issues (losing the elections) that were reflected in his
movie. I would be more convinced if I could see that these movies are realistic, not as a
way to attract the attention of the world to Hollywood blockbuster films to make more
money, but to actually tell us a story that causes us to think. And to watch movies that
are not later touted by hypocritical consumers who decry Blood Diamonds while
flashing their Cartier jewels and preaching about An Inconvenient Truth from the
pulpit of their limousines. Cinema is one of the best vehicles for important messages but
Hollywood is not the suitable hometown for such films. In a way, I was the African slave
by watching the Academy Awards, I guess, as they addressed me, the audience, about global
warming on one hand, while making money off of me on the other. No, I just want to think
of Hollywood with its movies that have no messages, where I can be, or prefer to be, a
good consumer for art, instead of being a slave to fake messages.
Take care.
Gülay Acar (COMD/IV)
howtoreachgulay@yahoo.com
 |
