The past several years have been brutal for entertainment industry award shows. The Oscars, the Grammys and the Emmys have all seen their ratings drop to abysmally low numbers, losing viewers by the millions and rapidly receding from relevance. The cause of this drastic decline in popularity is no doubt multifaceted and can’t be blamed on any single thing, but one factor that likely plays a large role is the increasingly political nature of these awards shows.
As both the Emmys and the Oscars proved last year, celebrities, for some reason, believe that people want to hear their political opinions and be preached at by people completely out of touch with the average American. This is evidently not the case though, and the highly political Emmys of 2017 set a new record for all-time low ratings. In this age of extreme political division, if the Oscars don’t want to be a complete flop, it should keep the political content light.
Americans are more divided now than they’ve been in decades, with increasing polarization along partisan lines. No matter where one goes, it is hard to ignore the political tension gripping the nation. For instance, even the NFL, once an apolitical organization that served to bring people together, has taken on a political bent in the age of Trump. Numerous celebrities who once avoided speaking out on politics, from LeBron James to Miley Cyrus, have felt the need to weigh in on political matters, to the delight of some and to the annoyance of others. Jimmy Kimmel, the host of this year's Oscars, has taken his comedy in a far more political direction than in the past and will very likely be tempted to incorporate politics into his act Sunday night.
This really is too bad, because a politically-charged Oscars is the last thing America needs right now. America is deeply divided, and the shoehorning of politics into seemingly every avenue of life only serves to deepen the divide. Before any meaningful political change can be brought about, Americans need to be willing to come together as people and put an end to the exhausting partisan bickering.
Intolerance of people with different political views is on the rise in America, which threatens the ability of political progress to be made. As a nation, we need to see ourselves as one nation rather than as political enemies. One way to do so would be to allow one night without political grandstanding, where people can enjoy themselves without having to be subjected to the malformed opinions of some actor.
This is not to say that celebrities should never use their status to spread awareness, but that factors like the time and place ought to be taken into consideration. A night that is supposed to celebrate film really shouldn’t be turned into a soapbox for actors and actresses to air their grievances with President Trump, regardless of how valid those grievances are. With social media, celebrities can freely express their views whenever they feel like it. For both the sake of national unity and the good of the Oscars itself, it would be best to eschew the politics.