A Night at the Oscar-Politically-Driven-Awards

So, how about them speeches, hmm? There were quite a few politically and socially driven speeches behind particular wins, like Best Original Song ("Glory"), and Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"). In a way, these unpredictable social speeches made me uncomfortable, especially with my parents present and watching along with me. However, that irksome feeling is something we all need, I believe; the feeling that despite everything we have nowadays, there are still obstacles needing to be hurdled over. We need to have all these pretty people tell us that there are still persistent (and most of the time unacknowledged) social issues plaguing our country. If we don't listen to the choice politicians who personally care about these problems, then who will we listen to? The people of Hollywood, of course!

I'm glad that there were some who took to the stage and regained their civil liberties by blasting the awards with demands for the public and elite. This public outcry will hopefully stoke the fires of social injustice once more, and possibly provoke our powdered-wig government to actually listen to the country rather than adhere to hefty money-bagging lawmakers.

A big "however": in light of all this hurrah and call to action, Patricia Arquette went a little backwards and asked the LGBT and colored communities to take a stand for women's rights, "to fight for [them] now". How about we all just work together to help each other out and not make it a priority race? I can only hope that there will be people who take the latter outburst from her post-award speech, and apply it to the fact that all people deserve to have equal rights regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or color. Let's leave it at that, Arquette, and say we are in this fight together for equality for all.

MLK

Today we reflect on the legacy one man has left behind in the social justice movement, along with many others. Even every day there are those who continue to fight for social issues in our country.

Martin Luther King, Jr's hard work and determination for equality doesn't just end with race relations, but emphasizes the lack of compassion. There are still so many in this day and age who believe they're the superior race, creed, sex, and can't see everyone else as human beings. The most important thing we can do is to continue the fight for equality for all, in our nation and other countries, whether it be volunteering, donating, or raising awareness. Through this, we can show our compassion for the human race.

What are you doing to make sure Dr. King's legacy stays alive?