For the second straight year, I’ve missed watching as it happened on TV the Oscars. I have proven anew the sayings are true, when you’re old, opportunities get sparse. Since June 1998, I’d always find ways in allotting time for indulgence with Hollywood’s live feed. Blame it to James Cameron’s “Titanic,” well, as well as that young, charming British beauty named Kate Winslet.
The movie romped away that year with almost all statuettes in almost all categories. The reason probably why I dug up the old files to compare it with ‘Gone With The Wind’ with Scarlett. And I’d say both movies are indeed fabulous. They’re well-crafted and astoundingly marvelous.
I’m happy colored people are now officially admitted to and respected in Hollywood with the victory of Steve McQueen’s “12 Years A Slave.” I just knew that it was the first Best Picture Oscar for an entry which a non-white person directed. I’d say, nice putting of icing on the cake was another victory in Best Supporting Actress category by McQueen’s fellow, an amazing African woman who, “ang lupit ng performance” in that winning film, has carved a name as Lupita Nyong’o. I would have wanted though to remind Lupita, in Hollywood, the devil wears Prada.
The die is now cast, so to speak, with the major categories won in full, at last, at least once, by the Ku Klux Klan tagged as black people. It goes into saying that Hollywood would now be completely recognizing that, indeed, like life, black is beautiful. But of course, we should remember that nowadays calling black people black would be politically incorrect. Especially if you are a pot calling a kettle like it because it would be deemed by the civilized society that you discriminate.
Sometimes I’m tempted to say that here in the Philippines, how “lucky” those so-called “blacks” could be. It’s because Filipinos don’t usually call “black” persons black but “Egoy,” “Murag Ngitngit” or “A-ti.” In fact in my generation, we normally addressed them as “White” in obvious, supreme irony. It’s for the reason that we don’t want to hurt people through literal words or hit ‘em directly.
Learn to be considerate, like did in “Iskul Bukol” by the country’s most popular trio, Tito, Vic and Joey. There was this male character therein whose skin was “itim” but they reversed it and called him Mang Tim-i (teem-eeh).
Time will come when there would be some great gathering somewhere of all people. And there would be no difference at all if you are white, brown, black or colored purple. This gathering for awarding and rewarding ceremony will have far more glitz, class and grandeur, than any Oscars ceremony ever organized in this world and we’ve had witnessed like a detestable voyeur.
Time will come when what we want to be told would be by Someone saying these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:23).
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