The team behind the top-grossing documentary of the decade did the unexpected.
The Daily Wire submitted Matt Walsh’s “Am I Racist?” for Oscar consideration. At first blush, the reasoning is sound. Why wouldn’t the conservative platform do just that?
The film earned raves from audiences, made serious coin for a documentary and impacted the cultural conversation around DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). A few of the voices featured in the film fled X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, days before the film’s release.
Major corporations like John Deere, Lowe’s and Harley-Davidson have ditched their DEI programs in recent weeks.
Except 2024 releases like “Will and Harper,” a road trip documentary about a trans woman and his famous friend, stand an infinitely better chance of taking home the Oscar.
Why? Do we need to speak it aloud? OK, we will.
“Will and Harper” embraces transgender identity and co-stars a reliably progressive superstar in Will Ferrell. “Am I Racist?” skewers the Left’s Identity Politics dogma and stars social conservative Matt Walsh.
It’s that simple.
Variety reacted to The Daily Wire’s submission like a vampire exposed to Miami’s unblinking sun. The far-Left site’s temper tantrum is something to behold, more proof that Hollywood keeps select viewpoints out of the industry.
When conservative commentators clamor for recognition from the same industry they’ve labeled irrelevant, the insincerity garners a Guinness World Record amount of eye rolls. If these awards hold no value, why scramble for affirmation? Perhaps all this complaining suggests a desire to belong to a club they critique — though only on their terms [emphasis added].
It’s a movie. What “terms” exist or matter? It should be judged by its artistic merits.
Set aside the anger infecting the essay. The message is crystal clear. This is OUR Hollywood. You don’t belong, and you never will.
It’s why the overwhelming majority of film critics chose to ignore “Am I Racist?” rather than give it a fair viewing. It’s also why other artists who appear center-Right can’t get a fair shake.
RELATED: ARE CRITICS IGNORING ‘SCREAMS BEFORE SILENCE?’
Case in point? Adam Carolla’s smart 2020 documentary “Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story” profiled the first black driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Carolla says the festival circuit ignored his film despite its progressive bona fides.
A documentary about the Jackie Robinson of racing? Hard pass, apparently.
Why? The contrarian Carolla doesn’t play by the rules, he argued on his podcast.
Critics ignored “Uppity,” too. Rotten Tomatoes features just three RT-approved critics (including this site). Audiences gave it a 97 percent “fresh” rating.
Another example?
The 2023 documentary “The Fall of Minneapolis” is one of the most eye-opening films in recent memory. The movie challenged media and cultural narratives surrounding the 2020 death of George Floyd. It’s sobering, well-constructed and brimming with powerful arguments.
And it didn’t stand a chance of earning any industry praise. Nor did it.
Hollywood has built an ecosystem to support and nurture its progressive world view. Film critics play their part. So do industry bibles like Variety.
Except the barbarians are at Hollywood’s gate. And elsewhere.
New media platforms like “The Joe Rogan Experience” are now more politically influential than “60 Minutes.” Rising platforms like The Blaze, The Daily Wire and Angel Studios are working around the system to make stories on their terms.
These titles won’t draw awards season consideration, though. It’s one of many reasons why the Oscars are no longer as culturally relevant as in the past. The ideological fix is in, and consumers know it.
Meanwhile, surly op-eds from Variety tell conservative artists to stay in their lane.
Let’s let Walsh have the last word.
This is one of the most insane articles I’ve ever read. We have the most successful film in its genre this decade, but we are somehow “hypocrites” for suggesting that it deserves any awards recognition at all. Conservatives are supposed to stay in their ghettos. https://t.co/IdrR2Cvt43
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) November 15, 2024
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