Hollywood Goes Superwoke

Last night my husband and I watched The Godfather, a film released in 1972 that is still considered by many critics to be the best movie ever made. But by today's standards, it might not have been nominated  as Best Picture, which it won that year, because of how un-woke it was by our modern slobbering standards.

If you think movies are bad now, just wait. The folks who make up the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, home of the revered Oscar, are going to be even woker in 2024. (Superwoke? Megawoke?) Starting then, for a movie to be nominated in the Best Picture category it must be diverse in all facets of employment, and not just among the lead actors, producers and directors. A certain percentage of the entire crew -- staff, extras in crowd scenes, and all those hundreds of names that scroll by at the end of the film that most people ignore -- must include members of currently under-represented groups. (Or else the story line must deal with members of those groups.)

It's not just women and blacks who must be represented -- Asians, Latinx and all or some of the letters of the LGBTQ community must be included. You'll have to hire some deaf people and physically disabled people too, or else your film can't be nominated for Best Picture. But I wondered: why stop there when there are so many other disenfranchised groups left out?

What about the morbidly obese? They could be the ones who arrange for all the catering. The hideously ugly could work behind the scenes and move furniture around the set after hours. Then there's seniors, who could dispense wisdom about the early days of film. Illegal immigrants could handle all the drug needs on set, and you know that would be a full-time job. And don't overlook low-IQ idiots, stroke victims and the homeless, after all fair is fair.  

So what if none of them have any talent; if Kamala Harris can do it, anyone can.