The 2016 Academy Awards were a sight to see for a number of reasons. Leo finally got that Oscar (congrats!), stunning fashions graced the red carpet and talk about racism was at the forefront. Especially when considering continuously trending hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite, it was inevitable that something widely understood wouldn't get attention.
I don't know what they were thinking but at the awards which aired last Sunday, host Chris Rock announced that Stacey Dash was the new Director of Minority Outreach for the Academy. What? I mean really, what? Stacey Dash? The same Dash that works at Fox News? The same Stacey Dash that has previously stated she doesn't believe there should be a Black History Month and we should get rid of channels like BET?
Luckily I'm not alone in my thoughts. The audience at the awards didn't have much to say when Dash came out on stage to address the crowd.
There was barely any applause when Dash was announced with her new title. One of the more notable reactions is from the singer The Weeknd who struggled to hold back his laughter. It's funny considering that in the video linked above, she clearly says that things like Black History Month should be abolished in the name of segregation. Then, in contrast, she goes out of her way to tell the crowd happy "Black History Month?"
Surely she could have changed her views since the initial recording of that segment but if I believe that then I'll have to believe that presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton has done the same. What I don't understand is what Dash gets out of this deal. Is the Academy paying her to go against everything she's stood for? Is the whole thing a troll? I almost wanted to look throughout the audience to find Ashton Kutcher with a snapback on.
Social media hosting a swarm of people questioning what just happened along with me. Luckily it looks like the whole thing is a joke. According to an article in People Magazine, Dash dashed (zing!) to the Internet to blog an explanation directly after her Oscars appearance. "When they added ME to increase the diversity, I'm sure many black people rolled their eyes," she stated. "We shouldn't boycott the Oscars, and we need to support Chris Rock the host." Dash even takes the time to plug he book in the blog post so I guess we know why she went on stage.
If anything, thank you Stacey Dash for giving us all the laugh you were... aiming for?
On a larger scale, it just looks like she's making fun of all the people who believe in fighting or a change. She's and by extension, the Academy for allowing this to happen, is treating this widely accepted issue as if it's something to disregard. Newsflash, you can't disregard people's lives.
