Danielle Levy

Couldn’t the Oscars not be more than the epitome of worldly success?–The Oscar hubbub is behind us and the winners have been declared. Despite the goodwill and graciousness of those who didn’t get Oscars, the event seems to be saying: We have one winner and four losers in each category. The whole thing has become so institutionalized not only in the movie industry, but in the general culture that we are loosing our objectivity, and what the presentation was meant to mean, can mean, does mean and how it could be reformed to be more meaningful. Does the performance of one actor over that of the others really deserve the special treatment conferred by winning an Oscar? It’s hard to see the distinction this year as it was in past years.
Several years ago the announcement from the stage was far more blatant, as the presenter would announce, ”And the winner is.” Now the phrase is, “The award goes to”. No matter, the thinking behind it is the same. And despite the talk that being nominated is award enough, the idea still is winning the statuesque.
As they stand the Oscars are the epitome of worldly success—Couldn’t they be a lot more and enrich us all rather than just those who stand to monetarily benefit?

Why not take a higher road and apply forgiveness to politics, specifically to George Bush–Several on Capitol Hill want to investigate the Bush Presidency. Senator Leahy, chair of the Judiciary Committee, calls it a truth and reconciliation commission but then explains it in a way that makes one wonder if prosecution is a possibility. He and others say we must know the truth. Indeed so. But hasn’t there been several books, commissions, articles and programs documenting the misuse of power, the excesses, the errors of the past administration? Is another likely to uncover anything of significance? Absent any proof there was some malfeasance or some intent to harm instead of the erroneous mindsets, stubbornness, bad judgments, wrong deductions and mistaken ideas that seem to have prevailed, it’s difficult to see how the nation can benefit. A few egos would be stroked, a few politicos would gloat, others would say I told you so. Still would the nation move forward? There is the argument that what happened need to be prevented from happening again. An investigation, no matter its label, may not be the way, legislation may be more fitting. Besides, at a time when resources are scare, the idea of an investigation does seem misplaced.
Taking a higher road may be more constructive, applying forgiveness to politics may be more useful in the end than any kind of investigation. Mistakes were made. Directly or not, we all paid and are paying for them. Regardless, let us now forgive. Let us not forget lest the offense be repeated, but let us forgive. Let us open our hearts, understand that making mistakes is a common denominator, that forgiveness heals far more than an investigation–one which whether or not it starts out with good motives is very likely to be politicized and hence become divisive.

Sometimes progress may be more than slow and hard to notice, but it’s there—Last Monday a Chinese delegation led by Ambassador Li Baodong appeared before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. It was a first. It told the council that people in China could voice their opinions and that the government opposes torture. In a statement before the proceedings the Chinese emphasized that human rights are related to economic growth and went on to say that the standard of living has improved, so have the judicial system and political participation. Many argue with the delegation’s presentation to the council and point to many facts painting a dismal picture of human rights in China. And yet the very fact they would agree to make this historic appearance before the UN body and answer their questions is, at the very least, worth notice. Progress is slow, comes by the millimeter, and is not always in a straight line. What matters is that it comes. One must say the Chinese delegation sent to Geneva is a good sign.
Later that week the Chinese government barred foreigners from traveling to regions with large Tibetan populations, given the approaching 50th anniversary of Tibet’s failed rebellion. There will surely be other news items somehow restricting people’s freedom. And yet none will undo the tiny progress represented by the agreement to answer the questions of the UN Human Rights Council.