It’s Oscar night. And the social media universe is lit up with inflammatory comments from the “I don’t care” crowd.
Let me get this off my chest.
You don’t care about the Oscars. Got it.
I’ll get back to you and that all-too-common sentiment about “not caring” in just a moment. But first, let me share a few thoughts of my own.
I’ve watched every Academy Awards telecast since 1972 (I was 10 back then, and today I’m 60 — do the math = this will be my 50th year of Oscars). I’ve laughed. I’ve cried. I’ve dreamed. I’ve cheered. I’ve been furious. I bet money. I won money. I lost money. Every year, watching the Oscars is like that Thanksgiving dinner with family — excruciating, joyous, something to talk about, filled with love, scandalous, occasionally embarrassing, and parts even a train wreck — but you just have to go and be there and be part of it.
To be clear, the Oscars deserve lots of criticism. Last year’s broadcast was horrific. There are so many things about the Oscars that drive me crazy, and I can’t even begin to list them all. Especially recently, and even more so this year given what I’ve read about the many changes to the presentation. I’ve been overly critical in my comments over the years with the direction the Oscars has taken. And this year’s nominees don’t really interest me much. In fact, this year is one of the first where I have NOT seen the majority of films that have been nominated. So, some of this will be new, and the names will sound strange to me.
But still, I’ll watch. Because I do love movies, and I relish the power of movies, and this occasion happens just once a year. I watch and even criticize because…I CARE. And perhaps a little criticism here and there will be echoed and make it better in the long run. Who knows?
But some of you insist you don’t care. That fine. Do something else. Make other plans. Do your own thing.
What I don’t get is this — why do you have to tell everybody about it? Why must you inform the world that you don’t care? If you really “don’t care,” then wouldn’t you skip over the thread, or ignore the post, or simply decide to comment on something else and make better use of your time? Fact is, if you’re posting about something — YOU DO CARE.
Am I making myself clear?
There are lots of big events I’ve watched and even been a part of. For instance, my guess is that 98 percent of the people on planet earth don’t give a shit about the World Series of Poker, something which I worked for 20 years. But I never once ever saw a post from anyone professing they “don’t care.” Most people who are not interested in something simply skip the topic and move on. This obsession with “not caring” does seem to be a peculiarly American characteristic. They must let everyone know they don’t care!
For instance, when the Super Bowl is the all rage every year, I don’t see a string of incendiary posts from non-football fans expressing their indifference. Yet, when the World Cup happens (every four years), many Americans somehow feel the compulsion to announce they “don’t care,” which seems both trivially odd and frankly, downright rude. I have hundreds of friends and contacts around the world and when I post football stuff, no one from another country feels the need to tell me they “don’t care.”
So, here we are. It’s Oscar night. And the social media universe is lit up with inflammatory comments from the “I don’t care” crowd. What tiresome losers.
Here’s a thought: I don’t really fucking care that you don’t care. Okay?