The Moment Sean Penn Became Bereft of Foresight; God’s Will

The broadcast had been continuing all night, and finally, we were coming to the end of it. It was 7 a.m. in the morning.

The Academy Awards were being held in Los Angeles. Since Los Angeles is three hours behind the Eastern Time Zone and 10 hours behind Turkey, it was 9 p.m. at the Dolby Theater when the awards ceremony started. Los Angeles was living life in a different time zone than the rest of the world.

While I was living there, I had to send my articles the latest by 9 or 10 a.m. in order for the newspaper to get them into the next day’s print.

All the Oscars had been awarded, and there was only one award left, which was the Academy Award for Best Movie of the year. The best movie of 2014 was going to be selected. The excitement was palpable.

An actor, who has won two Oscars and was known as the “sensible” ambassador of oppressed people and homosexual individuals, who was also against the Iraq war, was going to walk up to the stage and deliver the award: Sean Penn.

He was known as the most important face of independent American cinema, and had even been offered the role of president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, a festival which has become an alternative to Hollywood over the years where European cinema is predominant.

Sean Penn won the Academy Award for his role as Harvey Milk, who was an idol of the gay rights’ movement in America, and a politician who had become the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in San Francisco. As the sensible actor of American cinema, Sean Penn was always in union with workers’ struggles. In the fight against racism and criticism against America’s war policies, he had always led the way.

I always thought that he was a “designated character” that all anti-American reactions and opinions were channeled to. There were countless examples, and I had a lot of intuitive observations that would prove my opinion. Sean Penn was both one of the most valued people in the American movie industry and also was the leader of most anti-American policies.

How could this be possible?

For a moment, the artist who was a bohemian, protester and supporter of the oppressed, exploded!

American democracy was a democracy with much tolerance and patience, and it could easily absorb its opponents. However, it wasn’t so easy to sit in one of the most privileged seats in Hollywood while being a champion of seemingly post anti-American politics. Tolerance for opposing American policies was something, but it was something else to sit in the most privileged seat with the people championing these policies.

Sean Penn was one of the latter ones.

The previous morning at 7 a.m., when Sean Penn appeared onstage to present the most prestigious award of the 2015 Oscars, I did know that I wasn’t wrong in my thoughts.

Again, “the popular, supposedly anti- Hollywood” Sean Penn was in the most prestigious role. Somehow, he who was “the most oppositional” was coming to hand out the most prestigious award, with the most privileged position.

In alignment with the famous artist’s bohemian and protester style, a grey tie, worn over a loose-collar shirt, completed his outfit. “At a night that everyone was wearing a bow-tie, of course, it had to be a loose-collar shirt and a grey tie for an artist who is aware of his protesting and marginal style.” And so, Sean Penn was carrying an accessory that was expected of his role and the decor.

Everything was ready. All that was left was for Sean Penn to open the envelope, announce the winner and hand out the award. And it all happened at that moment, when Penn opened the envelope.

When he saw the winner’s name, he didn’t feel like announcing it right away. He wanted to say something more. He wasn’t just going to announce the winner’s name and leave that stage.

“Birdman” was receiving the Best Movie Award, and its Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzales, was going to be called to the stage for the third time to receive an Oscar. There are many famous artists, actresses and directors working in the American movie industry who have never received an Oscar in their careers, and even Sean Penn only received it twice. Now, a Mexican immigrant would be receiving his third Oscar from Sean’s hand. This was unacceptable!

Inability to Curb the Ego

Sean Penn couldn’t stand this situation. There is a point in life where the ego explodes. This point defies the role played for years, gives it away and discloses his true identity. It is the moment where a universal wisdom beyond human intelligence influences a person and shows its presence: a magnificent force beyond human control.

At that very moment, it delivered the message in the form of “not yours, but my force rules the world, the universe and life.” In varied religions, this situation is formulated in different ways. The expression “God’s will” is the most simple and plain way to express it in all religions, even in Buddhism.

Sean Penn’s intricately woven image shattered with the sentence that spilled out of his mouth at that very moment at the Dolby Theater: “Who gave this son of a b***h his green card?”

The green card is the card given to lawful immigrants in America. Alejandro Gonzales, who received three Oscars that night, is also an immigrant living in America on a green card.

Relentless opponent of racist, fascist and all inconsiderate policies, defender of all oppressed people and middle-class workers, American cinema’s popular Sean Penn was supposedly making a joke and asking, “Who gave this son of a b***h his green card?”

Suddenly, Latinos reacted to the joke and expressed their anger by bombarding social media.

Even though Alejandro Gonzales said that “Sean Penn is my friend,” at the very last moment he made an addition to his Oscar’s speech and called for Mexican immigrants to be able to live humanely in the U.S.A.

Boomerang

The gun suddenly turned back and became a boomerang. My interest in this incident is far beyond anti-Americanism or pro-Americanism, or Sean Penn’s identity, his role, or his perceived perception.

People living life with fake sentiments will always “blow up” at some point. No one can hide themselves forever.

For the last five years, there has been a family that tried to turn my life into hell with their gorgeous make-up, their democratic and liberal values and their magnificent tolerance. One day, suddenly, with God’s will, the make-up melted away. The grudge and revenge that posed as tolerance bared themselves.

As Gabriel Garcia Marquez said, “I would write my hate on ice, and wait for the sun to show.”

Not a long time passed.

And the sun shined.

My heart filled with love.

And life continued to flow inside me and outside.

Stubbornly, against ferocious grudges and the executioner of revenge.