The American Oscars, the World’s Best Ideological and Political Awards

Once a year, the smell of Oscars is in the air. Remember “River Elegy” with the “yellowness of the Eastern civilization” and the “blueness of the Western civilization?” That type of dualistic ideology that was so prevalent in the eighties.* Each of us “New Epoch” university students all firmly believed the Oscars to be the most advanced form of production. All anybody needed to do was slightly touch upon the matter and we would all come running. The less one sees, the more there will be to wonder at. We actually believed that we were being enlightened.

But nowadays, we have entered a new era where “nothing is shocking anymore.” What the Oscars represent is still Hollywood’s most advanced form of production. At least there is almost always a person to stand up and shout that the “emperor” is not wearing any clothing. But this emperor is not shy; he lords over his powerful productivity where superstructure is determined by its foundation. At least his nakedness is on display in front of everyone; his image is reflected in the eyes of the vast majority of people, and it is clothed in splendid attire.

This shows that you can’t underestimate the level and strength of Hollywood’s propaganda: love for your country (America) and your family, praise for the hero (imperialism), reverence of “individuality” in its highest form and spreading the essence of “humanity.” All this while simultaneously manufacturing the celebrity industry and continuously improving and perfecting the control and production of the audiences’ desire; simultaneously promoting violence and covering up the reality of violence and injustice by using “righteousness” to “justify”; simultaneously promoting your “universal value” and covering up your imperialistic nature. All the while ensuring that consumption and reproduction continue, and ensuring the reproduction of the value system.

Now that’s skill! It’s obviously propaganda, but yet the propagator himself shows contempt for the word!

The majority of films that were nominated this year were rather “somber.” They weren’t concerned with hostages, but with the Negro slave; they weren’t concerned with mental illnesses, but with savage torture. Yet the nature of the propaganda did not change.

I recently read “Argo.” This film was nominated for eight awards, including for best film. It was based on true historical events — how six American Embassy workers escaped Iran during Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. During a recent interview with former President Carter, he was asked about the movie. He said that he liked it, but that it was not consistent with the real events that had taken place. The movie’s hero, the Central Intelligence Agent, really only stayed in Iran for one and a half days, and the six Foreign Service Consulars, who stayed in the Canadian Embassy for over eighty days, really did receive more protection from the Canadian Embassy than was portrayed. I really thank Carter for his truthful words. When my friend and I went to the movie theater to see “Argo,” we were totally aware of the propaganda parts of the film, but we weren’t sure if the deliberately-focused “event” in the movie was true. Besides the inaccuracies that Carter pointed out, the diplomats never went to the bazaar; therefore, it was impossible for them to experience the Iranians’ enmity as deliberately depicted in the movie. And I don’t think I need to mention that the car chase to the airport was fictional. Of course, just based on the history of Hollywood movies, we can judge if the ending was fictional or not — to say nothing of its representation of the “enemies” and the “others.”

There were even more comments for the nominated film “Lincoln.” A commentator for Boston Public Radio [BPR] stated that there were a few historical inaccuracies in the film. One inaccuracy, in particular, is when the senators are voting on the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which would abolish slavery. The film did not use the senators’ real names but instead used the names of the states represented by the senators. Connecticut’s state name got smeared by the movie when it inaccurately used Connecticut as the state that was opposing Lincoln’s amendment. The [commentator’s] interviewee sighed that this part of history is being subverted by Hollywood and, unbeknownst to the public, it will now have Hollywood’s representation of history as the “true” history.

The commentator [of the BPR show] appeared very naïve, and the interviewee sighed, knowing that this is turning into a regular phenomenon. If she [the commentator] were reporting in another country, it’s very likely that she would participate in the production of falsifying historical accounts. Some of the untruthful accounts in her own country, because of internal conflict and different standpoints, are able to be recognized and sometimes rectified. Even though most reporting is not truthful, often only a few [errors] can be corrected, and most are readily accepted by the masses. But, in the case of other cultures and so-called “hostile” countries, due to bias and ignorance, the reporting is riddled with mistakes and rarely ever gets corrected.

Presently in China, there are some people who start off at this standpoint and some who follow the general trend. But it does not matter if it’s reasonable or justified “propaganda” — most Chinese will regard it with contempt. They are more willing to criticize themselves and more likely to regard official propaganda with skepticism and suspicion. There is nothing bad about cool-headed criticism and suspicion. Take Lu Xun as an example.** For the Chinese who have experienced the revolution, political consciousness often offers another lens for comparison. The key is that when you are doubting yourself and the whole power structure that is disseminating propaganda, be sure not to be tricked by other people. If you ingest other people’s propaganda like medicine, soon you will find that not only has it not helped your sickness but it [has caused] quite the opposite. You will find yourself even sicker with vomit and diarrhea and you will collapse from weakness. You will find yourself naked, bowed down before the emperor.

Recently the media, the newly rich and their representatives happily further reform, marketization and privatization. Even people who have neutral feelings toward China will snicker at the stupid propaganda. In China, it really is like that. Take these different types of “economic” conferences, seminars and interviews taking place at mainstream media venues: None of the reporting is being criticized. This type of reform-furthering, in the name of “revolution,” to promote the capitalist’s propaganda of the “truth,” is just like the Oscars. They find a name for themselves, with eagerness and zest, while their eyes are closed, laughing all the way to the bank, and it’s your money with which they are running off.

*Editor’s note: “River Elegy” is a six-part documentary shown on China Central Television in 1988 which portrayed the decline of traditional Chinese culture.

**Editor’s note: Lu Xun or Lu Hsün was the pen name of Zhou Shuren, a major Chinese writer of the 20th century.