These days, it seems that award shows are more about politics than the awards themselves. At a typical award show, speakers, performers, presenters and the like typically make the most of their moment in the spotlight and pass on important (or even critical) messages to do with all sorts of political issues, causes and movements. But are award shows the right sort of event for going on about politics?
Yes – it’s important for people to get their points across
Award shows attract millions of viewers and you can’t blame impassioned people for wanting to use their few minutes in the spotlight to have their say or promote a specific cause. Why not? There aren’t any rules against it and in a lot of cases, awareness about previously underreported issues is raised. Surely getting political at awards shows is only beneficial? Even if people disagree with what’s being said or what messages are being displayed, it’s still getting people thinking about important issues.
No – there are other occasions to discuss politics
On the other hand, you could well argue that politics is something that shouldn’t really be brought up at award shows at all. We get enough of politics – it seems to be everywhere these days, not just in the news. Wouldn’t it be good if we could just watch an awards show without having yet more politics thrown our way? Can’t music award shows just be about the music? Can’t acting award shows just be about the acting? We’re bombarded by so many political messages that for once, it would be nice to watch any kind of awards where politics isn’t brought up at all.
What do you think?
When award shows become critiques of modern society and politics, do you groan and turn over, or do you listen eagerly? While many people use award shows to spout various political ideas and opinions, sometimes the viewers at home don’t really want to hear it and would rather get political talk from elsewhere. Is it a good thing that award shows get political or should politics be reserved for other occasions?
