Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
While most of us were rooting for either BlacKKklansman, Black Panther or even Roma to win Best Picture at last night’s Oscars, the Academy had other thoughts.
These folks, who are roughly 87 percent white and 70 percent male, decided that Green Book was the best of 2018. You know, the white savior film where a white racist man that uses the N-word freely can teach a Black man about his Blackness by eating fried chicken.
Fantastic. Driving Miss Daisy 2.0.
Written and directed by white men, one who has a history of exposing his penis “as a joke” and the other a Trump supporter who had to apologize for a 2015 anti-Muslim tweet, Green Book centers on Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class African-American pianist who goes on a concert tour in the Deep South. He realizes that he needs a driver and bodyguard to protect him and ends up hiring Tony Lip, played by Viggo Mortensen. Somehow, the two men learn about racism and the power of friendship.
Translation:
Outside the terrible framing of this film through a white lens and the complete disrespect to the actual Green Book, the drama has also come under fire as Shirley’s family has stated that the film is based on “lies” and they did not give the filmmakers their blessing to make this film.
Sadly, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is an executive producer of the movie too, which she has defended saying that these white men should be able to tell their own stories.
Girl, not at the expense of Black folks, but OK sis.
Clearly, I wasn’t alone in my anger for Green Book taking home the night’s biggest surprise. Black Twitter had some serious words for the Academy and they were not pretty. Take a look:
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Good morning
— George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) February 25, 2019
Green Book was trash
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For anyone who may be interested in what the Green Book actually was, here is a link to more information about this act of resistance and source of love and survival for many African-Americans. It started with Victor Hugo Green. #OSCARS https://t.co/gdFp1mekub pic.twitter.com/9WkeInv2fd
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 25, 2019
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white men make terrible, superficial movies about racism for white audiences all to get rewarded for it by other white men so that they can continue to center themselves as heroes of every narrative & congratulate themselves for films which deserved a straight to DVD release.
— Femmefeministe (@Femmefeministe) February 25, 2019
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Mahershala’s first words in his acceptance speech were about Dr Shirley, in stark contrast to Peter Farrelli’s, which didn’t mention the Dr or his family at all.
— Good Trouble (@JLBarrow) February 25, 2019
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I fix it. pic.twitter.com/zNwdgOu7Kt
— lauren folds her nyepkins to the left (@iamlaurenp) February 25, 2019
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You cannot tell me that Green Book is a better film than Roma or Black Panther or even BlacKkKlansman. You cannot. This is fucking stupid.
— Zeba Blay (@zblay) February 25, 2019
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The Oscars said, "Fuck y'all niggers!" right before walking out the doors with that Best Picture win. Hollering lmfao https://t.co/xDu3w66EM1
— X (@XLNB) February 25, 2019
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Green Book was not for Black people.
— brittany packnett cunningham has 3 names. (@MsPackyetti) February 25, 2019
It was to make white people feel good about doing little to stop racism beyond the interpersonal.
Also, the other movies were better.
ALSO, Regina, Ruth, Spike & more amazing Black folks won last night so I’m done talmbout Green a Book.
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Green Book is a perfect best picture for a country in denial about where it is, how it got here and what is necessary to change course.
— Adam Serwer 🍝 (@AdamSerwer) February 25, 2019
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Green Book thinks you’re so articulate https://t.co/Z3L3ytCF20
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 25, 2019
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Green Book loves diversity but it’s just not fair that you got into Harvard and not them. https://t.co/vDUMLkqt9b
— Rae Sanni (@raesanni) February 25, 2019
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I'm almost more annoyed about the way John Lewis was used to introduce Green Book than I am about the Oscar - it's not enough to feed off of our history in the film, but they had to appropriate it on the stage - WHEW
— Tananarive Due (@TananariveDue) February 25, 2019
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The Academy Voters: “I would’ve voted for Green Book three times if I could’ve.” pic.twitter.com/bGR7zF2oRT
— X (@XLNB) February 25, 2019
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So Green Book really ran away with Best Picture? That’s the worst winner since Crash. Wow. pic.twitter.com/u6lUy97Yh2
— floridian swamp rat ✨ (@Nadia20) February 25, 2019
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"I don't care if you're black, white, purple, yellow, or Green Book." - America
— ye 🌍 (@yedoye_) February 25, 2019
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#oscars. Greenbook: We won. The world: pic.twitter.com/s2fD4xEO3x
— G’Challa (@CodeNameGreyham) February 25, 2019
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When Viggo's character pulled that "I'm blacker than you" bullshit in that movie... yeah Green Book wasn't for us.
— Craig Bro Dude (@CraigSJ) February 25, 2019
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Spike Lee, like many of us, wasn't thrilled when #GreenBook was announced as this year's Best Picture winner.
— Complex (@Complex) February 25, 2019
"I mean, every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose." https://t.co/aT1kiMBqIA pic.twitter.com/BHstu9laNq