Oust the Oscars. Instead, let's save Gazan lives

The hoopla over the airing the Oscars this Sunday has eluded me. I no longer plan to watch because the ostentatious narcissism on display along with the outrageous waste of money bothers my conscience. The wars in the Middle East and the Ukraine have affected millions of people adversely.  There is a desperate need for food, water, supplies and shelter in Gaza. Hollywood and the world are disconnected.

Last weekend, I was particularly outraged by a photo of an emaciated child starving to death displayed on “Ayman,” a MSNBC show. Ayman Mohyeldin is an Egyptian Muslim and one of the astute on-air commentators on the Israeli-Gazan war. While over 30,000 Gazans have died by Israeli forces, starvation is rampant and children are most vulnerable. Enormous resources are needed immediately to help some two million people simply to survive.

And what is flooding the airwaves and media discussion for weeks: the Oscars to be televised on Sunday. When it is all over, perhaps more than $1 billion dollars will be spent on lavish dinners and parties, fashion, media and all the excess that makes this show so out of touch with the reality the world faces.

It’s almost like the movie industry is thumbing its nose at the world’s woes to escape into some bubble that is so self-centered and vain. We need to pat each other on the back, celebrate our projects and puff up a select group of people who are indulged with money and crave fame. 

Growing up, I used to wait for the “Awards Season” shows to air on television. It would start with the Golden Globe Awards for movies and television in January. Following would be the Grammy's for the recording industry in February. The biggest of the four was the Academy Awards in March. Then later in the year, the Emmy’s for television excellence.

I would watch the shows from start to finish even into the early morning. I knew the nominees, though I was not as much into music and rock groups. Back then, those industries — movies, television, music and Broadway — were thriving but more manageable to follow because the choices were pretty well known to most of the viewing public. There was a common cultural experience for most people to identify with.

Today, who can follow the explosion of all media and entertainment? And while much of public art on the screen, stage and in concert halls can often illuminate and inspire, it’s the original reality shows where winners are hailed and losers comforted that is really passe. Though no one is telling Hollywood except from declining ratings.

Decades later, I have decided not to watch any of these shows and evidently most viewers are following suit. The Nielsen’s ratings are down across the board. And my personal boycott seems to be growing. But there can be a plan to transform the Oscars into a meaningful display of conscience and social justice.

Cancel the entire event and tap the seeming empathy these pampered artists display in tepid acceptance speeches. Ditch the dresses and tuxes and don jeans and work boots. Fly them in scores of jets into the Middle East along with all the food and supplies that are needed. Hire Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, who is already on site, to oversee and coordinate all these high achievers to take care of every needy Gazan. That would not only force a ceasefire, it would save lives.

Film the whole enterprise. That alone would win an Oscar. And I would certainly watch. 

The Very Rev. Alexander M. Santora is the pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph in Hoboken and a Catholic Church dean. 

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Israel-Hamas war: Oust the Oscars. Instead, let's save Gazan lives