As IF Times

As many may know, January is the beginning of award show season for those participants in the entertainment business.  Among the long list of award shows are:  the Golden Globes, then the Oscars, then the Grammys, then the Tonys, the Emmys, the critic’s choice awards etc., etc.  The actual complete list is actually about 3 times the ones just listed including of course the Dorian awards, given by the LGBTQ community.

Some may argue that these awards are frivolous and serve only to augment the fragile egos of those in the entertainment industry.  It certainly can’t compare to the prestigious awards given by the state for being not only famous but for also being an all-around great citizen.  In the UK, such an honor is designated by the honorific ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’ bestowed upon the winners.  Thus we have Sir Paul McCartney and Dame Agatha Christie.

In the United States, the parallel honorific is the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, which is bestowed upon people deemed to have contributed in some significant way to the cultural enrichment of the nation.  As it happens, a very large number of the recipients have been involved with the entertainment business, so we can consider it to be a more prestigious version of the Academy Awards.  In the case of the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, the requirements are rather vague, as there is no peer committee to pass judgement on the merits of the inductee.  As far as we know, it’s totally discretionary on the part of the sitting President.  What we can note is that you cannot be a winner if you’re not famous.

Among the most recent recipients are the names Hilary Clinton and George Soros.  Their names were included with such as Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox and others in this year’s inductee group. The names of Soros and Clinton may have irked some of the other winners in the same way that a desk jockey General displaying a chest full of notional medals is paraded among genuine soldiers receiving medals of valor. Hilary Clinton has as much to do with freedom as a turtle has to roller skates.

It’s human nature to want and grant recognition; this much is obvious by the many instances of contests and awards regimes we’re all exposed to during our lifetimes. Ribbons for this, medals for that, a gold star here, a statue there. .

As Sally Field exclaimed during her Oscar acceptance speech in 1985, “…You like me, right now, you like me!..”

It’s intensely ironic that the “Medal Of Freedom” was awarded to both Clinton and Soros, both of whom have been the strongest advocates of oppression for Americans, certainly not freedom.  Soros is widely reputed to have stated that his life’s mission is, “to destroy the United States”. Maybe he was misquoted and just misunderstood; the media can exaggerate so much these days. Remember what Abe Lincoln said about stuff you find on the internet.  But this is certainly the same Soros who was evicted from Hungary for his subversive activities there. Also the same Soros who funds the Open Society Foundations supporting all manner of anti-American causes. Of course you could argue that via his activities, Soros contributed to cultural enrichment of the US by funding such as Black Lives Matter.  Contrast this with the work of Julian Assange and Edward Snowden who have sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of freedom and transparency but who remain outcasts in society.

Among the crop of this year’s recipients is Lionel Messi, a soccer player.  He concluded that the whole spectacle was not his thing and decided not to attend. We don’t know his motives, perhaps he had a scheduling conflict.  Or perhaps he didn’t want to be accorded the same accolade as some of the other honorees.  It could be that he understands that it’s all theater and he isn’t in such need of attention.  His awards case is already full of real trophies.

link Hank Aaron Compares Republicans That Oppose Obama To KKK « CBS Atlanta.

Et tu Hank?  In his day, Hammerin’ Hank was a breakthrough character.  In the days before it was acceptable to have ‘coloreds’ (as blacks were then referred) as members on athletic teams, Aaron was a pioneer in the sports world and to this day exists as a hero to millions.  But unlike what many people may think, he was and still is celebrated not because he’s black, but because he was good.

Had he batted .187, no one would have heard of him.  This is the case today in all professional sports, whether it be baseball, basketball, football and even hockey. There are numerous black and Hispanic players ascending to prominence because of their natural abilities.   Talent is obvious and is recognized.  Nobody would insert someone of questionable talent into the big leagues and deflect any criticism of such a person as being racist in nature.  If they stink, they stink.

Odd then that such a circumstance exists now with the incumbent President of the United States. Despite a term and a half of demonstrably inept management capabilities, poorly thought out programs and misguided national policies,  the only fall back that tribal supporters can defend with is that all criticisms are rooted in racism.  It’s as if they kept pulling out the Charizard card in a Pokémon game as the all powerful one stop defense play.

Back in the day when Bill Clinton was president, any time that he was cornered on his policy failures, his wife Hilary famously declared that there was a ‘vast right wing conspiracy’ against her husband.  Despite the claim by many that Bill was in fact the first black president, they were reluctant to play that race card, because even for the Clintons, that was a stretch.  So the right wing card was the one played.  We can bet every last dollar in the kids’ trust funds that if and when Hilary decides to run, any opposition against her will be characterized as ‘anti-women’.  Boy, the fat transsexuals with harelips but no political or discernible talent should run for office because no one will be able to knock ’em.

Aaron may have been a great ball player in his day and it’s likely that his early experiences in life has colored everything else in his worldview.  That’s understandable.  Turkeys will mistrust humans even if they’re vegetarians. The greatest irony in Aaron’s sentiment is that this is exactly the mindset that sought to exclude him from the game 60 odd years ago.  They sought to exclude him despite his talent because he was black.  He’s now excusing the President for his lack of abilities because he is black.  In doing so, he diminishes the achievements of those that have come before him and those that will yet come.

Sharpton, Jackson, Belafonte, all are discredited for their irrational utterances; but you too Hank?  Say it ain’t so.