Nerd in the City

Last night saw the 86th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony. Broadcast to millions of people in many countries and tons of languages. I don’t have all the statistics as to how many, but given what live TV is these days, I know it was a lot. And it was a great show. Very entertaining and so, so funny. But with all that is happening in the world right now I had a fleeting thought of “Why am I watching this?”

Did you know that Russia has sent troops into Ukraine and they are on the brink of war?

Did you know that people are dying in Venezuela right now in the wake of protest and revolution?

We live in a world of conflict. And impending war. We live in a world where millions of people are enslaved, are dying of disease or of the unimaginable fact that they don’t have enough food. We live in a brutal, unforgiving world. And that simple fact is why we watch.

The Oscars are the stuff of dreams. We mere mortals sit on our couches and watch our royalty walk around in pretty clothes and talk of when they were us. And it’s inspiring. Hearing Lupita Nyong’o declare “Your dreams are valid.” Or Matthew McConaughey tell us the three things he needs in life, “someone to look up to, something to look forward to and someone to chase.” Being reminded yet again of the ways Angelina Jolie continuously uses her celebrity to do amazing things in places of need. The sheer fun and enjoyment that Ellen Degeneres brings to everything she does (that entire pizza bit and the selfie that broke Twitter.)

Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP

Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images 

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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Photo by Twitter @TheEllenShow

If we are being honest, the Oscars are a thing of whimsy and something that most of us only ever dream could happen. But that is why we watch. Because we need to hope and dream and think not only of the harsh realities that are ever present in this world, but the wonderful fancies that our deepest hearts wish after.

I love the Oscars. I love losing myself in the glamour. And we need that. Because when we all wake this morning the world is still calling. The problems are still there needing our attention. But for one magical night we are allowed to forget and that is why we watch…