The Pot and The Kettle

I've taken the liberty of compiling some of the more stupid explanations on why Brokeback Mountain did not win best picture:

1) Author and "Brokeback" co-screenwriter Larry McMurtry thinks that because most Academy voters are from urban areas, they had no interest in a film that took place in rural Montana. Um, ok. From Fox News:

"Members of the Academy are mostly urban people," McMurtry, who won the adapted screenplay prize with Diana Ossana, said backstage at Sunday night's ceremony. "We are an urban nation. We are not a rural nation. It's not easy even to get a rural story made."

2) Brokeback director Ang Lee's brother, Lee Kang, weighed in and thought it was some sort of American bias that did the film in. Via Fox News: "When the locals are voting, they will have this, whether you call it nationalism or something else." Hey Kang, what the f**k you talkin bout?

3) Hollywood doesn't want to seem out of touch with "mainstream America" so they deliberately chose racism over gay sex. Come on, we all know that Hollywood was over racism once O.J. was aquitted.

4) Instead of admitting defeat and conceding that some (at least a majority) of Academy voters actually thought "Crash" was, on the merits, the "best picture" of the year, The Advocate tosses the all-to-familiar homophobia card on the table (hat tip Gay Patriot):

Apparently Jack and Ennis also pushed the limits of acceptance for many Academy voters, comfortable enough with the film’s artistry and storytelling to reward its director and writers with Oscars but squeamish enough about its themes to opt for a different movie about intolerance as Best Picture.

Thus, according to The Advocate, the only reason Brokeback could have lost was Hollywood's squeamish homophobia. Not, of course, because Crash just happened to be a better movie.

Maybe Lee Kang is right, there was some sort of American bias (still not sure what the hell he means, but ok); or maybe it was red state v. blue state voters or urban v. rural; maybe it was even a hidden homophobia running rampant through the underworld of Hollywood. But maybe Crash won on the merits. Maybe the Academy voters, after watching both films with their homophobia and racism checked at the door just thought Crash was a better picture. Is that really so hard to accept?