It was the moment of the Oscars. Host Ellen Degeneres walking through the audience, then getting the A-list of Hollywood together for a selfie. Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Spacey, Meryl Streep were sticking her head through. Brad Pitt with a goofy smile and Angelina Jolie, amazingly, obscured by a hand. Bradley Cooper took the shot, and America — for reasons far too familiar — took sides.
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The photo, posted on Ellen’s Twitter account, broke records. Ellen said that the photo broke Twitter. (That’s debatable, as anyone familiar with the micro-blogging service knows that Twitter can be taken down with a funny picture of a cat or, you know, a day ending with the letter “Y.”) But there is no doubt that the photo resonated.
It has been re-tweeted 2.9 million times, more than any other photo in history.It was a cool moment. This isn’t an excuse for self-aggrandizing, self-congratulating actors who lament life’s struggles while shopping at Cartier. It was a group of actors getting together for a photo — it was fun.
Put your ideology aside and admit it: It. Was. Fun.
But not everyone can see through their ideology, and this is why we can’t have nice things. The Left was first to be upset. Why? Because the photo didn’t have enough celebrities in it? Because Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o was the only black woman in the photo? No. It’s because of President Obama.
The former most re-tweeted photo in history was of President Obama hugging his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, after winning re-election. And leftists, realizing that the Ellen photo was going to break the President’s record, got sad…and angry…and surreal:
https://twitter.com/mandyfatemi/statuses/440328165165375489
<sadface> MT @nytimesarts: Ellen's selfie passed the @BarackObama 2012 tweet for the most RTs record http://t.co/5VxDbymxt1 #4moreyears
— Margy Waller 🌻 (@margyartgrrl) March 3, 2014
I love Ellen, but this should stay the most rt'd photo ever RT @BarackObama: Four more years. pic.twitter.com/lHM8epSATf
— Dawn Kettinger (@DawnKettinger) March 3, 2014
https://twitter.com/garyhe/statuses/440330892620611585
No other word can describe these kinds of hysterics than “unhinged.”
When you think America is “awful” for retweeting a photo of Frank Underwood looking like he just got goosed, you’re not ok. You’re indecent. Unfortunately, some on the Right decided that this was a moment that shouldn’t pass, either.
Radio host Doc Thompson from The Blaze Radio posted on Twitter that this should be the most re-tweeted photo in history. The photo in question? A picture of the United States Constitution.
It’s one thing to say that America is celebrity obsessed. It is. We know far too much about Justin Beiber. We care far too much about who John Mayer is sleeping with. (And why are all these beautiful women sleeping with John Mayer? Stop it! You’re gonna get a rash!!) There is no reason that attention seeker Kate Gosselin should appear on TV ever. And, we get it, Shia LaBeouf. You’re retired.
But this was the Oscars. This is the moment when we obsess with celebrity. As a nation, we have always obsessed with celebrity. And so have many other nations. Movies, or books, or plays, or opera, or music or sports; escapism has always been wanted and celebrating those who hit the high notes, make the play come to life, who throw the winning touchdown or write the meaningful passage have always been people that are, in some regard, admired.
The Constitution is an amazing gift; a recognition of what rights clearly come from Nature and Nature’s Law and a reminder of how quickly liberty can be snuffed out by unruly gangs of Harvard street toughs who think they’re better than you.
I, for one, would agree, that the Constitution is more important than celebrity. But this isn’t a conversation of what’s more important. This was a cool photo. To bring ideology into the mix – over a photo! – is exactly what the culture war isn’t about.