Elon Musk says Oscars is a ‘woke contest’
Musk often fights “wokeness” and on Sunday, 10 March, raised his concerns about the Oscar Awards Ceremony.
South African-born US billionaire Elon Musk is known for his strong opinions and according to some, can be described as pretty dogmatic. The Tesla and SpaceX founder often shares his thoughts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
He purchased the platform in 2022 to fight for free speech and oppose the “woke mind virus.”
True to his word, Musk often fights “wokeness” and on Sunday, 10 March, raised his concerns about the Oscar Awards Ceremony.
96TH OSCARS TAKE OFF WITHOUT A HITCH
On Sunday 10 March this year, the 96th Academy Awards — also known as ‘The Oscars’ — took place and was hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
As usual, there were the awards, the various celebs who handed them over, and John Cena who appeared on stage briefly naked.
It was also a big night for the creators of Oppenheimer after the 2023 blockbuster won seven of the 13 awards it was nominated for.
Interestingly, various celebrities wore red lapel pins in support of a cease-fire in Gaza. They were worn by stars such as Mark Ruffalo, Billie Eilish, and Ramy Youssef.
TOO ‘WOKE’ FOR ELON MUSK
All of this didn’t seem to tickle Elon Musk’s fancy who headed online to blast the awards ceremony which apparently has become too “woke” for him.
Taking to his favourite platform X, the tech genius wrote that winning an Oscar doesn’t hold the same prestige and achievement it used to.
According to him, the once coveted award is now “diluted.’
“Winning an Oscar now just means you won the woke contest,” he wrote while adding, “When an award is diluted, everyone knows, including those who received it, and it no longer commands respect.”
Winning an Oscar now just means you won the woke contest
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2024
The 52-year-old later tweeted that he was wrong, indicating, perhaps, his approval of Oppenheimer’s various wins.
Of course, his annoyance with the award ceremony could also be linked to his criticisms of corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and his hate of all things “woke.”
In 2023, he tweeted against the policy stating that people in power were trying to replace discrimination with a different kind of discrimination.
He also offered to pay the legal fees of X users who are “unfairly treated” by their bosses for their posts and likes on the platform.
This after deciding to fund actress Gina Carano, the MMA fighter turned “Star Wars” actor, who is suing Disney for what she says is wrongful termination.
WOKE WITH A DASH OF REAL?
As expected, his tweets were met with varied responses from his followers who, for the most part, value his opinions.
Many of them agreed that the Oscars has lost its spark while some jokingly advised him to “buy the Oscars” in order to fix it up.
Others defended the award-ceremony as well as the winners.
“Let us not turn X into a conspiracy theory social network. Winning an Oscar isn’t about being ‘woke’; it’s about being the best. As the industry’s standards evolve, so do the winners – those who push boundaries, provoke thought, and excel in their craft,” wrote one X user passionately.
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