Forum - View topicNEWS: Miyazaki Acknowledges Missing Oscars Due to Iraq War
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Big Hed
 Posts: 1607 Location: Melbourne, Australia |
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Well, I don't really think Miyazaki was being nationalistic with these comments, so I don't see anything wrong with what he did. Also...
Actually, they did generally approve at the time. http://www.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/live/0827.htm Note: I am an American; I also happen to quite like the USA. Last edited by Big Hed on Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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bleuster
 Posts: 455 Location: Orange County |
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Well, he certainly didn't miss out on not attending the Oscars when Howl's was nominated
I don't care much for his films (some are overrated, imo), but I respect the man and his view of the world we live in. |
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Brass2TheMax
Posts: 65 |
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"Hey guys, I'm not coming to American because I plain just don't like it."
A person with marginal or higher intelligence should be reading that and saying nothing more than "Whatever bud, your choice. It's not like you abstaining from coming here detracts from my quality of life". This piece of news is the equivalent of someone admitting they don't like cabbage simply because, and having other people analysing that, turning it over in their minds trying to find an answer why. It doesn't have to make sense, and people don't have to be held accountable to their feelings. The guy didn't want to go to the States, and when asked why (even though there didn't even need to be a reason at all), he said it was because of the Iraq war. SO WHAT? It's not even important. Question: Why didn't I wake up at 10:00am this morning? Answer: Because I didn't want to. Question: Why not? Answer: Because I don't like 10:00am. PAUSE.... Result: START ANALYSING AND DISCUSSING THIS PERPLEXING INFORMATION. I'm convinced the editors at ANN have nothing else to do but report this meaningless scrap of "news" for no reason other than to stir up unnecessary controversy (over a personal decision, HURR DHURR) in order to generate more hits. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Fixed that for you. |
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bluegreen
Posts: 29 |
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Nagisa
Moderator
 Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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I wouldn't say that exactly. It sounds to me like he wasn't so much trying to make a political statement as he was just plain trying to stay out of it. Think of it like this, you're driving to your favorite bar or club or what-have-you and when you pull up you see a giant scene playing out at the door. There's a fight, lots of yelling, people crying on cellphones, and a few seconds later the cops pull up. Are you going to go in anyway and risk being caught up in the drama, or are you going to go somewhere else for the night and come back at a later date when there's less chaos going on? Most of us just wouldn't get involved. Not to protest the big drama outside, but just to not risk getting stuck in it. That's how Miyazaki's Oscar absence sounds to me, especially given how this country loves to have its Hollywood celebrities act as its moral voice. He probably didn't want to risk getting caught in some acceptance speech crossfire being expected to use his speech time to give his opinion on the war right alongside every other winner. Instead of chancing putting his foot in his mouth like every actor and director that did make the show into their own personal protest speech, he probably simply figured this was too volatile a social issue to risk his career on, so he bowed out for the time being. |
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The Infernal Dragoon
Posts: 23 Location: NY |
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I don't see why people think this is not newsworthy, or is some kind of deliberate attempt to stir controversy. His absence was certainly newsworthy when it happened and we've been left with nothing but speculation. Now we have an answer, so why not publish an answer to a question previously left unanswered? Especially when your website caters to people who are highly likely to be interested? Hell, even my immediate family, who do not watch or have a remote interest in anime, knew about Miyazaki's absence. We had a nice conversation about it at dinner one night after he decided to come to the US, and I was able to talk a bit about his movies and dealings with Disney. It was newsworthy enough for people not interested in anime, so why should something like this not be newsworthy to someone who has seen one or more of his movies?
Just because a few of you hate the inevitable trolling that results from people with particularly strong emotions, or you just can't stand when anyone brings up anything remotely political in a non-political environment, doesn't mean its not newsworthy. As with any newspaper or website, when you come across something that doesn't interest you, just turn the page or scroll down for something that interests you instead. I for one am a bit disappointed by the reason he didn't come, but so it goes. I feel a bit biased saying this, even as an American, but I'm sure an Oscar probably means more to us Americans than to the majority of the world. Other nations have their own awards too, and I'm sure artists in those countries probably seek to be recognized by their own countrymen first and foremost. I suppose skipping a foreign, albeit significant award for such reasons as Miyazaki's was simply a personal choice by someone who probably did not grow up dreaming of Oscars- instead dreaming of some other kind of domestic recognition, particularly in animation. That's not really meant to downplay the significance of an Oscar, of course. Just another way of thinking. Also interesting: The article mentions that his producers were the ones who held him back. Was Howl's Moving Castle already in the works by that point? It would be interesting if his silence was kept to prevent Miyazaki from undermining the performance of his own movie in the box office, or distribution deals with Disney. I can't think of any other reason why they would keep him quiet. Never thought of him as the business type, but maybe business really is just business :P |
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Dudley
Posts: 29 |
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Hm. I guess Miyazaki would feel confirmed that it was the better choice to keep his mouth shut after reading this thread.
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boznia
Posts: 189 |
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Eh, not really surprising, given how he's always been anti-war.
He's welcome to think and do as he wants. |
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MysteryGreenTea
Posts: 19 |
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I would have never guessed thats why Miyazaki-san missed receiving his awards. ^^"
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Kirkdawg
 Subscriber Posts: 742 Location: California, USA |
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At Brass-
You're comparing Miyazaki's decision to that of an average Joe's decision to wake up at 10 or not-this is a laughable comparison. Miyazaki is a well known figure that is making a hardball move on one of the most prestigious awards in our country (with regards to cinema). This is NOT on the same level, of course it will be analyzed and discussed. This decision made by Miyazaki has effected how I perceive him, and not in a better light. Why would he target the Academy Awards? What have they done personally to promote bombing in Iraq? I'm sure the answer is clear, but if someone can provide evidence linking the two, I would love to see it. No, he is lumping Americans into one negative image in his mind and he doesn't approve. His decision and reasoning are ludicrous. |
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Sydney2K
Posts: 219 Location: Australia |
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One could consider it news because it was published in the Los Angeles Times newspaper blog- an interview that came out of a respected news organ.
Better Miyazaki's silence than Ken Loach's withdrawal of his film Looking for Eric from the Melbourne Film Festival because the festival is partly sponsored by the Israeli government (in paying for the airfare of a producer), for their actions against Palestinians. Loach tried to make the festival organisers refuse the money, but the festival rejected the ultimatum, saying that it would not be subject to "blackmail". The coincidence is that the producer is here in Australia to introduce $9.99, the Annie award-winning Australia/Israel animation. Widya Santoso |
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Jikkle
Posts: 6 |
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The man is entitled to his opinion but personally I don't agree with that being a reason to miss the Oscars.
What I mean that the Oscars are awards that are attended by and given out by your fellow peers in the filmmaking industry and not by the government or even the public itself. So to me all you're doing is slapping the hand of your peers that want to acknowledge the excellent work you did. |
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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Way too much is being made of the issue. Based on what little detail he went into his decision to not go to the awards, we can only guess at whether he felt the awards had anything to do with the war or not, but the point was he didn't want to come to a country, which to him, was doing something inappropriate. Like it or not, what your government does is a representation of its citizens, because the officials are elected by the public.
The man didn't say that he hates America, he just thought it would be inappropriate to recieve awards at that time from an American institution, because of his disagreement with what he felt was an American action. Was it the most nuanced decision? No. But we don't really know much about it, and we're really making too much of it. |
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Inutaihanyou123
Posts: 10 |
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Knowing his stance on this issue for a long while, it wasn't suprising to hear confirmation. Its understandable considering he's supremely anti-war and always has been.
Although to me as an American, it doesn't stop it from feeling like a sad move. If he wasn't trying to make a political statment, he was just taking out his anger on everyone else in the country, regardless of the actions of that war which it had no accountablity for (read up on bush's latest memo's for that little piece). Generalizing an entire country and its people based on something beyond their control is not very fair to those people. In every country there are people who are normal just like everyone else in the world who are seperated from whatever an outsider may have strife with inside its goverment, so such a decision made by him wasn't even really worth anything in the long run. That's like hating Japan for its Chinese occupation or the UK for every colonizational occupation its had in its history. We should all be past surface intolerance, and look a little deeper. |
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