Oscars Analysis: Part II

Kate Winslet wins for Best Sympathetic Nazi

One of the unspoken things that's been going on at the Oscars for years now is the Holocaust situation. It is a rule of the Academy that every film that even remotely touches on the Holocaust will be automatically nominated for an Oscar (the "Holocaust Rule"). It doesn't matter if the movie's crappy, or if they have non-Jewish actors such as Daniel Craig and Liam Neeson playing Jews from Germany with Irish brogues, films about the Holocaust are apparently above reproach. If you hated Defiance and you're Jewish, you're considered a terrible person and embarrassment to the religion; if you're not Jewish and thought The Reader was boring and lame, congratulations, you're now an anti-Semite. It is also an Academy rule that during retrospective parts of the Oscars, scenes from Holocaust movies must be spliced together into a Holocaust Megamix over violin music.

As a result of this complete lunacy and because, as I noted above, all Holocaust films must be nominated as it is part of the Academy's founding constitution, I propose that for future years there be separate categories for Holocaust movies so that the Academy doesn't have to shut out movies that would have otherwise been nominated for awards if it weren't for Holocaust films stealing their spots. For instance, The Reader could have been replaced by The Wrestler for Best Picture if there was a separate category for Best Holocaust Film, and somebody else could have won Best Actress if Kate Winslet was instead nominated for Best Sympathetic Portrayal of a Nazi in a Holocaust Film. There could also be an award for Best Portrayal of a Jew by a Non-Jew. I think we can all agree that is a very good idea.

P.S. I'm Jewish so I can't be an anti-Semite.