At the outset, let me say that the allegations and admissions of sexual misconduct surrounding Hollywood figures like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey are no laughing matter. On the contrary, these behaviors are despicable and deserving of contempt.
Unfortunately, a plan by Tinseltown actors to highlight this scourge has resulted in a joke at their expense. The plan originally called for women attending the Golden Globes award to wear black gowns “as a sign of protest against the industry’s sexual abuse epidemic,” according to Mashable.
But when the men decided to attempt to show solidarity with their female colleagues by wearing black at the awards ceremony, the “Laugh” sign inadvertently lit up. Why? In order to understand the absurdity, a visual aid is needed. The following is a collage of screen grabs from a video of last year’s Golden Globes award:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Did you notice that every man is dressed in black tie? In fact, every male in attendance was so attired:
Which is precisely what the men attending the forthcoming Golden Globes plan to do. The Mashable article, which includes a publicity shot for the event that shows Michael Keaton and two other actors in black tie, acknowledges the lameness of the gesture:
… [M]ale participants may not even notice a difference. The classic black tux has always been a red-carpet staple. Protest or no, it was always a safe bet that tons of dudes would show up in black.
Still, it’s nice of these guys to put on a show of support, we guess. That is, as long as this isn’t just a show of support.
Amen to that.