Just received this e-mail from a friend who attended the Academy Awards last night. The friend is very much against George W. Bush and the current war, which makes his remarks more interesting…
I think people at the Oscars mostly stand and clap for age or courage. They went nuts for the Polanski vote not because they approve or disapprove of his personal life but because it was a courageous film to make and I think they were also applauding themselves for the courage to vote for it. The person next to me commented on the pressure she felt to vote for the popular choice (Marshall for Chicago) or the sentimental choice (Scorsese). She didn't vote for Polanski but felt it showed integrity for the Academy to do so.
Everyone also clapped for Moore when his win was announced because whatever you think of his film (I didn't see it) it took courage to make and courage to fight for and his work does something which most documentaries cannot do which is to achieve some commercial success and draw in audiences who usually would not be caught dead at a documentary. When Moore started his anti-Bush remarks, I was among those who booed not because I disagree with him (I think Bush is a war criminal) but because it was the wrong time and wrong place and it was a bad way to do that. From where I sat, I think about a quarter booed but it was hard to tell and it wasn't clear to me what everyone was booing.
There were some people there who loved Bush who were booing because of that and some who like me hate him but booed because they thought Moore's timing was abominable. There were also some people there who hate Bush and thought Moore was out of place but who didn't boo because they didn't want their boos to be interpreted as pro-Bush. There were also some people who didn't boo because they just aren't the kind of people to boo at a public event ever and especially at the Oscars. Several said it was just undignified for an audience (especially that audience) to act like they were at The Jerry Springer Show no matter what anyone said on that stage.
I don't think anyone can say for certain what percentage booed and I'm sure no one can say how much of that was because they hate Bush and how much was because Moore went against decorum.
It was also quickly forgotten. On the way out, I heard more talk about Halle Berry's outfit than Moore's remarks.
This is ME again. I agree that the booing was ambiguous in its meaning, and I think it's interesting to see folks this morning trying to "spin" it as proving whatever they want to prove. Some say Moore was "booed off the stage," which clearly wasn't the case. Others misquote him as saying the war was fictitious. The most interesting, possibly-valid remark I'm seeing is along the lines of, "I thought it was a rude moment, but everyone who voted for Moore knew he'd do something like that. And maybe there were some foreign viewers watching who were impressed that in the United States of America, we allow a man to get up in front of the world and say that our leaders are liars. That's one of the big differences between us and Iraq." That's kind of a nice thought — and if Mr. Moore had phrased his remarks better, it might make me wish the show really did have a billion viewers.