The Native American Controversy

Italians weren't a marginalised and oppressed race in need of a celebrity voice to draw global attention to the injustices they were facing. The Native Americans were. A non-Italian playing an Italian wasn't representative of any wider issue of the film industry's attitude towards casting Italian-born actors; on the other hand, the film industry chose not to cast Native Americans because of a dehumanising indifference to how authentically they needed to be portrayed. Far from being hypocritical, Brando's actions gave a voice to a race that actually needed it.

Rex 16

Ok thanks for telling me this really helps I feel bad because I didn't know he wasn't being a hypocrite

Rex16

However, despite his intentions that were not hypocritical after all, I still would not have rejected the Oscar award. Most people are not that fortunate to give that good of a performance as an actor. I wouldn't have thrown it away just to prove a point. There are other ways he could have publicly expressed and proved his point.

Sure, he could have chosen more gracious ways to make his point. But Brando comes across as a very "don't care" person. He probably chose to snub his Oscar to highlight the Native American issue because it also allowed him to show that he held Hollywood glitz and glamour in contempt.

True. The context is important, too, though.

The incident at Wounded Knee was a dominant news story in February of 1973, and the Oscars were in March.

In other words, it was topical.

You are right. 

Actually I think an awards ceremony is the perfect opportunity to something important that matters. The world is watching, seize the opportunity.

I thought it was pompous and a tad cowardly. Instead of showing up and turning it down himself (or just not showing up), he picked and sent this photogenic young girl, with a speech he'd written, to face the music for him. It was never about her voice, about the voice of Native Americans. It was all about him and his feud with the industry. And it didn't exactly do her career any favors, either.

It's interesting that some people see this as an act of courage on behalf of Native Americans when it's really just another case of a white guy using a woman/Person of Color for his own ends.

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