The Academy Awards ceremony is closely followed in Japan, where it’s kind of a combination of the Kohaku Red-and-White music pageant held each New Year’s Eve and the most important English lesson ever, as Japanese fans try to understand the words of their favorite stars directly. While my wife and I were watching this year’s show, she remarked, “Everyone is saying such nice things about everyone else. Japanese people could never do that. We’re not good at praising others.” Her observation seemed to be an accurate one: for some reason in Japan, no matter how respected an individual might be in his community, there’ll be a tendency for some people to want to tear him down, perhaps for the crime of rising above everyone else. You see this most acutely in politics — the moment a new Prime Minister arrives on the scene, everyone starts actively working for his downfall — but even in less visible situations, there’s an odd tradition of Japanese refusing to unanimously unite behind a single individual, even if it’s just for one night.
Jeff Bridges receives the Best Acceptance Speech Performed While Drunk Award.
