When Is “the Revolution” Just a Coping Mechanism?
<p><em>You say you want a revolution? Well, you know… </em>we all enjoy using fantasy to dissociate from unsatisfactory realities.</p>
<p>I’ve imagined my Oscar’s acceptance speech more times than I can count. What did I win for? To be honest, I couldn’t tell you. It fluctuates between Best Documentary and Best Original Screenplay if it has a category at all. The dress I’m wearing is gold or burnt orange or blue. I’m making headlines for not wearing any makeup. My name is called, I walk onto the stage, and proceed to eviscerate the commodification of art while simultaneously rallying the entirety of America to become eco-spiritual warriors. My speech is met with stone faces from the elite and thunderous applause from the underdogs. I’m like Jesus up there, you know, if Jesus got an Oscar.</p>
<p>I am not currently making any documentaries. I am not currently writing any screenplays. I have never made a documentary or finished writing a screenplay, and I’ve done no networking in Hollywood at all. I know nothing about the politics of Oscar nominations. I would never have the money for a dress. I can barely speak without stumbling in front of a small group, let alone a national audience.</p>
<p>Winning an Oscar is not a real plan of mine. It’s a fantasy, a fantasy I use to regulate my emotions in the face of discontent with my current circumstances. When I feel bored, unimportant, like I have so much more to offer than I’m given space to give, that’s when I imagine my Oscar speech.</p>
<p><a href="https://annamercury.medium.com/when-is-the-revolution-just-a-coping-mechanism-c6439b9fb403"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>