I’ve never been a fan of the term “establishment.” I know what it means only to me, just as you only know what it means only to you. That’s not because the word has no meaning – it was quite clear not that long ago. It’s because the term has lost all meaning through overuse.
Words don’t simply lose meaning by themselves; the meaning is stripped from them through abuse. To be called a racist was once a serious charge, as was to claim racism. Unfortunately for real victims of racism, every utterance today is subject to accusations of racism, which dilutes real incidents of racism to background noise.
Once left-wing activists discovered they could mobilize masses, obtain influence and power, and, more importantly, monetize claims of racism, real or manufactured, it was game on. The word may have retained its meaning, but the charge is all but meaningless.
That’s why the charges of racism against the Oscars have fallen on deaf ears – half the country has seen someone falsely accused of it and the other half has been falsely accused of it. I don’t know if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is racist or just has different taste in movies than Will Smith’s wife, but I do know I don’t care.
The Oscars, like many things, are subjective. To ascribe racism to a matter of taste is yet another example of watering down the word. As comedian Adam Carolla says, you never want something subjective to go to the judges, be it a boxing match, an award, or anything else. In life you want to land the knockout blow so there’s no ambiguity.
But ambiguity is now a weapon unto itself, at least in politics.
