TL;DR What (and why) we should all learn from the speech Joaquin Phoenix gave at the Oscars.
Joker was a great movie. And the performance by Joaquin Phoenix was phenomenal. He deserved the Oscar he got. Mostly people agree on that.
What they don't agree on is the things he said at his acceptance speech. If you haven't watched it yet, you can find it here:
This made part of the Internet angry. I saw a video by a dude making fun of Phoenix and then drinking a glass of milk, saying it was delicious. Others were commenting on how Joaquin is either crazy or high.
Why People Got Pissed
Here is what I believe: people who stand on a morally higher ground than us, make us feel uncomfortable. They make us feel inferior and that makes us mad. We start acting defensive (or aggressive). The fact that we are so terrified of personal change makes things worse.
I've been a pescatarian (which is a fancy word for vegetarian who eats fish) for about 10 years and when I say it to people (because we are eating together, they offer meat to me, I say no thank you, and they proceed into asking me why), a big percentage of them verbally attacks me. They feel this need to prove (to themselves?) that what I'm doing is wrong or makes no sense. I used to explain to people my reasons why but nowadays if I don't care much about you or our relationship I'll just tell you "for personal reasons".
What People Should Do Instead
What if instead of getting defensive, we tried to understand?
What if instead of feeling as bad people, because we are not vegan, we tried to implement small changes and iterate on them?
For sure, if you want to stand firmly against animal abuse and help the environment, you should go vegan. This is the ideal way. But it is not the only way. There are small changes that can help, both the animals and the environment:
- Don't eat meat for one day each week. If this works out ok, make it two
- Replace your cow milk latte with an almond one
- Replace plastic straws with reusable ones and help the environment
- Put reusable bags in your trunk and use them when you shop
- Pick a cosmetics brand that does not experiment on animals. Start by something simple, like your hands soap
You don't need to go all the way, nor have you do it all at once.
Every little thing counts.
Joaquin Phoenix talked about standing against injustice, speaking for the voiceless, and defending the defenseless. And when we are talking about kindness and justice, small acts can go a long way.
We fear the idea of personal change, because we think we need to sacrifice something; to give something up. But human beings at our best are so creative and inventive, and we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and the environment. ~ Joaquin Phoenix
Let's try to do better, one small act at the time.
Let's try to understand more and be more compassionate.
Lastly, when we see someone, not being able to express themselves because their emotions are overflowing, like Phoenix at the end of his speech, let's stop and wonder why.
When Phoenix was 19 years old, he lost his older brother, River Phoenix, who was also an activist for animal and human rights. River was an actor who had also been nominated for an Oscar. He did not win. And now Joaquin was on stage, receiving the Oscar his brother never won, defending the same beliefs as his brother, and quoting him. I don't know about you, but I think Joaquin did pretty damn well.
Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow. ~ River Phoenix