Back breaking

Okay, so "Brokeback" didn't take best motion picture at the Oscars.

So what?

Pick up an issue of the New York Times, and you'll read that society just isn't ready for gay cowboys to steal the limelight.

But the issue is not homosexuality, it's what people enjoy most. Pointing our fingers at an irrelevant topic is just irresponsibly blaming the wrong people.

"Crash" led the way at the Oscars, taking home not only best picture, but original screenplay and achievement in film editing to boot.

So there you have it. The most accomplished film of 2005. A movie, as pointed out by a fellow editor, whose last line of dialogue is spoken by Ludacris.

Clearly, the voice of the public has spoken, and the name on its lips for 2005 was "Crash."

This wasn't a hate crime. Like a duelist in a gunfight, Brokeback lost, fair and square. Jack Twist said it best: "You know, friend, this is a god damn bitch of an unsatisfactory situation."

What the public needs to remember about the way the Oscars turned out is objectivity. An objective decision was made by objective people, and whether a certain film advocated anything having to do with homosexuality has nothing to do with what was decided.

Anyway, don't get your chaps in a knot. Brokeback took best original score and best adaptation, no small accomplishment for any film. You wouldn't have been brought to tears when Innis pulls the bloodied shirt from Jack's closet without the superb soundtrack.

Both films did well, and rightfully so.

Voting for the best motion picture of the year is like voting for anything else, be it president of the United States or president of an undergraduate club. What the majority chooses is the best decision for everyone -- that's how we selected a competent president and a quality film for best picture.

I can't say I saw "Crash," but according to the reviews, it challenged modern prejudice and set a course for cultural relevance. An emotional and poignant ride, so they say. In the end, it landed on top with its awards and will be remembered for years.

Its tagline is, "You think you know who you are. You have no idea." Today, maybe that kind of challenge is a little more refreshing and introspective than, "Love is a force of nature." We've all seen the love stories before. They're all the same.

Right?

When I saw "Brokeback Mountain" with friends, I thought for sure I'd seen The One. When I wasn't laughing or trying not to cry, I was chewing my fingernails from discomfort. It was perfect. What I noticed in it was a similar social relevance that reviewers found in "Crash."

Appropriately, when the votes came in, practically the only thing Brokeback and "Crash" didn't take home between the two of them was best documentary.

Damn penguins.

But when it came to deciding best motion picture, it all it came down to a quick vote. Majority rules, may the best man win.

So for the cowboy fans out there, let's step aside gracefully and admit defeat. Blaming the results on homosexuality in film is downright wrong. It wasn't a hot-button issue that sealed it. It was flaws in the motion picture.

Jack, I swear.