Sean Penn Makes Immigration Status a “Joke” on the Academy Awards
For many Americans, watching the Academy Awards with family and friends is a pleasant way to spend a Sunday night. This year, a joke by Hollywood bad boy Sean Penn in giving the “Best Picture” Award for Birdman ended the show on a controversial note.
As described by the Associated Press, “Sean Penn’s remark about Mexican-born Oscar-winner Alejandro Inarritu’s immigration status at the end of Sunday’s Academy Awards telecast struck many as an insult, but the director says it was nothing more than a brutal joke between old friends. In announcing the win for `Birdman,’ Penn asked, `Who gave this son of a bitch his green card? Birdman.’ The term `green card’ refers to a document that confers permanent residency to immigrants in the United States.”
Inarritu directed Penn in his 2003 film “21 Grams,” and the pair are friends. The director won three Oscars.
Was Penn’s jibe a joke between friends or a racist insult? Check out the judgments on Twitter here.
KJ