Sean Penn’s comment fuels more #OscarsSoWhite

Sean Penn, tasked with presenting the best picture award for Birdman, made waves when, before calling up director Alejandro Iñárritu to receive the award , joked “Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?" Academy members for the 2014 Oscars have been criticized for not honoring the work of people of color; Penn’s comment didn’t help ease that tension. The joke would have played differently offstage than on – Iñárritu and Penn, also a director, are personal friends. In the spotlight of the most anticipated moment of the Academy Awards, however, the comment ignited some anger, and gave more fuel to an already-existent social media theme: #OscarsSoWhite. “Given Sean Penn’s progressive reputation and his claim that his green card comments were a joke among friends, some may think it reasonable to let the incident slide. But this incident deserves attention.” A youth commentary is on The Know.