You should be able to see at least a little why Meryl Streep not winning an Oscar is kind of like when Malone won MVP instead of Jordan, at least in one view. In the acting world there is a certain hierarchy that exists and is not to be challenged no matter what. Much like the NBA, for example, there are those that tend to shine brighter than others simply because of who they are and what they’ve done in the past, even if the present isn’t always that great. Meryl Streep for instance is an actress that everyone simply assumes is great because in all honesty she’s put in performances that have trumped pretty much everyone when it comes time to hand out awards. In essence, she is, or was, the Michael Jordan of the acting industry.
There’s a problem with that however, both in the industry and in the NBA. Most people would agree that awards are based on merit and not past deeds but they would almost always be shouted down and beaten over the head, metaphorically speaking, with the idea that these top names are and should be worthy of winning all the time. After all you don’t hear a lot of people, aside from diehard fans of other actors and teams, saying that Michael Jordan, or by comparison Meryl Streep, should just stand aside and let someone else win. It’s not going to happen for the simple fact that because they HAVE been great, they should always be considered to be that great no matter what they do.
Here’s a newsflash though: they WERE great.
Greatness is something you can achieve and hold onto for a while, but no matter how tightly you keep hold, eventually it will slip, and you will begin to falter. Even in his prime Jordan made mistakes, and Streep hasn’t always been at the top of her game no matter what people wanted to say. For example, when Karl Malone first won an MVP award a lot of people still think it should have gone to Jordan, who was still a hot commodity and, in many people’s opinions, should not have lost the award to Malone. By extension, Streep has lost the Oscar to other actors that were considered to be more talented and more attuned to their roles. It’s never been enough though to simply accept the loss for a lot of people, even those that have absolutely no stake in the awards at all. Those folks will still rail at the slight they perceive towards these all-stars all because they are who they are and should not have lost.
This is where the fantasy of the fans tends to wear thin, when they are so enamored with their stars that they elevate them to where they are essentially beyond reproach and can do no wrong. Just as Jordan has lost, so has Meryl Streep throughout the years. It’s been a graceful thing most times on the part of the athlete and the actor, but the fans have seemingly wanted blood many times when the win they wanted to see did not occur.
Eventually people need to realize that being the icon doesn’t always mean being the winner.
Follow Us
