Losses aren’t always insulting ‘snubs’
Jan 21, 2014, 2:36 PM | Updated: Jan 28, 2014, 5:49 pm
After the announcement of Academy Award nominations, countless commentators focused on unexpected Oscar “snubs.” For instance, the Coen Brothers’ over-praised movie INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS got no major nominations, and Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, Emma Thompson and Oprah Winfrey won’t be finalists for acting awards.
But these aren’t “snubs”—any more than losing a primary election, or dropping a playoff game and not advancing to the Super Bowl count as snubs. When Academy members mark their ballots they think about candidates they mean to honor, not contenders they want to insult. The word “snub” implies that an individual is unequivocally entitled to consideration, but inexplicably didn’t get it.
If Hillary Clinton doesn’t win the Democratic nomination, it won’t be a snub, it would be a defeat—and the right decision, surely, for her party and the country.