Ryan Gosling’s Oscar Nomination for ‘Barbie’ Is Proof That Men Still Matter in Hollywood

‘Feminist’ film would not have succeeded without strong male presence and masculine wit

Some people are very upset that Hollywood superstar Ryan Gosling earned a best supporting actor nomination for his role as Ken in the Barbie film. The massively successful blockbuster was supposed to be a celebration of corporate-sponsored feminism or whatever, so these people are annoyed that the film’s female lead, Margot Robbie, and female director, Greta Gerwig, were deemed unworthy by the academy.

You’re probably thinking, “Who cares?” It’s a great question, and the answer is: liberal weirdos obsessed with politics. Hillary Clinton, for example. The failed politician posted the following note on her Instagram account on Wednesday:

The answer to your next question is: Yes, that is almost certainly a veiled reference to the 2016 election that she lost despite winning the popular vote (because the popular vote doesn’t count in presidential elections). It was the most humiliating defeat in the history of American politics, and she will never get over it. At least one liberal on social media argued that Gosling’s nomination “perfectly explains…why we aren’t in the 8th year of Hillary Clinton’s presidency.”

Imagine being the sort of person who thinks Hollywood’s politics are insufficiently progressive. Liberal journalists can’t even agree about whether the Oscar nominations were diverse enough. Vivian Kwarm of the New York Daily News suggested that “performers of color have a lot to celebrate,” while Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press observed that the academy “continues to disappoint with black women.”

This is progressive politics in action. Robbie and Gerwig are both white and married to men, so the fact that they happen to be women (since birth, alas) doesn’t count for much on the increasingly intricate hierarchy of “diversity and inclusion.” America Ferrera received a best supporting actress nomination for her role in Barbie, but she is the daughter of Honduran immigrants with indigenous heritage.

In a vulnerable display of male compassion validating his Oscar nomination, Gosling congratulated Ferrera and expressed his disappointment that Robbie and Gerwig weren’t included. “Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees,” he said in a statement.

Gosling is far too humble to say what everyone is secretly thinking: Barbie would not have been a massive success without his strong male performance in the role of Ken. The academy’s decision to recognize this vital contribution to the advancement of corporate-sponsored feminism is proof that men still matter in Hollywood.

Here’s hoping Gosling wins the Oscar. (He won’t.) Nevertheless, huzzah!