It seems the Oscars could have used a heavy dose of Ricky Gervais.
During his acceptance speech after winning Best Actor for his role in "Joker," actor Joaquin Phoenix went on a strange rant which saw him bash human treatment of the environment - most notably the artificial insemination of cows.
In a speech that was all over the place, Phoenix said, "I think whether we’re talking about gender and equality, or racism, or queer rights, or indigenous rights, or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice. We’re talking about the fight against the belief that one people, one race, one gender, one species has the right to dominate, control, use, and exploit another with impunity."
He insisted humans have become "more disconnected from the natural world" and that we are too self-centered about our place in the world.
Phoenix's example of this got everyone's attention, as he said, "We go into the natural world and plunder it of its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and then steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable."