Snub.
1) to insult (someone) deliberately
2) to stop or check the motion of (a boat, horse, etc) by taking turns of a rope or cable around a post or other fixed object
One of things that drives me nuts at awards time is that people who get paid to give their opinions (like the nice folks at E.W.) throw the word “snub” around when the person or film they think deserved a nomination doesn’t get one. I’m fully convinced that this is a way to save face. Clearly they, the all-mighty film critic, couldn’t be wrong about what they thought would get nominated!
I’m fairly certain the voters are not tying off their horses and boats, so I can logically conclude that a true “snubbing” happened if they all got together and decided that they were going to take a stand against a certain person of film. Call me old-fashioned, but I have faith that people generally follow the rules, and this isn’t happening.
Ultimately, voters vote for what they like. If it just so happens that not enough people liked the same thing, it may not end up on the ballot. Is this a true “snub?” Absolutely not. It’s bad luck. In fact, it’s possible that every single person in the Academy voted for the so-called “snubbed” person or film, but the preferential voting system didn’t allow it to make the final ballot. See the Academy page for more on the preferential voting system.
So on nomination day, when the press conference is over and all of the “experts” decide to give their 2 cents, please take what they say with a grain of salt. Remember, they get paid to state their opinion, and the general public unfortunately tends to treat that as fact. Yes, there are several films that “should” garner a Best Picture nomination (especially with 10 spots). Yes, I think I know what at least 5 of them will be. Yes, I will be surprised if some of them don’t make the list. No, that doesn’t mean they got “snubbed.” There is no conspiracy theory at work here. The system is what it is, and that’s why it’s fun.
-Steve
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