Kathleen Parker skewers celebrities for their self-involvement and grandiose egos. I admit that’s not a very challenging task. But it’s amusing nonetheless.
It’s funny, but all these Hollywood types who are so vocally opposed to the war must have suddenly realized that they sound just like all their buddies and the “principled” opposition is not all that heroic, and thus doesn’t provide the good press they thought it would. So now, they whisper to reporters about a new “blacklisting” and repercussions. As if anyone in Hollywood power circles actually disagrees with what they’re saying. The people who have to really worry are those who support President Bush’s policies.
Besides, the thing we often forget about Joe McCarthy’s House Unamerican Activities Committee was that there really were Communists in Hollywood really trying to influence americans to become more receptive to the Soviet Union.
As usual, hearing these celebrity one-watt bulbs speak for themselves is immensely amusing:
“Why is it when we have 10 million people in this country who say ‘No’, we still have a president who says ‘Yes.’ In a democracy, something’s wrong here,” said Richard Gere.
Um, Richard, I’m not sure exactly how many people have actually said “no,” but here’s what may be wrong. At last count, there were 290,467,502 people in the United States, which means you’re down about 280 million.
“Actors are people, we are Americans, we have a right to say what we want to say,” said Queen Latifah.
Exactly so. Her Majesty Latifah has a right, as do we all, to say whatever she wants. Is America great or what? But free speech also includes the right to ignore the speaker. Or, in the case of Sean Penn’s self-important pilgrimage to Iraq, to think one a traitor. Or to write hateful letters.
Yet Melissa Gilbert, president of the Screen Actors Guild, has a bee in her bonnet because people are writing and signing petitions. In effect, they’re protesting the protesters. How dare they! Who are these people?!
“People have these Web sites going where they’re asking folks to sign petitions to insist that actors are fired off the shows they’re on,” said Gilbert. “And they’re getting like 30,000 signatures.” Like whoa, something tells me we’re not on the little prairie anymore.
Just priceless. Priceless. Does anyone really care what these people say? Let them continue to play at being other people, faking emotions, and reading what others have written and return to their mansions to wallow in their piles of cash and let them just keep their mouths shut otherwise. I am immensely grateful to all the other celebrities who have not felt the need to say anything.
