Not Unexpected...

So last night I started seeing the headlines about the Golden Globes; I don't watch because all I really care about is what people are wearing and I can find that online the next day. The awards themselves are decided by a really small group of people (The Hollywood Foreign Press) so it's kind of like the dudes down the street decided to put on a show about their favorite shows. Okay, great, but that's just like your opinion man...

I also don't support Ricky Gervais. I think he's mean and mean to people who could use a hand up instead of a push aside. So I don't need to watch him do his "naughty boy" routine.

But when I was reading the headlines the one that kept standing out was about Gervais telling the audience that nobody cared about their politics so they should just keep their opinions to themselves. I told Brent this morning that I was looking forward to a day of seeing people unironically post links to that sandwiched between their hottakes on the situation in Iran and if Jeffrey Epstein killed himself and the latest reaction to the Twittier In Chief.

I was not disappointed.

Or maybe I was.

I was right. And yet still disappointed. Which I hate. I want to enjoy being right. It's usually my favorite.

I've talked about it before, I don't buy into the "shut up and sing" or "shut up and act" mentality. If you want to just sing and not talk politics, that's cool. If you don't want to mention your personal beliefs and just thank your agent when you win best actor that's also cool. But if you feel like you want to share something? Go on ahead. It's your 2 minutes. Or whatever time they give you.

I also think it's hilarious that the same people that will bitch about a political thank you speech and talk about how we don't care what celebrities think will post a five minute Matthew McConaughey speech where he talks about god. So wait, do we care what celebrities think or don't we?

And then just the added head thunk moment of posting about a celebrity telling other celebrities that we don't care what celebrities think and applauding that celebrity for it...uuhhhh....

But not unexpected.

Which is sad.

I get it. It's tough when the politics of a performer make you not enjoy them in a role anymore. When you can't get past their personal to detach enough to enjoy their art. It happens. Separating art from artist is tricky. Sometimes I can. Sometimes I can't. But that's my issue not theirs. If I can't take Clint Eastwood seriously in a movie after watching him talk to an empty chair at the RNC a few years ago, that's my deal. He still had every right to talk to that empty chair. And he's still going to make right wing tilted movies that people don't acknowledge as such because it really wrecks the Hollywood is only left and if you aren't left you don't get to work! (That and Patricia Heaton's string of sitcoms, but you know, only the left in Hollywood can get work, it has nothing to do with if you are talented or not)

But again, that's their right. Free speech. They get it too. No matter how much money they make. No matter what jobs they hold. None of that matters. You get to talk about what you want to talk about and deal with the repercussions or lack of repercussions as well. Clint Eastwood doesn't gives a rat's ass that I won't be seeing his last movie. I guarantee it. And I don't want him to stop talking about what he believes. Again, not that he cares, I think he gets to do that.

Just the same way that I get to do this. And post on my Facebook page. And rant at Brent (poor Brent) and debate with Christopher (his mother is so square) and try not to lecture my friends (though I sometimes fail and I know I should be sorry about that but...)

But once you are a celebrity you get a bigger stage. If you sing you have your audience at your concert. If you are an actor you have interviews and yes, awards speeches. You have a big audience. You have a big platform. People are listening to you. You get to decide what that means for you. What you have to say. What you feel you need to say.

If I ever get to be famous and I get a big audience and I don't use my platform to try and make the world a better place then please post the link to this blog and tag me.

Maybe with a pithy title like, "This NOBODY tells FAMOUS person that SOMEBODY cares about their opinion!"

I mean, yeah, sure, it's just me that cares, but I care very deeply so...

We all get to have opinions. We all get to share those opinions. Don't let someone shame you into being quiet. No matter how famous you get.

And as a quick link for what fame can do, Celeste Barber is a comedian from Australia. She has a huge international audience and lives in a country that is currently facing devastating fires. Instead of being quiet and thinking nobody cares what a celebrity thinks or does she posted a fundraiser and as of right now it's sitting at over $25 million raised. Celebrity. It can make a difference.