09-06-2021, 12:33 PM | #1 |
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What do you think about celebrities voicing their political opinions?
They're people like us, so I'm not surprised when they do it. But at the same time, I prefer for them to keep it out of their work. It's fine if they comment about it on social media, but I don't want for political messages to suddenly dominate their movies, shows, albums, books, etc.
Also, I think it's a bit sad how a lot of people automatically take them seriously just because they're celebrities, even though a lot of them aren't particularly intelligent. Anyway, it also depends if it's something that's in line with their work or not. For example, a band like Rage Against the Machine being political shouldn't surprise anyone. That's their whole gimmick. But if someone whose work wasn't filled with political messages suddenly does a 180 turn one day and start making everything about politics, then yeah, that's gonna alienate people. I think people like James Rolfe have the right attitude about it. We have no idea about how he feels about that stuff and it sure as hell doesn't permeate the AVGN episodes. He knows we watch his stuff for escapism. |
09-06-2021, 12:40 PM | #2 |
Overlord
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In a certain way I don't like it, mostly because too many seem to look up to them, idolize them or downright worship them.
There's always a chance some big time celeb is gonna have some weird crackpot beliefs and a lot of people will follow along because 'so and so said so, they must be right' or because 'I want to be just like so and so'. It's difficult I know, especially with social media and how everything is just so heavily politicized that sometimes you can't help but blurt out your take on things. I kinda feel just like celebrities have to face the fact they gave up the right to a private life the moment they become celebrities, they should also surrender the right to give out your political opinion. It might suck, but hey, you wanted that kind of life. If anything it helps. If nobody knows your politics, people on both sides can enjoy your show, movie, or other product that much more.
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09-06-2021, 12:48 PM | #3 |
Mad Scientist
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For some it can impact their career. So far as movies and shows though, how much of a say do they get there? If that is how their character is written I mean. With things that they create that's a different thing. Depends how heavily it's done, you could gain or loose fans either way.
As for social media, well, every Tom, Dick and Harry voice theirs too. I'd personally get tired of someone who was all politics and nothing else if that was the case, or if I felt that they liked to stir the pot too much. Last edited by newfan; 09-06-2021 at 01:23 PM. |
09-06-2021, 12:51 PM | #4 | |
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I don't know what happened in the last decade. There's always been political themes and messages in entertainment, but lately it's become much more in your face and less subtle and more of a turn off than intelligent criticism of society. |
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09-06-2021, 01:08 PM | #5 |
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I don't really care if they, like us, also have an opinion and talk about it, but I hated the trend some years ago when they started publicly saying "I'm endorsing..." whoever as if their opinion on politics should somehow actually matter. That's the only part that really annoyed me. edit: Oh and when they think they should actually get into politics and run for office. Yeah, no, keep out.
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09-06-2021, 01:11 PM | #6 | |
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It seems like USA loves its celebrity politicians. I can't think of any actor or sportsman who successfully ventured into politics here. In fact, they practically never do that. |
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09-06-2021, 01:24 PM | #7 |
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I wish discussions about media didn't end up being flame wars about what a person in the show said instead of the actual show. Discussion has gone to **** in the last 6-7 years because of it, just look at the average thread her. I'm aware sometimes it's unavoidable but it's one thing to bring it up and another to ruin the discussion on the show that is the same discussion that's already ruined countless other threads. Who cares literally what anyone thinks, I don't care if Rowling is transphobic if I like her books or if Kevin Sorbo is a racist if I like his show. I care about the shows they're in. It's called separating the art from the artist. I might stop following them on socia media if that's all they talk about, but it won't affect me on what they produce. I'll let the content of that speak for itself.
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09-06-2021, 04:02 PM | #8 |
Overlord
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Mark Hammil was very vocal through the whole last number of years against Trump and before that even.
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09-06-2021, 04:19 PM | #9 |
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If they demonstrated some well-reasoned viewpoint I don't mind hearing from them. As a rule they probably shouldn't, though, mostly for their own sake.
What I hate is the elite actors banding together and posting about "Get out and vote!!!" every time there's an election... when you look at their other posts and it's all about how Republicans are evil and we need to pack the court, etc.. Yeah, I'm really sure they just objectively want everyone to get out and vote.
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09-06-2021, 05:03 PM | #10 | |
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https://ussoccerplayers.com/2020/11/...liticians.html https://www.planetfootball.com/quick...rio-pele-weah/ |
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09-06-2021, 07:43 PM | #11 | |
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I'd understand if those celebs had done something actually unforgivable and awful like murdering or raping someone. But we're supposed to not forgive them for saying something prejudiced years ago? Seriously? Am I supposed to consider Hulk Hogan an awful human being just because he said something racist once? |
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09-06-2021, 08:06 PM | #12 | |
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I mean, everybody has their say in things but the smug, smarmy way most celebrities make themselves heard is pretty insufferable. Like that one actress from Star Trek: TNG and her recent spiel about how "I had to move out of the U.S. because of Trump and everyone being a violent racist" and all of that. It's so holier-than-thou. And it's definitely one-sided, like if you're a celebrity and you're NOT a liberal then you're not only not allowed to talk publicly but you're basically not allowed to work because nobody will hire you. And that seems incredibly unfair and intolerant.
On some level, I can definitely separate art from the artist. I'm a big fan of Bad Religion and Green Day despite the fact that their politics inform most of their work and they're about as far-left as it comes in this country. And I can still watch movies with people like Geena Davis or Susan Sarandon despite the fact that they're super-left. I just wish that they wouldn't talk down to people the way they do. Well, Sarandon, anyways; Geena has typically been more quiet about that stuff. So it's not like I completely disown people just because I don't like their views; that's what Liberals do, after all, and we all know I'm not one'a them. But it's like, these people are entertainers. A lot of them are incredibly or even dangerously uneducated; some of them barely finished school, others didn't even bother because they were already rich or famous or had an "in" into the entertainment business. And then past that they live in an incredibly-isolated bubble, to the point where they don't even know what a gallon of milk costs because they've never had to walk into a grocery store or do anything for themselves. So it's ridiculous, to me, that some of these people are SO preachy and smug given that they don't even live in the Real World. Like of COURSE they can't understand why anyone would favor conservative economic policies instead of "Just give everyone Free Money", for example; they've never had to work a real job outside of the three weeks they spent working as a barista before they got their first gig, they have no idea what working-class people deal with or what they hold as important. They also spend all their free time doing drugs and indiscriminately f*cking whoever they please, so they can't fathom why anyone would think that sort of behavior is gross or would hold more traditional "family values". Compared to "normal" people they may as well be living on Mars. So it's like, knowing all of that, why would anyone put any stock in what a celebrity says about political issues? A 1%-er has about as much in common with a working man as a dog has with a monkey. They've got no business preaching to people they can't relate to and don't understand. Way back in the early-2000s when the Iraq War situation was going on, I remember someone asking Lars Ulrich what he thought about it, and I thought he gave a great answer. To paraphrase, it was something to the effect of, "I'm just a drummer in a rock n' roll band, just because I have an opinion doesn't mean I actually know what I'm talking about. I think it's kinda weird that people think famous people's opinions on stuff like that are important." People give him a lot of sh*t but that showed an incredible amount of self-awareness and intelligence on his part. I wish more celebrities had that attitude. Quote:
But a lot of people - mostly people who never met the man, worked with the man, or maybe only met him maybe once, after that incident happened - to this day are like "F*ck that guy, he's a scumbag." Like I'm sure they know better than all the people who knew and worked with the guy for decades, right? They're totally within their rights to pass judgment on a guy going on a closed-door rant during the lowest period in his entire life, when he was going through a divorce, abusing painkillers, drinking too much and contemplating suicide. I've seen people in similar condition "snap" likewise, it's not fair to judge people under those circumstances because they're not in their proper frame of mind. Meanwhile, if he was a registered Democrat and drunkenly hit someone with his car or something, people would be like "Well, he just wasn't in a good place." It amazes me which "sins" wash off and which ones never do. People are dumb with that kinda sh*t.
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09-06-2021, 08:21 PM | #13 | |
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A lot of the wrestling fans who hate Hogan for that are also the ones who try to excuse Benoit for killing his own wife and son. I'd say murdering your own wife and kid is 10 times worse than saying a racial slur, but maybe my priorities are backwards, I dunno. Sometime ago I realised that I am not crazy, it's the others who are |
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09-06-2021, 08:42 PM | #14 | |
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09-06-2021, 08:43 PM | #15 | |
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Regarding Benoit: "He hAd cOncusSionZ tho!" Regarding Hogan: "F*Ck hIm he'S rACisT!" They're completely sincere, too. In their minds, a guy dropping N-bombs because he doesn't trust his daughter's gold-digging boyfriend is WAY worse than a guy who got pilled-up and choked his wife and kid to death while he was also high as a kite on GHB. Priorities! Kinda funny story, I met Sabu for the first time not long after that whole thing happened, and I know he and Benoit had "history" so I asked him what he thought about it, especially since Sabu has his own concussion/addiction issues. He just laughed and was like "F*ck Chris Benoit. I promise you, that motherf*cker's burning in Hell right now. I don't care HOW f*cked-up he was, he killed a f*cking little kid." Kinda hard to argue with that point. Leave it to f*cking Sabu of all people to be a voice of reason.
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09-06-2021, 09:59 PM | #16 | ||
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But yeah, when the hell did society decide that saying something racist was the worst possible thing you could do in your life? Are people jot aware of degrees of things anymore? For them, saying something racist is the same as being Hitler now? |
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09-06-2021, 10:05 PM | #17 |
Overlord
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Everything is Hitler with these people. It's either you're a saint or you're Hitler, no in-between. Like for people that are fully aware just how evil he was, they sure are obsessed with the guy.
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09-06-2021, 10:08 PM | #18 |
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But those same people will excuse criminals because of them having a bad upbringing. Yet, they think no one has an excuse or a reason to be prejudiced, even if they grew up decades ago when that was quite standard. They think people ar é either victims of society or oppressive villains. It's ridiculous how black and white their view of the world is.
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09-06-2021, 10:24 PM | #19 | |
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I prefer them to be silent than to be disappointed in their stupidity.
Its not like I am stop watching movies or sports if some of them say some dumb stuff, but it might sour me on them anyway. Quote:
Everything should be either 100% good or 100% evil, no in-between, no context, no changes. Their impotent minds can't comprehend anything that is more complex than a Saturday Morning Cartoon. They also might won't want to comprehend reality, because, they will need to face the fact, that outside "brave and stunning" posturing in social networks, they are nobodies and don't have any value for anyone or social standing. |
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09-06-2021, 10:30 PM | #20 |
Weed Whacker
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Those that do, do. Those that can't... call everyone a racist. In 2021.
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