For the most part, I don’t look up to anybody in Hollywood, nor do I feel that people in Hollywood should be looked up to. But I’ve found a newfound respect for Bruce Willis for basically telling Hollywood to shut up.
BRUCE WILLIS is fed up with listening to outspoken actors – and believes their opinion shouldn’t mean “jack s**t” to the general public. The Die Hard star understands some of his colleagues want to do good for various causes, but wishes others would keep their thoughts to themselves. He says, “I don’t think my opinion means jack s**t, because I’m an actor. “Why do actors think their opinions mean more because you act? You just caught a break as an actor. There are hundreds – thousands – of actors who are just as good as I am, and probably better. “Have you heard anything useful come out of an actor’s mouth lately?” He adds, “Although I liked George Clooney’s documentary on Darfur.”
Comments
I couldn’t agree with you more. I get so turned off by people who exploit political and social issues because of their fame. Hollywood is the worst. The stars act (no pun intended) as if their views are universal.
Hmm… One of the most outspoken war-booster Republican voices in Hollywood wishes “others would keep their thoughts to themselves.” Why am I not surprised?
“I was over there,” Willis recently told MSNBC’s Rita Cosby. “I am baffled to understand why the things that I saw happening in Iraq, really good things happening in Iraq, are not being reported on.”
Pot. Kettle. Black.
And not only is he apparently a hypocrite, he’s also an idiot parroting stupid right-wing talking points.
I don’t care if they’re Republicans or Democrats. That’s not the point here. Both sides play a “game” to bolster their profiles, instead of focusing on serving people.
Just because a popular actor/actress supports a candidate, doesn’t make me more apt to vote for them. Sad thing is, many Americans get duped into that political ploy all the time.
Jason, whether they’re Republicans or Democrats, they are people with opinions, just like us. The motivation might be self-promotion, or perhaps just genuine altruism. This is true for anyone in the public eye; actors, authors, pundits, politicians and so on.
I can understand the annoyance. My opinions won’t get nearly the same attention by the Media as the pearls of wisdom dropped by someone like Bruce Willis. But such is life. I don’t blame Mr. Willis for expressing his views, even stupidly hypocritical ones. I would do the same. You’ve got the microphone and you’ve got something to say — it’s just cowardice to not say it.
I don’t blame anyone for having an opinion. It’s just self-righteous to think that your views are more superior because of your position. It’s not so much that they have opinions, it’s more the attitude that comes with them.
Cowardice? I’m not so sure. Besides my own family and friends, who really cares what the hell I think? Maybe I’d eat my words someday, but unless I was running for office, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t take advantage of the microphone just because it was there.
Position & fame = power, I realize that. It’s how the world works. It would be nice if that wasn’t the case. Wishful thinking, I guess.
Jason opined:
> I don’t blame anyone for having an opinion. It’s just
> self-righteous to think that your views are more superior
> because of your position. It’s not so much that they have
> opinions, it’s more the attitude that comes with them.
This come close to being a tautology. Pretty much by definition, in my mind, either our opinions agree or my opinions *are* superior to yours. Superior is a value judgement. If, at any point, I perceived that your opinion was *better* than mine, then I would discard my old opinion and adopt yours.
If an opinion is worth expressing, it is because you feel that it’s a superior opinion. Inferior opinions aren’t worth expressing.
> Besides my own family and friends, who really cares
> what the hell I think? Maybe I’d eat my words someday,
> but unless I was running for office, I can honestly
> say that I wouldn’t take advantage of the microphone
> just because it was there.
If you truly believed this, then why are posting your opinions on this blog?
> Position & fame = power
In my opinion (grin), the real equation is:
money = power
I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “position” but from the context I’ll assume you mean celebrity. Both “celebrity” and “fame” come in far behind “money”
Wow, Ric, that’s quite the response.
Apparantely I’ve hit a nerve. I feel like my high school or college English paper is getting ripped apart by a professor, except for the fact that it’s my opinion.
I post here and share my thoughts from time to time because I consider Jake a friend. We went to high school together, and worked on the school newspaper. If I don’t know the blogger, I don’t post.
I’ve been married almost nine years now, and I have two children. If I thought all of my opinions were superior to my wife’s opinions, I would’ve been divorced a long time ago.
I don’t agree with most of your recent response, but that doesn’t mean I think your opinion is somehow less than mine. We just see things differently through our own life experiences.
Jason expressed:
> Apparantely I’ve hit a nerve.
Really, why do you think so? I don’t feel angry. Do I sound angry? I thought we were having a pleasant debate.
> I’ve been married almost nine years now,
> and I have two children. If I thought all
> of my opinions were superior to my wife’s
> opinions, I would’ve been divorced a long
> time ago.
Opinions came in many flavors. Many are probably trivial and not worth fighting over. But some are more important than others. Where you draw the line is another value judgement.
I’m assuming that either your *important* beliefs are mostly in harmony with your wife’s or you are living a life of quite despair or suppressed outrage. Marriage is a compromise, no doubt, but if you’re not mostly compatible to begin with, then at least one of you are going to be miserable.
Anyway, back on topic…
We were debating whether celebrities should speak out on social/political issues. I’m having trouble understanding what precisely is your beef.
Remember, we’re not talking about your favorite color or what you believe is the best restaurant in town. We’re talking about important social or political issues where you might have some strong opinions of right and wrong. If you see a great wrong being committed and you have the opportunity to speak out against it, of course you should speak out — it’s your moral duty. Similarly, if speaking out helps to draw attention to some social or political issue that you feel strongly about, then of course you should speak out. If you believe in democracy and the responsibilities of citizenship, then this too is your moral duty… even if you’re just a Hollywood celebrity.