Thursday, July 5, 2012

I'm Not An Intellectual But I Play One On TV

Being famous doesn't make you smart...It just means that a lot of people know who you are and it gives you a really big audience to be ridiculous in front of. 

Why am I writing about this today? Maybe because I've had a fever since Sunday, I'm on a bunch of antibiotics that are making me nauseous. I'm bored and maybe a little grumpy, so I've been playing around on the internet and inadvertently stumbled across something that really blew my mind. It was a collection of 4th of July Tweets, which were posted by celebrities. Most of them were upbeat and positive...the stuff you would expect. And then there were the ones that made me do the mother of all eyerolls. I won't bore you with all of the hate and vitriol, you can Google it for yourselves. It was along the lines of 'America sucks, America is bad, America is oppressive' and so on and so forth. The one that really got my attention was the one from Chris Rock. He said:

"Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren't free but I'm sure they enjoyed fireworks."


Here's the thing. I'm not going to debate his right to say that. He has every right AS AN AMERICAN to say whatever snarcastic (my new word) things he likes. I'm 100% in favor of free speech....messy as it is sometimes. I personally happen to think what he said was ridiculous and divisive and an insult to African Americans all across the US...most importantly every African American veteran or soldier who is currently deployed who put themselves in harm's way to protect Chris Rock's right to say whatever dumb thing impulsively pops out of his mouth. Of course that's just my opinion. Apparently some people thought it was really funny and they 'got it' and agreed with him.  Oh, well...As Grandma used to say: "It takes all kinds to make the world go 'round." Historically speaking, he was kind of right but kind of wrong at the same time. Sadly, he probably doesn't even know exactly what he is saying. He just thinks he knows. That can be a dangerous thing.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/1776.html

What gets me about Chris Rock and countless other celebrities is that they use their power of influence by making flip remarks or fevered political or humanitarian statements without really having any real grasp of (A) all of the facts or (B) the impact of what they are saying to impressionable people who (for whatever reason) are sadly looking to them as role models. I don't have a problem with famous people stating their opinions, I'm against the rest of us regular folks looking to them for wisdom and letting ourselves be mentally manipulated by people who are essentially entertainers and actors and of course, politicians. (You're saying to yourself...'what's the difference?') Anyway, these people have publicists and media experts managing their careers whose sole purpose is to get and keep their clients as popular and as visible as possible. They will say and do anything to keep themselves in the public eye including stirring the pot and creating dissent. Yes, some of them really mean well and their hearts are in the right place. Some do amazing charity work and mobilize people to do incredible things for their fellow man. It just bothers me when I see people blindly following and believing celebrities and their agendas and causes without seeking the facts for themselves to ensure that they are really and truly on board with what their favorite celebrity is advocating.

The solution? Do your own research. Everything you need to know is one click away. Find out the truth for yourself and then, by all means, align yourself with whomever you feel best represents you and your core beliefs. And try to remember this:

“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.” Proverbs 26:4-5

Look, maybe Chris Rock just made a bad joke. Maybe he was having an off day. It's possible, I guess. Let's face it, all of us have said things that we didn't mean or just got all wrong, myself most definitely included. I'm just a regular person. I have a very small audience and little or no influence on the world at large. Still, I say dumb stuff sometimes and hope others will give me grace and hopefully another chance. So...Chris Rock, if you're reading this: I forgive you for being irresponsible with your remarks to your fans on July 4th. I know this is a massive relief to you. You're welcome.

If you want further proof that famous people say dumb things, here you go. Most of these made me laugh out loud:

This one is one of my personal favorites from Tom Cruise who has a whole selection of silly quotes dedicated solely to him.

"I will never be done with love. Never, never. I love relationships and I love women. I’m going to get married again. I’ll never give up on that." 



He also said: "There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance."

(I wonder what Oprah thinks about that particular statement, don't you?)



If that's not enough side-splitting fun for one day, here you go: 



See, Chris...no worries. You're in good company. 


One Parting thought: As Malcom Forbes said..."The dumbest people I've ever known are the ones who know everything."  

That certainly puts me out of the running! :0)



Blessings,

~Cat








8 comments:

  1. Perfect thoughts...Hollywood is such an influence on the ignorant. And the ignorant of course don't do their research..they just listen to liberal politicians and ignorant actors/actresses and BELIEVE them.

    Tracy

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  2. Copied from a comment on COTR website...

    Never forget the white people that made you free, that did not go along
    with the others that enslaved you. Never forget the white people that
    died in the war, to set you free. Never forget the white people that
    marched with you and were killed by the KKK along side of you. Never
    forget that Blacks actually formed The Texas Republican Party to get rid of the racist Democrats, Never forget that Democrats passed the Fugitive slave law, Never forget that when Lincoln proposed freeing the slaves 100% of the Republicans voted for it and only 23% of Democrats voted for it, Never forget in 1868 when they passed the 14th amendment EVERY Republican voted for the bill EVERY Democrat voted against it. Never forget in 1872 Congressional hearings, the Democrats admitted to starting The KKK so they could stop the spread of the Republican party because at that time all blacks were Republican.
    Never forget between 1870 and 1875 Republicans in congress passed many
    civil rights laws for blacks, the the Democrats took over in 1892 and
    REPEALED ALL the civil rights laws, which enabled the Democrats to pass
    the Jim Crow Laws. It was Roosevelt who turned blacks into Democrats by
    giving money, housing, food, clothing and jobs to them. With government
    handouts he bought their votes. Now obama is trying to do the same
    thing. Why is it, I know more about black history than most blacks? I
    didn’t just look it up and find it, although I did use google to be
    accurate on the exact dates. I learned this when I went to school, They
    do not teach this any more in schools, I wonder why...

    ~Mary

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  3. Its funny because it's true, technically slavery wasn't illegal until 1865 so on the first independence day there were slaves. All comedy takes a bit of a poetic license, its not funny if you get into all the details about how some people in some states didn't believe in or practice slavery. So Mary he's not bashing white people, although under different circumstances you make excellent points, he's just making fun of them. Personally I laugh at myself quite often.

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  4. GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!! AMEN!!

    DC

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  5. Abby,

    I get the joke but I just didn't think it was appropriate. It was a jab and I think we have enough issues with divisiveness to be making comments like that on what the majority of Americans (of all races) feel is a significant day to celebrate being American and being free. Just my opinion. I know the history. We are all free now. That's something to commemorate, if you ask me.

    I think there are some people who act as irritants and tend to exacerbate an already serious issue instead of using their influence to bring stability and resolution to the situation. I guess I just don't like that. You know me...I'm a peacemaker at heart. :0)

    Love
    ~Cat

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  6. I love how much thought was provoked by his words. You made me think with yours. Different view points are so valuable to evaluate your own beliefs.
    Thank you for that :):):)

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  7. COMPLETELY agree, Abby. Vive la difference! I've learned from you, too. :0)

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