Meryl Streep and Donald Trump

Ok, we are getting really hung up on Trump's thin skin. He wasn't president when Streep impersonated him.

Trump mocks reporter with joint disease because he doesn't like the man's opinions about him. He is riduculed and drug through the mud for this (rightfully so). Streep dresses in a bald fat suit to mock Trump, a man who's opinion she strongly disagrees with. Streep calls out Trump publicly for his offense and is praised by her choir for it. Her speech is called important, and a call to action against hate.

How is this not hypocrisy?

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Letterboxd

It's different in my mind because: Trump is the president, and in the past he was a presidential hopeful. The talk of Trump running for president has been going on for years. Meryl Streep is not in line to become president. So Trump is a fair target. So that's one distinction I draw.

The other distinction is: some people are such bullies that they deserve what they get. Turning the other cheek or showing respect for someone like Trump or Joe McCarthy or Kim Jong-un is not warranted in my book.

I get what you're saying Sean, we're (the U.S.) heading down a troubled road filled with hate mongering, pay back and lack of respect for others. And that's a bad thing for sure...I wonder if that is why so many Hollywood movies focus on the emotional reward of paying back the evil antagonist. So many movies are built on that raw emotion. For 90 minutes we are taught to hate the bad guy who does all sort of injustices to the innocent, then in the final act the protagonist rises up and kills him and we get a sense of fulfillment from that.

I think it can be hypocritical, but still not equivalent. One is a private citizen: the other is the leader of the country. We tend to expect people wielding huge amounts of power to exercise more prudence in their criticisms and threats than private citizens, because they have the power to actually follow through in all sorts of meaningful ways.

Meh, I reserve my respect for those deserving. It will not be given freely to everyone, but it can be earned.

Thats it. Thats life.

I think I agree with you. Right now I'm really struggling to figure out why. We are so nasty as a culture right now. When I start thinking about how we got here I can't help thinking our public ridicule of those opposed to us is a big reason. Comedy plays a huge role in that. I love comedy. I love good political satire. Colbert is one of my favorite entertainers despite sitting polar opposite of me politically. Any friend I have ever had has an excellent sense of humor. I enjoy observational humor and almost always that involves making fun of the absurdity we see in life. I think there is a line, I don't want to ever come across as a sourpuss. I'm really struggling internally with why everyone hates each other so much right now. If I am adding to that hate I want to figure out how to fix it. I think our culture is in bad shape and Trump is the culmination of that and it has almost nothing to do with his policies.

My last post was in response to Citizen.


This is how most people feel Tongo, including Trump, do with that what you will.

OK then, if Jesus tried to use "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" now and in reference to our Drumpf situation, what exactly would happen? I agree probably nothing since people have no shame anymore. But on the other hand, we have to have people be able call a tyrant to task if we see it. I don't want another McCarthy Era or Heaven forbid, a Teflon Hitler in charge of America.

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But what makes him a tyrant? I don't think it's his thin skin (which resulted in the mockery of that reporter), and it sure isn't his weight, bald head, or orange face.

Sorry, but I will not treat Donald trump with respect. You have to judge people on their actions.

what do phony conservatives make you wanna do, out of curiosity?

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letterboxd

I'd say that American's nastiness stems from people putting themselves first, second and third.

Sometimes thinking of one's self first is a good trait...but thinking of others and how our actions effect them seems to be passe these days.

Responsibility seems to be on the wane too...And blaming others for one's mistakes is seen as a skill, and taking responsibility for one's own actions is considered foolish.

But...it's not everyone who hates or is irresponsible, it's that those people stick out and impact our lives much more than the people we encounter who shows us a little courtesy and a smile.


You never come across like that. I always know that you will be forthright in what you say. You know your avatar fits you good, I don't know who it is but he looks like a decent guy to me.

Michael Scott, character from The Office played by Steve Carell. I have been watching a lot of that lately, or always. It is amazing how many times he has done something on the show lately that reminds me of Trump. The epitome of think skin. That made me laugh so hard that you said that.

I'd call Trump voters "between a rock and a hard place."

I said this somewhere before, but just to repeat myself - the candidates we were left with on both sides demonstrate the level that the entirety of the American people have sunk to, both intellectually and on the level of ethics and values!
How either of them got to the position of front runners is a true shame on the American people for putting them there.

Not that there were any real stand outs on either side, but among all those other losers, we ended up with two of the absolutely worst human beings to choose from.

It's true that people are not aware of the dangers a President like Trump might represent - that's why people voted for him... because they were aware of the dangers, corruption, lies, negligence and continued capitulation to terrorists that Hillary represented.

For many who voted for Trump (like myself) it was a case of taking a risk on the devil I don't know rather than going with the devil I do know.

Captain, you made a good post last night, I want to focus on the 'swinging pendulum' part in my post.

I do think Trump was elected in part because some, white American voters reaction to what they seen as biased behavior by a black president. Which built up some tension and angst. For the record I voted for Obama both times....I do think some of Obama's actions like his comments in the Zimmeran trail, help create the backlash that put Trump in office.

So did the actions of the more extreme members of Black Lives Matter...and so did all the media news hype that went with the BLM movement. Those news scenes of looting and rioting with chants of burn the city down, helped polarize the nation along racial lines. Especially polarizing was the series of retribution-racially motivated killings of white cops.

I'd even say that Jada Pinkett Smith with her racial claims that the Oscars were so white, helped polarize white voters to support and vote Trump. I do think those actions caused a backlash in the minds of some white voters.

The other side of the pendulum: is during the Obama administration he was constantly taunted by racial slurs and ridiculous claims he wasn't an American. I won't even repeat what Michelle Obama was called, it was sickening. I've seen some nasty cartoons caricatures of the President and the first lady. Obviously these kinds of actions cause mistrust in black community members, which in turn causes that pendulum to swing to another position.

All of this polarization is not good for America. It just keeps the cycle of chaos and mistrust going. I think with Trump president, there will be another major push against him. I expect a very rocky road as long as he's in office. I predict in 2020 the pendulum will swing back to favor a progressive, Democrat or third party, candidate... probably a woman and maybe Hispanic. We will then have a gentler, more respectable president, much like how Jimmy Carter replaced evil Nixon.



(yes I know Ford took over for Nixon after tricky Dick resigned)

Aw, come on... I met the guy... he seemed really nice!

Oh ya, that's right I remember you said you meet Nixon. You know after I watched Oliver Stone's Nixon, I have to say I felt a bit sorry for him....Nixon, not Oliver Stone

I'm not done reading the thread yet. I just finished the first page. I used to think Meryl Streep was a great actor when I was younger, but now I think she's one of the most overrated actors in Hollywood. SC said it when he said that she's the same in everything she does. I think she's so melodramatic. Her speech against trump was one of the most absurd, emotionally driven spouts of ignorant nonsense I've ever heard. She completely used her position to sway others. Is that really the kind of speech someone should be giving when receiving an award? It says nothing of the actual event. She just used the opportunity to give her political opinion. She didn't even research the issue. What an idiot.

Trump makes those hand gestures all the time. The reporter's crippled hand doesn't even move at all, it's shriveled up, and he holds it at his chest. Trump didn't imitate the reporter at all. The disabled reporter doesn't have a speech impediment. Trump makes those exact same hand gestures and goofy speech patterns all the time when he's making fun of people he disagrees with.

Trump is an idiot, but I am glad he won over Hilary. At least give him a chance, he won fair and square. This is your typical case of sore loosers complaining after they lost.

I looked at Streep's filmography and I surprised even myself. I have only seen a handful of her films. In some of them, I don't even remember her presence (like The Homesman), while in others she has a shared or supporting role. It's really hard to form an opinion about her being overrated, especially if you've never even fit into her viewer demographic. I watched The Bridges of Madison County because of Eastwood. One day, I'd like to see Into the Woods and maybe The Iron Lady. Aside from that, I'm really not in a position to understand what all the hoopla is about. Unlike her opinion about viewers of MMA, I'm going to say that I'm certain her viewer demographic consists of very nice folks and many good heartland Americans. I wish her well.

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