She was being rejected, not for her message, but for her status as a Hollywood celebrity.
We attack each other.Īn influential Christian leader responded to Ms Streep’s speech by tweeting, “It would be great if Hollywood celebrities would lecture us on politics more, no one, ever.”īut Ms Streep’s speech wasn’t as much a lecture on politics as a plea for human decency. Surely, this is a perfect case study in what’s wrong with public discourse today. When this was pointed out to him, he demurred, “I didn’t reject Streep’s comments – just felt it was a bit rich coming from her. But when he hears Meryl Streep criticize Mr Trump for mocking a disabled man, his first reaction is to attack Ms Streep.Ĭan you see what’s happening? We are all so blindly and resolutely stuck in our conservative-liberal, right-left, red-blue corners that when a conservative hears a liberal say something he agrees with his first impulse is to undermine her. My unhappy Facebook correspondent admitted that he had several relatives with disabilities, including one with Down Syndrome, and his heart would go out to them if they were the object of someone’s mockery. Several others weighed in on the discussion, pretty much making the point that on the topic being discussed (the public mockery of the powerless), Streep was right.Īnd then something interesting happened. No, my Facebook friend replied, “…it’s hypocritical for Streep to say this when she publicly supports the biggest murderer of disabled babies in America (Planned Parenthood).” Even if you don’t like Ms Streep, you’ve gotta agree with her stand. I mean, even if you’re a Trump supporter surely you can’t think the public humiliation of a person’s disability is acceptable. Okay, maybe it’s because I’m the brother of an intellectually disabled woman, but I was irritated. In response to my post, a self-confessed conservative groused, “…says a member of the powerful Hollywood elite whom much of America no longer trusts.” The one that concluded, “When the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose.” The speech that referred to how “…the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter – someone he outranked in privilege, power, and the capacity to fight back.” You know, her impassioned plea for basic human decency in publc discourse. Yesterday I posted a link to Meryl Streep’s Golden Globe acceptance speech on Facebook.
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