Wednesday, January 4, 2017

And the Lefties Keep Whining


Artists tend to be a peculiar brand of humanity.

Whether they're acting on television or the Broadway stage, or painting a canvas, or writing a novel, the discipline of creativity that good artists cultivate for themselves often produces quirks and penchants within their individual personalities not commonly displayed in the general public.

Usually, the rest of us presume that these quirks and penchants - often heavy with emotional effect - are part of what makes an artist a good artist.  It's the drama of creativity, and understanding how to interpret whatever it is they're trying to interpret for their creative craft, right?  Some artists even manipulate their quirks into a new identity for themselves in a way that celebrates their peculiarities, and enhances the public's recognition of them.

Theirs is a rich tapestry of cultural engagement and intellectual stimulation that makes the arts so endearing and entertaining, right?  Even when most artists tend to embrace a more bohemian and non-conservative aesthetic.  In a way, their differences from the rest of us can make them that much more entertaining.

So, how should we react to a new video released yesterday by a group of Hollywood types called "Humanity for Progress"?  This video, posted to the group's Facebook page, "demands" that Congress actively oppose anything the future president Donald Trump might do that threatens the civil liberties of a host of pet project people who are supported by Tinseltown's liberal elites.  In other words, if Trump proposes legislation that somehow harms gays, or women, or blacks or Hispanics, then these artists want Congress to block that legislation.

On their video, these celebrities (actually, I only recognized two of them, and apparently there's a New York City real estate developer in the mix, maybe as a bitter business competitor of Trump's?) seem almost panicked.  They make it sound as though Trump has already decreed that our planet's entire population should be executed, their anger is so brittle, and their sanctimony so palpable.  It's as if they've already tried, judged, and sentenced Trump to be utterly guilty and incapable of reform from the vile, dehumanizing things he said and did during his campaign.

Ostensibly, this video's audience is intended to extend not simply to our members of Congress in Washington, but to people across our country - and indeed - our planet - who are as equally alarmed by the depravity Trump is preparing to unleash on civilization as we know it.

Yet... isn't this mostly a fancy new promotional video for a bunch of "celebrities" many of us don't know?  Publicity is king in Hollywood, after all.  As is excessive liberalism, of which Hillary Clinton is considered a goddess.  In fact, the group "Humanity for Progress" is simply the new iteration of Hillary's old Hollywood fundraising troop, "Humanity for Hillary."

Hollywood hates to let a beloved movie franchise die, you know.

And frankly, there's nothing wrong or particularly inappropriate with a bunch of Hollywood folks producing a dark video grimly reminding elected representatives of things a segment of the electorate wants accomplished.  On a bare-bones level, this video is nothing more than a "We The Undersigned" letter to Congress, similar to what politicians receive from their constituents all the time.  This video even encourages viewers to tweet or e-mail it to their members of Congress as a form of populist solidarity with the tenets of leftist Hollywood agitation.

And hey; that's cool.  We all have the freedom to do that, right?

What's odd, however, is that Trump hasn't even been sworn into office yet.  He hasn't done anything as president.  Which makes this video mostly just another petulant hissy fit because a bunch of people didn't get what they wanted.  These actors fire out a volley of presumed people groups they fear Trump will target with discriminatory actions, and they're setting a contentious tone for their side simply because, apparently, Trump has already set a contentious tone for his.

It's like they're starting a bar fight before the bully who scares them has even left his house.

I'm no fan of Donald Trump, as regular readers of this blog well know.  I didn't vote for him, or for Hillary.  But if we expect some decorum, civility, and "humanity" from our new White House occupant, does it help to start picking fights with him and the congress over which he'll preside when we've still got two weeks before his inauguration?  Just because Trump may have his own personality issues doesn't mean we need to let our own behavior become militant, does it?

So many liberals are having such a hard time grasping the concept of Hillary's defeat, their petulant antics aren't coming across as being superior to Trump's, but actually kinda beneath Trump's own theatrics.

One of the women participating in the video complains about special interests in Washington.  “We know the majority of the American people, regardless of who they voted for, do not want a regime that permits hate and monied interests to run rampant,” rhapsodizes Liz Garbus.

Never heard of her?  Me neither - I had to Google her, and I learned she is a celebrated director and producer of documentary films.  She is also a fellow of the Open Society, which is funded by left-wing philanthropist George Soros.

Sheesh...  Talk about "monied interests running rampant!"



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