The latest public freak out is over Kathy Griffin, a just-barely famous entertainer who currently is well known for hosting a NYE show on CNN with Anderson Cooper. I think she used to be a stand-up comic but I am not sure. I barely remember her from guest appearances she did on the old Seinfeld series. What I remember from that is that she stunk.
I am not the person to give you any kind of critique of her talent or her career. As previously stated the little exposure I had to her as an entertainer did not impress me.
I did see the horrific video splashed all over social media of her holding what appeared to be the severed head of the President of the United States, dripping blood. It sickened me. I was shocked and I immediately clicked it shut and will not look at it again.
The backlash does not surprise me. People in the entertainment industry have lost lucrative and/or rising careers for much less. Michael Richards was blacklisted for using the 'N' word during one of his routines. Billy Bush sat and listened to then-candidate Trump discuss his piggish actions towards women and lost his job as a result of not leaping to his feet, shouting, "HOW DARE YOU, SIR?" and stomping out of the trailer.
On the other hand, there are Pedophiles - both homosexual and heterosexual - still in power in Hollywood despite the death of a Cory and the vague accusations of another. It took almost 50 years to bring to light the actions of Dr. Bill Cosby but there are NFL players with 11 children scattered across the country all because they impregnated as many different women as possible and they are held up as role models for little boys trying to get out of poverty. A former President is accused of rape and sexual assault and the women who make the claim are vilified by the same people who screamed with horror at the tapes of the Billy Bush Interview of Trump. Their response to a man in power abusing women? They knitted little pink hats to wear in marches to 'resist' the current President. Their reaction to Mr Clinton abusing women while in a powerful position? They still swoon when he walks into the room.
If any accusations are made against a Catholic Priest it is front page news but suggest that there is something horrific about what is going on in the Public School System because of the number of teachers who cannot seem to keep their pants on around junior high and high school kids and the wrath of the Teachers' Union shall fall upon thee.
We are, in this country, definitely twisted when it comes to what we consider wrong and what we consider right. Maybe we always have been, I don't know. I mean, we can pine for the 'good old days' when we prayed in school and everyone saluted the flag and I will remind you that Once-Saved-Always-Saved Upstanding Deacons in the Baptist Church threw bombs into the basement of a Southern church where the people worshiped the SAME way they do. These same Christian Men blew up little girls in that basenent because those little girls were the wrong color. Start talking to me about how wonderful the familial systems of Native Americans are and I will be glad to tell you the story of St. Kateri Tekakwitha who had the NERVE to want to be a Catholic and, as a result, endured physical and sexual abuse at the hands of the natural and enlightened members of her tribe. And why is it I never hear ANYONE talk about Black Elk the Holy Man of the Lakota Sioux? Oh yeah, I forgot - wrong religious choice again....quick, let's pretend he never existed.
My personal experience has given me an interesting perspective. I made some really dumb choices in my life, both before, during and after my reconversion to The Faith. I have been forgiven by Jesus and His Church but not so by many of the people in my life. I accept that as just punishment for my sins and I am okay today with who and what I am.
The choice made by Ms. Griffin was beyond dumb. It was even beyond 'poor taste'. However, before you all tear your clothes in lamentation, let's be honest. She is not the first person to show incredibly ugly aspects of her personality when it comes to criticizing a President she does not like; just ask those women who called Mrs. Obama a gorilla in a skirt. Ask the men and women who made sexual remarks about her husband loving a monkey to make her daughters. Some of those people were public servants. They thought they were so clever, so funny....and they revealed themselves to be degenerate scum, not much different than Ms. Griffin.
What makes Ms. Griffin's choice so awful is the absolute disconnect she showed between what is going on in the world today and her 'right' to voice her opinion. To hold up a 'pretend' severed head in a world that has been subjected to the videos of Islamic Fascists doing this for real shows she is either completely cut off from reality or she is as dumb as a box of rocks. To think what she was doing is ART is one of the reasons Artists are laughed at in the world. I mean, come on....Picasso you ain't, girly.
And now, of course, she has a lawyer (Gloria Allred's daughter, Lisa Bloom) and she is crying about being 'bullied'. She is crying that the Trumps are ruining her life. She is talking about getting death threats. She says he 'broke' her and her lawyer is suggesting that Mrs. Trump was out of line to question Ms. Griffin's mental health. Are you kidding me?
Ms. Griffin says she is the only person in the history of the United States to experience this type of backlash - you know, kind of like Mr. Trump's assertion that he is the only politician in the history of our country to be so horribly treated.
Golly, megalomania looks awful on everyone..doesn't it?
I believe that she has received death threats because that is how we roll today as a society. What I cannot believe is that she is surprised or shocked to have received death threats. For the love of all that is holy, Ms. Griffin, where were you when Leslie Jones was driven from Twitter for no other reason than she is a strong, tall, beautiful Black American woman? Did you honestly think the trolls and those as scummy as you would not LEAP on this opportunity to go after YOU?
Now...the big question is: Is it RIGHT?
Of COURSE it isn't right. NO one should be subjected to this type of abuse. NO ONE. I don't care who you hate or who you love, if you cannot express your opinion without being snarky and nasty and outright MEAN you should keep quiet.
You won't, of course....but you should.
And if your answer to what that woman did is to point at the opposition and shout the equivalent of "but they started it", then shame on you.
I forgive Kathy Griffin. I forgive her because my religion requires me to do so and my experience has been that if I follow my religion I have a really good chance of having a happy and healthy life. If I forgive her, then I can walk with ease and comfort and grace and dignity.
Do I feel sorry for her?
Let me get back to you on that one, ok?
No comments:
Post a Comment