We here at Bloody Nib Manor have never been of the star-struck type. This is not to say that the ever-lovely Lady Nib and your faithful correspondent have not had favorite actors or actresses, musicians or singers who we admired for their skill in their trades (and be it know that most of them are tradesmen and not professionals despite their protests. The best are artists of a sort, but really not creators or builders. They are interpreters of the sweat and skill of others).
And, historically, actors and actresses, have been considered people of questionable morality. This sense goes back to the days of classical Greece and up until the 1940s. This writer's grandfather, Baron William of Talequa, used to say, "Actors are whores and the only attention you should give them is when you're in the movie house." But that was three or four generations ago and things have changed for some reason. No longer is entertainment bought and paid for (a opposed to home-made such as front porch music, poetry recitals in the kitchen and plays put on in the barn by the bairns) just a diversion from real life. It seems to have become real life for many people, and actors have suddenly gone from playthings for the wealthy like Nell Gwynne or Lily Langtree or Junius Booth or Colly Cibber. Somewhere along the line they decided that they were Solons or Wilberforces with the morality and wisdom that we all seem to lack.
The reason seems to be that because the populace in general has mistaken them for the roles they play on the screen. Sally Fields played a union organizer in "Norma Raye" and she then became some sort of expert on labor relations. Merle Streep played played reporter Karen Silkwood in a film and almost single-handedly ruined the apple groing industry through her false allegations regarding Alar. Neither had a background in labor or science, but for some reason they were listened to because, not of what they pretended to know, but because of their roles in movies.
Some years ago Laura Ingraham wrote a book called "Shut Up and Sing." Yours is no fan of Ingraham, though he does agree with her politically (she comes across as a snarky and angry teenager). The book was made up of essays, one of which addressed the country-bluegrass band, The Dixie Chicks, expressing their anger with President G.W. Bush going to war with Iraq and Afghanistan, and the D.C., with no knowledge, in fact, of the complications of this decision and deciding from their gut, used their fame as not only a platform for their opinions, but almost insisted that their opinions were better than anyone else's because they were, well, famous and much-loved among the C&W fans. Well, they were before they opened their traps and they found out that all people were interested in about them was that they made decent music.
And therein lies the problem, the joke, the gag about entertainers spouting off politically or even scientifically. Leonardo Di Caprio wants you to get rid of you air conditioner, your car and your gas powered lawn mower to help cool the planet because he knows better while he wastes more energy and contributes more to "global warming" in a day making a movie or flying around in a private jet than the average American family does in six months. He knows better than you do despite the fact that his education is no better than yours. And he's more right and moral than you do because he's an...well... an actor with a string of girlfriends he takes up and discards like Kleenex. Just hope you don't have a pretty daughter; you'll have to get out the Iver Johnson to chase him off the porch like you would do to keep a horny Tom screaming for your female tabby.
This awful past two weeks of political conventions have brought this out in spades. Most actors tend to gravitate towards the Democrats, but there are some who consider themselves Republicans. And almost any actor or actress who can managed to punch a card or pull a lever in a voting booth is all too ready to tell you, dear reader, how you should vote because, well, they're actors. They work less than you do, they usually have less life , real life experience on the ground, than you do. But you pay them to play pretend and "let's dress up." In other words, they do for a lot of money what you as a child did for free. Is it any wonder that they think that you are the rube of rubes in the same way that a carny laughs at some bachelor farmer from a dry land farm in the middle of South Dakota looking at the Mermaid of the Java Sea in wonderment not knowing that the thing is half stuffed spider monkey and half stuffed sea bass.
It's a joke. The problem is that neither the populace nor the entertainers know that it's a joke. It's almost a matter of the unthinking being led by the unknowing. The unthinking population, nor realizing that their best interests lie in thinking and deciding for themselves politically and morally, follows the march of the unknowing, who think they know what it is to be a working man or woman with kids and a job that is threatened by outsourcing when, in fact, the average actor, while perhaps spending some time waiting tables or driving cabs, doesn't know what it's like to make a living as a bricklayer, a plumber, or office drone or a veteran. But they pretend that they are bricklayers, plumbers, office drones or veterans while actually, not only not being these things, not actually knowing anyone who has done these things It is almost a Judas goat situation. The Judas goat doesn't know what it's doing, but will lead the herd to the slaughter thinking that it is going good by being the leader because, well, as an actor, it is the leader.
Actors and musicians are no smarter than you. In fact, many of them are not. Their skill lies in their ability to recreate emotions and remember written text. They are like mynah birds or parrots. Would you take your political opinions from a black bird named Rajah or a red bird named Polly? You'd be better off discussing your opinions with your dog. At least a dog cares what you think. Or better yet with your neighbors, friends and co-workers. They have a lot more in common with you, and live lives a lot more like your, and have much more the same problem as you do, than does some guy or doll stepping out of a limo at the Academy Awards in February.
Somewhat related is the joke about musical artists and bands pitching a bitch about their songs being used at the political conventions or during the political campaigns (nota bene: it's usually the Republicans being complained about). There's no point in naming names or incidents as they are too numerous. But what is interesting is that the bands and artists, by doing so, are working against their own self-interests. According to ASCAP every time a song is played in public the song writer and the artist is paid a few cents or more. One could say that the stand was a principled stand because that artist will be losing money from royalties, but know if the singer of a popular song went into the local IHOP and found his or her song played over the PA from a radio station said "artist" would immediately get in contact with his or her ASCAP representative and demand his or her royalty. The "artist" wouldn't demand that the IHOP stopped playing the song even if the "artist" was against bacon. It's all what the Social Justice Warriors call "virtue signalling." In other words, the "artists" are like the Pharisee on the story of the Pharisee and Publican; they'll toot their horn when there are people to hear it.
One wonders what what the reaction would be if, say, Mercedes Benz demanded that rap and hip-hop groups stopped driving and featuring Mercedes Benz products in their videos because Mercedes Benz is opposed to rap and hip-hop culture.
Once a product is out it's not yours.
Now that it's later afternoon this writer has some roses on the grounds that have to be groomed.
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