Dear Hollywood

Dear Hollywood,

Movies have been a source of entertainment and escape for many people since the first film on the big screen. For me, it is roughly 2 hours (or more) to imagine living in another place and time. To learn about civilizations and peoples long since gone. You’re human and a citizen with the same responsibility that I do. While I love to learn new things, I do not go to the movies to be lectured. You’re allowed to have your beliefs and opinions. However, sometimes your comments show how out of touch you are with the rest of us. Your hypocrisy, bias and lack of open conservation with those who disagree with you shows that you do not practice what you preach. Even an “insider” saw this and called you out on it!

One of the biggest complaints is the hypocrisy. Many actors preach, lecture and scold about various topics, the most current one being climate change, and then do the exact thing they were just ranting against. It’s the “Do as I say and not as I do” attitude. If you want change, then lead by example. Jane Fonda’s Oscar choice to wear an old gown is a start. She wore a gown that she also wore to Cannes in 2014 to combat climate change (Apatoff, 2020). Unfortunately, her efforts did not leave the public very impressed. Some of the comments I found online were less than impressed and dripping with sarcasm. One commenter wrote, “wearing the same dress 2 times in 6 years. What a sacrifice and role model. Let’s give her an award!” Another commenter wrote, “I swear the same clothes once a week, every week. Nobody in the media is writing about my eco friendly habits.” While some commenters tried to defend her actions and applauding her efforts, others weren’t having it. One response was “WOW! What a pioneer!! Just imagine wearing clothes more than once!! What a rebel!!” But to be fair and play devil’s advocate, maybe Ms. Fonda’s statement was aimed at her fellow actors and Hollywood’s standards that you must wear new, never-before-seen fashion. Maybe? Wishful thinking?

Hollywood has become notorious for extreme bias. Yelling from the rooftops about tolerance, diversity and acceptance and yet someone one has a differing viewpoint, you shut them down. Actor Kevin Sorbo has been essentially blacklisted for being a Christian conservative and liberals proudly boast about banning him from fan-based conferences (Stossel, 2019). Many actors have come out to rail against the gender pay gap and how it is unfair to women. In 2018, actor Benedict Cumberbatch made the commitment to refuse any project where his female co-starts will be paid less them him (Deb, 2020). Did any other male Hollywood actor say anything in agreement? Or made a similar commitment? I hadn’t heard of anyone. Though, again, a few from the public were not impressed and commented that the gesture is all talk and aren’t holding their breath to see if he follows through. I think many view Hollywood as a lot of talk and not enough walk. Let’s see a little more action and maybe we’ll start listening.

Many people in the public applauded Ricky Gervais, despite being a stanch liberal, roasted, blasted and called out many in Hollywood for their hypocrisy and inflated ego. In his monologue at this year’s Golden Globes, he said, “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world.” One commenter, I read online, stated, “he wasted the Hollywood hypocrites and they deserved every word.” He even called out his own hypocrisy while shamelessly promoting his Netflix’s show, Afterlife. “His speech ended up being a phenomenal takedown of an overly political and absurdly left-wing Hollywood that’s become obsessed with self-righteous crusades” (Stepman, 2020). Your audiences don’t like being scolded and lectured to like disobedient children. If you have a cause you want to pursue, that’s fine but forcing people to accept it by shoving it in our faces and down our throats is not the way to do it. I feel many in Hollywood have been a part of the Ivory Tower for far too long that they forget what the real world feels like.

I think Hollywood that your heart is the right place. To educate people. To broaden their horizons about people and places we’ll never meet or see. I applaud your desire to shine lights the issues you hold dear. However, it is the “righteous statements of incoherent idealism” (Deb, 2020) that many people are fed up with. It is the “Do as I say and not as I do” mentality that get people’s goat. It doesn’t work with children and it won’t work with adults. Everyone can fall prey to hypocrisy. I know I do, and I work hard to avoid it. However, Hollywood, if you were to admit your faults and shortcomings and have an honest dialogue with us instead of lecturing them, maybe we would be more open to listening.

Sincerely,

A fan

References

Apatoff, Alex (February 10, 2020). Jane Fonda Wears Gray Pixie Cut, Recycles 6-Year-Old Gown at Oscars After Declaring She Won't Buy New Clothes Again. People magazine. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jane-fonda-wears-gray-pixie-051353437.html. Retrieved February 10, 2020.

Deb, Sandipan (February 16, 2020). Opinion | Thank you, Hollywood, but spare us your moral lectures. LiveMint. https://www.livemint.com/opinion/columns/opinion-thank-you-hollywood-but-spare-us-your-moral-lectures-11581874258220.html. Retrieved February 17, 2020.

Stepman, Jarrett (January 6, 2020). At the Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais Exposes Hollywood’s ‘Woke’ Culture. The Daily Signal. https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/01/06/at-the-golden-globes-ricky-gervais-exposed-hollywoods-woke-culture/. Retrieved February 21, 2020.

Stossel, John (December 3, 2019). One Fix for Hollywood Bias. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/JohnStossel/videos/835046203619217/?sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e. Retrieved February 17, 2020.