After Meryl Streep gave an impassioned speech at the Golden Globes, calling out Donald Trump on his, what I’ll summarize as overall terribleness, Nicole Kidman is doing just the opposite.
In an interview with BBC News, Kidman said earlier this week that “I would just say he’s now elected and we as a country need to support whoever the president is because that’s what the country’s based on.”
She followed up by saying, “Whatever, however that happened, he’s there and let’s go.”
First off, I just want to say blindly supporting whoever is in office is absolutely not what the country is based on. I’d argue that our country is based on the exact opposite -- the right and ability to be outspoken and critical of those in power. The government should be listening to the people. The people, should not blindly follow the government. And right now, the president-elect is clearly not listening to the people who are upset with his behavior and agenda.
Second, Kidman reminds us that celebrities are not politicians, and while most of Hollywood is liberal, they can, and many of them are, far removed from the average American.
And for every celebrity like Meryl, who uses her platform that Hollywood has granted her to be outspoken about the needs of the oppressed, there will be celebrities who do the opposite.
This is why Mark Wahlberg recently said a couple months ago, “You know, it just goes to show you that people aren’t listening to that anyway." He continued, “They might buy your CD or watch your movie, but you don’t put food on their table. You don’t pay their bills. A lot of Hollywood is living in a bubble. They’re pretty out of touch with the common person, the everyday guy out there providing for their family. Me, I’m very aware of the real world. I come from the real world and I exist in the real world. And although I can navigate Hollywood and I love the business and the opportunities it’s afforded me, I also understand what it’s like not to have all that.”
While I do think that those who have the privilege to have a platform should use that platform to help others who don’t have a voice, perhaps Wahlberg is onto something too.
Watch Nicole Kidman discuss Trump here (at minute 13:30).
