While in Australia for a press conference over the fourth of July weekend, actor Matt Damon spoke on the heavily hot topic of guns. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Damon was doing promotional events for the latest installment in the "Jason Bourne" franchise, when he brought up Australia's no nonsense control on guns. "You guys did it there in one fell swoop [in 1996],and I wish that could happen in my country, but it's such a personal issue for people that we cannot talk about it sensibly." spoke Damon. He went on to discuss about how he feels that there has been no action taken on the issue of gun violence since the tragedy of Sandy Hook in 2012.
Many believe he is being a hypocrite, considering he makes millions off of portraying a multi-gun toting assassin in the "Jason Bourne" films. Needless to say, Matt Damon has since been damned by people all over the web, and even, so shockingly, "boycotted" by those who no longer wish to support him by seeing his films because of this belief on gun control.
To get a little background information, the Australian government swiftly acted after a mass shooting in 1996 where 35 people were killed and 23 wounded, by creating the National Firearms Agreement and Buyback Program. There is no outright ban on weapons but to obtain one, you first must get a license to own a firearm, then prove you have a reasonable need for one. For example, if you hunt, collect, or are a part of a shooting range club, then you would be considered. If you've made it this far then you must then take mandatory safety training courses, and have reasonable storage for said firearm. Depending on the gun, the details get deeper, but overall that is how they do it down under. All of this and more is what Damon was longingly referring to at recent press events.
Alright, I get it. It is kind of hilarious that Damon brings up gun control while promoting a film franchise where guns are the hot, Hollywood star of the show. Now, I am not here to discuss which side of the political basket I put my gun control eggs in or to discuss Matt Damon as a person, because I don't personally know the guy, but to look at how people react to an unpopular opinion as such.
Maybe it's the times we are living in. With so much change happening all around us all the time, and the severity of current events that trigger such strong opinions and political debates it seems people lately are feeling safe to curse, degrade, and even threaten others behind the comfort of their computer screen. I've seen this many times before Damon spoke up about our American love affair with guns, but reading the comments regarding the incident really got me thinking. Now, I'm sure I will hear about how maybe I'm being overly sensitive, something that is perceived wrong with the world these days.
No, I just don't like hateful people.
I just find it ridiculous that we live in a time where if you have an opinion that the majority doesn't agree with, you get crucified to the proverbial social media cross. Staying with the Matt Damon situation, I get it, he is kind of being hypocritical but I think it's hilarious, in a very sad and concerning way, how far people go to tear down someone from the inside out for their opinion. For example, I scoured through the Facebook comments on CNN's coverage of Mr. Damon to see hundreds of red-blooded, angry Americans commenting on how he should leave the country and move, or to just plainly go to hell, which is to put it nicely. Among this was a variety of vulgarity, colorful curse words, and a lot of people taking his opinions strangely personal.
Why is the immediate reaction for some to attack, full steam ahead when someone speaks about their thoughts and concerns? This goes beyond Mr. Damon and his views on gun control and on to how people react to certain things. People don't have to agree with one another. This is not news. Since when did it become the norm to bash and threaten those that have an unpopular opinion on how things are going in one's own country or how they feel things should be going? It's almost as if certain opinions are regarded as un-American, or unpatriotic, therefore it is okay to treat the person as if they are those things. It seems, coming back to Matt Damon, that because he thinks gun control would help eliminate gun violence in America, that he should leave the country and move to Australia because that's where gun control exists and 'Murica ain't about that. No, my fellow Americans, just because someone has a different and unpopular opinion on something, doesn't mean they should leave the country. They want change, just like you and I, even if it may look different. Again, I understand the disagreement but not the belittlement and almost eagerness to push people away.
Whether you agree or disagree with what the "Jason Bourne" actor has to say, I believe that by now the point is moot. To me, it seems our opinions are becoming us, and no, that's not a good thing. Though having strong opinions and feeling passionate about them is good, I feel that our opinions are also destroying, dividing, and creating hate among us. Don't get me wrong, I myself am not cookies and unicorn rainbows all the time, I get fired up too, but not to the extent I have seen lately. Can we all take a chill pill and agree to disagree in a civilized, adult-like manner like the adults most of us actually are?
