Let’s talk about Nicole Kidman for a moment, shall we? She’s been all over social media and headlines this week. Why, you ask? A matter of opinion and asking Americans to unite. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and discuss Kidman and her comments.
Earlier this week, Kidman had an interview with BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04p04r8) in promotion for her new film Lion. During the interview, the actress was asked about the presidential election and her thoughts on Trump. With much class and respect, Kidman responded to the best of her ability. “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 is based on.” To state the obvious, this comment does not in anyway display Kidman’s political views, stance or who she voted for. She continued by saying, “Whatever, however that happened, he’s there, and let’s go.”
Since this interview with BBC, it appears that Kidman has faced backlash from the media. For what? For telling America that it’s time we move on and give President-Elect Trump a chance. Surely, in her comment, Kidman remained classy, giving an answer that most of Hollywood wouldn’t dream of giving. Her comment was simple and it should have remained simple but instead, it got misconstrued, taken out of context and created an uproar.
So, why is this drawing so much attention? Why is the media outraged? Why are people so mad at Kidman? After all, didn’t she just state that its about time America give the President-Elect a chance and unite? According to the media, Kidman’s comments implied that she voted for Trump. The actress didn’t state the opinion that they believe to be right. She went the opposite direction of where they thought she would go. Kidman gave the media something they weren’t expecting, which shook them to the core. So, what do they do? Lash out and twist words, claiming Kidman’s comments implied her vote for Trump.
After the twists and misconstrued words and lash out from the media, Kidman spoke up and clarified her thoughts in a recent interview with Access Hollywood (https://www.accesshollywood.com/videos/nicole-kidm...) saying, “I was trying to stress that I believe in democracy and the American Constitution, and it was the sample. I’m out of it now. That’s what I said and it’s that simple.” Of course, her clarification started more uproar by the media and others saying that it’s not that simple and at this point, we’re wondering if Kidman is regretting saying anything at all.
Here’s the thing, opinions don’t matter unless the media agrees with it, and if they don’t, it’s considered controversy. That’s reality. This is what America has come to. Kidman, who is established in Hollywood but lives a quiet life in Nashville with her husband Keith Urban has said something out of the ordinary and it’s not okay according to the media. It’s not okay that she believes we should all give our leaders a chance and it’s not okay that she spoke her mind. Since it’s not okay, the media automatically switches to bullying, which is okay? Really? Bullying is okay? Don’t you see a double standard here? Don’t you realize the hypocrisy? This isn’t a political issue or a women’s issue. This is a double standard issue.
If you’re not the Meryl Streeps or Beyonce’s of the world then you’re not on the cool list. You’re not off the hook. When someone shows their lack of support for Trump or our leaders, they are praised. When someone like Kidman states that we simply need to respect our leaders and support them, they’re bullied. How is this okay? When is bullying someone for their freedom to speak their opinions ever okay?
Perhaps we can’t change the media and how they react but we can change how we respond. We root for Nicole Kidman because she had the guts to speak up and let America know that it’s time we respect our leadership and give them a chance. We root for Nicole Kidman because she stands for the Constitution. We root for Nicole Kidman because although she’s faced backlash, she still stuck to her guns and responded with grace and dignity. We don’t root for the media because this is a prime example of their true colors showing.
The media can’t support opinions other then their own and that’s just the way it is, which is unfortunate. Those who delivers news daily shouldn’t be the people who go so far as to bullying another human being because of their right to freedom of speech. The media has a voice and they have chosen to use it by bullying and hating on others for a story or for more page views and this isn’t something that should be condoned. This isn’t real journalism.
If you’re reading this, don’t root for those who bully others just because they don’t agree with an opinion. Don’t root for others who misconstrue words or lash out on others because of answering a question they were asked. Don’t root for those people. Root for the Nicole Kidman’s of the world. Root for those who will take a stand with class and dignity. Root for those who are willing to give another person a chance, especially leadership. Root for the ones who are willing to listen. Root for the ones who don’t go out of their way to bully someone else because their opinion is different. Root for Nicole Kidman.
The media has a double standard and they always will. They are powerful and their voices are heard but don’t let it end there. Don’t let the media control your voice. You have a voice and you should use it. Nicole Kidman used hers and it was nothing but a comment filled with grace, truth and dignity. We need to be supportive of our leaders because us rooting for them to fail is like us rooting for the pilot to crash a plane. Let’s pray for our leaders and yes, support them. Let’s respect their positions that have been given to them and pray that they succeed. Let’s pray for our country.
We’re rooting for you Nicole, and we’re rooting for America also.
