On Sunday, January 8th, actress Meryl Streep was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards. During her speech, the star spoke amicably of her fellow actors and thanked them for the honor, which recognizes a lifetime of achievement and contribution to the film and television industry.
Streep, however, took the time to criticize someone who was not in attendance: President-elect Donald Trump. Specifically, she lambasted his mockery of a physically disabled reporter last year. The President-elect denies he mocked the reporter, but both supporters and opponents of the President-elect have different opinions on the video, with a top advisor to the soon-to-be Commander-in-Chief, Kellyanne Conway, defending him by asking people to judged him by what is in his heart.
After Streep's speech, President-elect Trump took to Twitter to chide the actress, calling her "overrated". This is in line with his and his allies attacks on members of Hollywood and Broadway, what can be described as red meat for the Americans who felt disenfranchised over the past eight years by the images of famous celebrities partying the night away at one of President Obama's soirees at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Others on social media feel that this incident, along with the now infamous message from the Hamilton cast to Vice President-elect Pence, is another instance of precocious lecturing on behalf of well-to-do elites and coastal and urban liberals.
To begin, many actors on Broadway can hardly be described as elitist or out-of-touch, considering most actors of a moderately successful show on Broadway will make around $100,000/year, which when you consider the cost of living in New York City, equates to approximately a salary of $40,000 in a suburb of Atlanta. Not to say they're destitute, but many stage actors in Manhattan and Brooklyn do not live the lifestyles of a Trump, Clinton, or even Hollywood celebs.
When it comes to Hollywood actors, however, it is hard to believe that people like Streep, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, and others live anything other than comfortably. It is true that many of them are liberal and openly support Democratic candidates. Whether that's the lavish lifestyle or California mindset, who knows, but the good thing about being a Democrat is that you can usually roll out any random celebrity to headline your fundraiser.
Many people, like the next President of the United States, attack these actors when they use a platform to criticize conservative leaders. These responses, while they may be understandable, are a complete waste of time. Everything these actors say, as long as it is not slanderous, is protected. Many of them are citizens who vote, and their vote will count. If you are going to disagree with them, then attack their position instead of the person.
To those who believe the Golden Globes was not an appropriate place for Streep to express her opinion or the theatre in New York was not a good place for a public message, where is a good place? To those who believe movies and theater should not be political, I encourage you to both read up on your history and actually go see a movie or a play. Both industries are inherently political, giving us insights into the issues of our day and of days past. They give us a glimpse into the human condition as the individual artists see it. Most of us would never go and see a movie or stage production if they didn't have some issue at the heart of it.
We must never make the mistake that those who we pay to see perform are just performers. They are individuals who still have an opinion, no matter how much you may disagree with that opinion. If you think they are dumb, rude, or disrespectful, then you can stop supporting them. You have every right to do so. When it comes to people like Meryl Streep, of which there are few, that will surely be more your loss than theirs.
In summary, this country faces bigger problems than talented people sharing pieces of their mind. Let's start working on and solving these problems together, and then maybe go see a show at the end of the day.
