Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Hollywood Double Standard

By Dan Kidder

So when Alec Baldwin or Barbara Streisand get up and flap their gums about the state of the world, promoting cowardice in the Middle East, criticizing American values, bashing all that is good and decent, promoting gay marriage, they are hailed as brave and wonderful Americans for taking a stand.

How is it then that Miss California, Carrie Prejean is lambasted by every media outlet save one for taking a similar stand by expressing her opposition to gay marriage during the Miss USA pageant?

Is there a severe disconnect between what Hollywood says and does, of that there is little doubt. But do they not even see the immense double standard? Do they really think they should have the ability to bravely espouse whatever political view they want with no repercussions, and then have the nerve to vilify another for doing the same?

When Hollywood speaks, they know they have freedom to say whatever politically correct thing they want, so therefore the only thing that must not be said is that which is not politically correct.

Well, Hollywood can’t have it both ways. Either they can accept that someone has the right to express their opinion without being called a socialist or a bigot or they don’t. If Miss Prejean desires to express her opinion, at so high a cost as the Miss USA crown, then they should be congratulating her for her brave defense of an unpopular opinion.

Miss Prejean’s Answer to her position on gay marriage was far from inflamatory, it just didn’t toe the Hollywood line. “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”

What is ironic is that it nearly parrots the response given to a similar question by President Barack Hussein Obama during a presidential debate.

“I do not support gay marriage. Marriage has religious and social connotations, and I consider marriage to be between a man and a woman.” Obama wrote in his questionnaire to the Human Rights Campaign during his 2008 presidential bid.

Where was Hollywood’s approbation and condemnation for his answer?

By jumping on the bash Prejean bandwagon, Hollywood activists are negating their own stances and their rights to express their opinions on political matters. If that is the case, they should take their own advice and just “sit down and shut up.”