A nice, generally reasonable, D.C. actor and Facebook friend posted this today in response to the Jimmy Kimmel uproar, followed by the usual likes, loves and “care” emojis:
Brilliant.
Let’s see: he’s cancelling the streaming service Hulu, owned by Disney, to protest another entity owned by Disney suspending an epic asshole from a money-losing TV show because the actor thinks bashing Donald Trump and Republicans night after night should insulate a marginal talent from the consequences of his words and actions.
Or my friend thinks Disney/ABC is violating the First Amendment because the under-welcome educated bubble he exists in gets all its news from MSNBC and social media. Or he thinks this is some kind of virtue-signalling to his friends who think Donald Trump is a Nazi.
No, the least you could do, my friend, is to do nothing at all, and it would be just as effective as cancelling Hulu and boasting about it on Facebook, with the added benefit that you would not look ridiculous. I say this recognizing that the side of the ideological divide you hang out with fervently believes that “Do something!” is a rational response to all perceived problems.
Have we ever seen a period in American history where so many people were eager to put out public statements that could be fairly translated as “I have become a moron”?
Ethics Alarms 
Have we ever seen a period in American history where so many people were eager to put out public statements that could be fairly translated as “I have become a moron
No, because the media, entertainment, and academic elites had not gone this far in promoting this type of moronity
All I can muster is, “What’s wrong with these people?” What is it about Donald Trump being in the White House that drives them absolutely nuts? He didn’t go the Harvard. (But didn’t he graduate from Wharton?) He graduated from Wharton after studying, gasp, how to make money? He hasn’t spent his entire life grubbing for campaign donations? He’s never been on a school board or a city council or been a mayor? He’s wealthy (to some unknown extent)? He’s from New York City? He ran a number of unwatchable television shows and created a whacky persona? Maybe he’s basically like Rodney Dangerfield’s character in “Caddy Shack.” Al Czervik, a successful South Florida condominium developer who unsettles the Judge Smales-led establishment at pathetically snobby Bush Wood Country Club. There’s something extremely classist about the reaction Trump elicits. Which I find to be terribly ironic. He’s “not one of us.” Which is even more ironic because foreigners like Obama, and Ilhan Omar and Mamdani, and even Kamala Harris are “one of us.” But a Bronx real estate developer is not “one of us.” I guess lefties want politicians who’ve spent their entire lives sucking at the government teat. (Arizona’s governor is a former social worker! Now that’s the kind of politician they like. Someone who’s spent their entire working career helping people shake money out of the government pinata.)
“Thank you very little” for the Al Czervik mention…
PWS
Rodney. The inimitable one. The generation that fought in and survived World War Two.
Reminds me of my sister’s weekly pronouncements about attending “a couple of protests”. How exhausting it must be to live in a perpetual state of outrage.
I guess its marginally better than screaming at the sky, and definitely better than shooting conservatives.
Damon Lindelof: “I won’t be working on any ABC/Disney project.”
Tatiana Maslany: “Unsubscribe from all Disney owned services and don’t patronize.”
Morons, seeking to influence the vulnerable and naive.
Funny thing about this rash of people getting ‘cancelled’ for things they said online – is that many of us warned these very same types against creating, promoting, and justifying a standard that could, and would be one day used against them. It’s a fact that many on the political and ideological Left are learning the hard way.
Tragically, it’s an experience that I am highly dubious that many of them have the capacity to reflect on, let alone learn from.
We morons post things like that, not as virtue signaling, not to show the world “Look at me, I believe/follow/stand with/promote X,” but to inform other friends who hold the same values that we are in solidarity. Also, sometimes because we ARE so outraged that we want the world to know of our outrage. Better than expressing outrage by showing up with and using a gun or using a vehicle as a weapon or any other violent actions.
False dichotomy much?
Honest question–is it possible that ABC wanted to get rid of Jimmy Kimmel and is using this as convenient cover?
Lastly, why weren’t the same people who are so outraged at an unpopular and extremely biased talk show host being pushed out of a job by the government (for the sake of argument, let’s assume this is true) outraged even more so at the government pressuring social media to censor every day people?
Because the people those social media companies were censoring were engaged in Badthink®™. Jimmy Kimmel promoted Goodthink®™
“…is it possible that ABC wanted to get rid of Jimmy Kimmel and is using this as convenient cover?”
Of course.
“…why weren’t the same people who are so outraged at an unpopular and extremely biased talk show host being pushed out of a job by the government (for the sake of argument, let’s assume this is true) outraged even more so at the government pressuring social media to censor every day people?”
Some of us are in fact outraged by it. Some of us also couldn’t care less about Jimmy Kimmel specifically but are outraged by the wreck of free speech in this country, seemingly (really) politically motivated.
I will just have to trust that you were outraged about twitter and facebook as well, but that seems to be an extreme minority of people (and they didn’t bother to express any outrage when it mattered).
Regardless, the nature of Biden’s censorship was much worse, in my opinion, because 1. it affected the town square and private citizens (like it or not, that’s what social media often acts as), 2. it was shadowy, behind-the-scenes, and deniable, and 3. Trump is doing what he’s always done–saying stupid outlandish things which his enemies interpret as literal and his supporters interpret as dumb and about 90% likely to be just hot air.
Now, if Pam Bondi follows through on her stupid threat to try to squash “hate speech” then he’ll have crossed a bridge too far.
I’ve called Donald Trump an idiot and worse on this blog close to a hundred times. I also reposted a 2017 essay this week that basically made the same argument as the late Charlie Kirk about the Second Amendment. Can you guess which exercise of free speech makes me a bit nervous about retribution?
Were you outraged by the OK symbol panic?
Were you outraged by the cancellation of Emmanuel Cafferty?
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/sdge-worker-fired-over-alleged-racist-gesture-says-he-was-cracking-knuckles/2347414/
There you have it: “solidarity.” Indispensable Marxist/Communist shibboleth. Solidarity, like Thelma and Louise going over the cliff. In solidarity.
Dems simply are just terrible at being the party that’s out of power. Republicans are better at it because they’ve had so much practice ever since FDR, I suppose. But come on, Dems. You’re in the minority. Figure it out. Stop throwing a tantrum.
but to inform other friends who hold the same values that we are in solidarity.
That IS virtue signalling, and a particularly self-defeating way to do it, because it undermines the speaker’s own credibility.
Again, Jimmy Kimmel is a ridiculous hill to die on. Several wags have said that progressives are more upset about a millionaire unfunny professional asshole losing a TV gig that was failing than an activist they disagreed with losing his life to an assassin. That’s sure what it looks like on social media. How does that help the cause?
”Have we ever seen a period in American history where so many people were eager to put out public statements that could be fairly translated as “I have become a moron”?
To be fair it’s easier than it ever has been to make such pronouncements. As well as cancel subscriptions. I will do my part by not bothering with political social media. It’s toxic and has no benefits. In fact I have been ruthless about what I see on my own social media accounts. Block, “I don’t want to see this” and ignore are necessary to stop the spread of what are basically tabloids or chain letters. It’s up to you to stop the spread. If people want to wallow and immerse themselves in angry politics in their free time, that’s on them. I have better things to do.
Jack: “I say this recognizing that the side of the ideological divide you hang out with fervently believes that “Do something!” is a rational response to all perceived problems.”
sadly, both sides engage in this. And, it makes sense. If you do something, you can’t be blamed for doing nothing. If you do something, you have cover for what happens because no one can prove it would have better to do nothing.
the 2008 banking crisis was a perfect opportunity to tell the banks that they were not getting help and the market would work itself out. But the right was too chicken to do nothing.
-Jut
Well this is annoying. What if I wanted to cancel my Hulu subscription but don’t want Disney thinking that I’m trying to pressure them into reinstating Jimmy Kimmel?
Well played, Disney. Well played.