I know what it’s like to be vilified. I joined the military during the height of the (Hollywood-encouraged) anti-war movement in the very early 1970’s. People questioned me then. When I wore my uniform around the country, I was ridiculed by peers, the target of beer cans at football stadiums, and encountered an America that didn’t begrudge me my service as long as I understood that I was fighting for others’ rights to vilify me. I knew this. They would routinely remind me.
I saw the military drawdown of the Carter years and the buildup during the Reagan years and the drawdown during the Clinton years. I personally experienced the respect of George W. Bush, and the end of mass vilification after it became apparent that the military was going to have to fight the war on terror. Things have been infinitely more respectful regarding military service since the attacks on 9-11, which have helped fade the memories of Vietnam.
But, I’ve watched the military “played with” during the Obama years and, I’m convinced the military doesn’t really know what to expect from the new president. It’s just that we’ve seen it all. And in my efforts in recent years to advocate for the military, I still experienced vilification. That came from your side of the cultural divide, Ms. Streep.
But you, O Hollywood, through your spokesperson, have now complained about vilification from your own powerful platform. Let me use her words: “This instinct to humiliate, when it’s modeled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, filters down into everybody’s life because it kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing. Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”
Well Hollywood, that’s pretty much what I’ve experienced coming from you, and hearing from you, and seeing from you over the last 50 years since the 1960s. You may not recognize it because, to you, the 1960s have become “normalized.” It’s why I really don’t go to many movies. It’s why I complain about biased news. It’s why I have real problems with people who can’t think for themselves unless they see and hear first from you and the media about what to think about America. Now, don’t feel vilified, any more than I.
And if you’re complaining about the election of Donald Trump, my experiences might not be unlike a few more people in our country who are responding in the same way to Ms. Streep’s remarks. He may not have been our favorite, but now he belongs to all of us just the same way as your favorite President Obama belonged to us.
I don’t need your platform on that stage. I’m just an insignificant voice on a website I’m paying for on a fixed income. I tend to make things happen on my own and I don’t have time to feel vilified. So, get into your expensive cars and fly your jets around the country to make a difference. Frankly, my car needs an oil change.