Posted by
Green Faerie on Friday, February 02, 2007 7:39:07 PM
More than one commentator noted that at last weekend's "antiwar-so-long-as-there's-a-Republican-in-the-White-House-and-American-power-is-involved" rally, the old outnumbered the young. Most marchers were middle-aged to geezerly, having more than just "a touch of grey" if there was any hair left at all. This included the celebrities who appeared at the rally. "Hanoi and Now Jihad" Jane Fonda is sixty-something, Susan Sarandon is about to hit the big 6-0, and her "boy toy" heterosexual life partner Tim Robbins is finally looking about the same age. The only star present who didn't yet qualify for AARP membership was Sean Penn, and he's 48.
Where were Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, or Justin Timberlake? Granted these stars are at the apex of their careers and therefore too busy to bother with the freak show on the Mall. Nevertheless, Jolie still finds time to run off to Third World lands. Could it be they're more conservative than their older counterparts? Au contraire, mon frere! Many of today's young stars are honest-to-Gaia liberals and I'm willing to bet more than a smattering of them are every bit as moonbatty as Penn or Sarandon or Fonda. So why not lend their youth, popularity, and vitality to oppose Chimpy McHitler's evil made-up war for oil?
1. The '60s and '70s are ancient history--To an actress born in 1979 or a pop star born in 1984, Vietnam and even the nuclear disarmament movement are a long time ago and far away. They don't remember the "fun" of mass rallies. They're too young to even find them quaint and romantic. To them, and to many young people across the board, that stuff is irrelevant to their generation's experience.
2. No draft--Jake Gyllenhaal does not live in mortal fear of getting drafted and losing everything he's worked for in Hollywood and neither does any other teen or young adult.
3. Better ways to influence the public--Young stars are far more shrewd than their hippie elders. They know getting up in front of a crowd of true believers is just preaching to the amen choir and it's just making you a big fat target for Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity because *everybody* sees it. It's far better to give thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates at splashy fundraisers and spout your views during softball interviews. Entertainment reporters and glossy mag journos are often lefties too, and even if they weren't, they're not going to risk ticking off a star by asking tough questions about his views. The internet has made it easier to relay outrageous statements, but even now, not everyone has access to every interview all of the time. They can make movies and t.v. shows that spread their liberal garbage instead of speechifying at some protest. Stuff like this reaches Middle America, not unwashed throwbacks who already believe this stuff.
4. The bottom line--Young stars worry a lot more about their images than over-the-hill performers who no longer need to worry about box office and ratings. Leonardo DiCaprio does not want to be seen hanging with angry people holding "Socialism Is The Answer" signs. While Cameron Diaz can go on "Oprah" and say with a straight face that not voting is making rape legal, she doesn't want to be associated with Black Bloc anarchists either. The young stars want to convince you their left-wing views are as mainstream as their designer duds, not part of the fringe.
Of course, we know better ;).