The new hot issue the right wing has latched onto this year is “cancel culture.” In other words, if you call someone out for their open-hatred of other people, they claim you are really attacking them for being Republican!
In the past, conservatives have typically responded to cultural isolation by trying to create an alternate Hollywood-- and this time around, they resorting to the same playbook. After a lackluster speech at the 2016 GOP convention, a divorce, and a failed run for Congress, Antonio Sabato, Jr. claims he was forced to move to Florida to work construction. The ‘90s soap star and former underwear model announced plans to establish a right-wing studio after he was allegedly “blacklisted.”
He’s not alone. Despite having extensive family connections in Hollywood, Ben Shapiro is a failed screenwriter. In a January announcement dripping in resentment, Shapiro declared his Daily Wire website will move into the entertainment business. In February, Shapiro then made a large production of supporting and hiring Gina Carano, who was fired and dropped by her agent after making trans-phobic and anti-Semitic posts on social media.
For those unfamiliar with the controversy, Gina Carano had a pretty good gig playing Cara Dune on Disney+’s hit show The Mandalorian. Apparently, she is not a great actress, as she has repeatedly had her lines shortened, cut and even dubbed over by other actresses. Already on thin ice, Carano decided to make enemies of her fans. Last year, she waded into the Black Lives Matter movement by “liking” several social media posts attacking them. She mocked people who wore masks, and promoted Donald Trump’s election fraud conspiracy.
She also insulted her co-stars. Pedro Pascal has a sister who came out as transgender, and even after a discussion with Carano were she feigned support, she stabbed him in the back. Carano used her Twitter profile to make fun of the trend of including one’s preferred pronouns in email signatures or social media profiles.
Not satisfied with the number of fans she’d already alienated, Carano then shared anti-Semitic posts despite being asked by her bosses to be more discreet. But she couldn't help herself-- and she also falsely declared that being a Republican was comparable to being Jewish in the time leading up to the Holocaust. She even posted a photo of a bloodied Jewish woman, getting beaten by Nazis, to represent her point.
Lucasfilm finally had enough of her and let her go. In any other job, she would have been fired long before it had gotten to this point. Putting her blatant bigotry aside, you’d think conservatives would just appreciate the calculated business decision: The liability of keeping her greatly outweighed any benefit. She was not a fan favorite, expressed no desire to improve her craft, and was way more trouble than she was worth. In the end, Carano had only herself to blame.
Brian Kilmeade, host of Fox & Friends, loves to attack the “Hollywood elite,” but his own website talks about him trying to become a stand-up comedian for 10 years. (I can’t even imagine.) Kilmeade literally begged Jimmy Kimmel to help him get work in Hollywood. Dana Loesch, spokeswoman for the NRA before it filed for bankruptcy, has always railed against "movie stars, singers, comedy shows and awards shows," even though she tried very hard to join their ranks. A Hollywood producer told a story of one sitcom Dana pitched to him that would have starred herself as a “young, hot mom who does a far-right radio show.” He found her to be “obsessed with potential fame and money,” and told her to get lost.
Even Shapiro’s mentor, Andrew Breitbart, admitted he came to Hollywood “with the hope that I’d eventually become a comedy writer.” He failed miserably as well. George Clooney described Steve Bannon as a "schmuck who literally tried everything he could to sell scripts in Hollywood." This included a "Shakespearian rap musical" on the L.A. riots that was just as awful as it sounds.
“Comedian” Steve Crowder relentlessly made fun of a Vox reporter for being gay and Mexican. Jesse Watters viciously insulted Asian-Americans in an appalling “comedic” segment on Fox News. Ann Coulter goes after … well, everyone. It’s not really comedy so much as it’s targeting a group that’s different, then insulting and laughing at them, known as “punching down.”
It’s a whole lot easier to tell yourself that you can’t find work because of your beliefs than because of your abilities. None of these people are good at comedy or writing. They are, however, very good at insulting and degrading marginalized groups and their allies. Unfortunately, that’s what a lot of people on the right think comedy is supposed to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment