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Meryl and her streeple

By Louis O'Neill - posted Monday, 16 January 2017


On January 8, as anyone with internet access will know, the 74th annual Golden Globes Awards ceremony occurred. Yet, aside from seeing all of Hollywood's star-studded members in one room, there was one highlight which has clung onto the tip of everyone's tongue ever since.

No, it was not the fact that Hollywood's angel Meryl Streep was awarded with the prestigious Cecil B DeMille award, but rather, the very emotional speech which she made afterward – a speech regarding the current US president elect, Donald Trump.

Meryl opened her speech by mentioning the diversity of Hollywood's constituency, as she listed an array of celebrities with differing upbringings, explaining to the fans back home that "Hollywood is filled with foreigners, and if you kick them all out, you'll have nothing to watch except for football and mixed martial arts...which are NOT the arts."

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…And in that moment, almost as quickly as her speech began, I lost respect for Meryl Streep.

Seeming to forget that she is no more than a contemporary jester, Meryl, like many other celebrities during this election cycle, used her speech as a platform to campaign against Donald Trump. Now I have no issue with differing political viewpoints, and in fact welcome them in the form of healthy debate. However in this case, Streep's rant deserves no praise. Streep has no education outside of the performing arts, which is made immediately evident through her misrepresentation of Trump's policies. First, he never said he wanted to deport all non-white citizens, nor is there a way one could misinterpret one of his vague quotes into believing that. Secondly, even if Streep could grasp the basic economic principle behind Trumps stance on illegal immigration, does she have no humility? Why does she feel the need to turn the Golden Globes into her own political monologue?

And this is without having even mentioned her remark that without her multi-coloured theatrical comrades, people would have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts. Well Meryl, I must ask, have you ever watched either? Because if your delusion were correct, and all non-whites were indeed deported, Hollywood wouldn't be the only industry affected. In fact, it would be one of the less affected, as we learned from minority actors and actresses cries earlier last year for more racial diversity in film. And what do you mean when you say football and martial arts "aren't arts?" Are you really so narrow minded that you can't even acknowledge the creative merit in activities other than your own? Are you so narcissistic to consider yourself the judge and jury on what is and isn't art? Football and MMA are two of the most highly viewed programs on television, with some of the most highly skilled individuals within them. For you to just casually denounce them as though they were upheld only in the fringes of lowbrow society, it sounds to me as though you're suggesting they're only watched by...oh I don't know, shall we say...deplorables?

Continuing on her sanctimonious soliloquy, Streep then alludes to the time that Trump allegedly insulted a handicapped journalist, highlighting a video which showed trump flailing his arms while quoting a physically handicapped journalist. Regardless of the fact that the very same arm flailing has been exhibited by Trump on several different occasions in many different contexts, Meryl goes on to explain how his actions deeply sadden her, because, "it's not a movie, it's real life."

Well no Meryl, once again in such a short period of time, you are wrong. It isn't real life, it's Hollywood. And during this entire election cycle, you've clearly failed to hear anything outside your leftist Hollywood echo chamber.

You beckon for the "principled press" to hold people in power accountable, well Meryl, here I am. You talk about the responsibility of the actor to have empathy for others, and I patiently await the day you do so.

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Until then however, all you've demonstrated to me is that you are no more than a mouthpiece for Hollywood leftism, truly incapable of ever conceiving of a world-view outside of your own. And until you can come to terms with this fact, you will exist as nothing more than a shepherd, corralling your fellow actors and actresses to stay within the playpen of left-wing ideas, never able to safely hold a differing opinion.

And as far as deportation goes, what happened to all those celebrities promising to flee the country if Trump gets elected? Can we perhaps get a follow up on that?

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About the Author

Louis O'Neill is a writer from Sydney having graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Writing focusing on issues of philosophy, morality, religion and social commentary.

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