We have seen this story played out on Twitter (X) all the time: A celebrity says something off-the-cuff, someone else responds and then it’s time to slash and snap at the zoo.
Let this sink in. Republicans say that even if Trump is a Convicted Felon who attempted to destroy American Democracy, they will still vote for him. We will only survive if he, and the corrupt party he leads, is decisively defeated in 2024.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) September 4, 2023
If Mr. Reiner wants to be taken seriously, I’d like to remind him that “convicted”, “felon”, and “democracy”, are not proper names and shouldn’t be capitalized. But perhaps this is being too persnickety. Even though I work in this field, the observation is accurate, even if it’s a bit persnickety.
The response was what I would call a slam dunk.
Let this sink in. Republicans say that even if Trump is a Convicted Felon who attempted to destroy American Democracy, they will still vote for him. We will only survive if he, and the corrupt party he leads, is decisively defeated in 2024.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) September 4, 2023
What a crazy idea, Do you mean beat him in a fair and general election that would require good ideas and debate (and not so-obvious corruption)??? Lol, Good luck Dems. We know why you’re cheating and lying and indicting and false flagging. It’s your only hope. But keep telling us we are a threat to democracy.
I will give Rob Reiner credit for one thing: He gave us The Princess Bride, a movie I enjoyed in the theater in 1987 and still enjoy today. It’s one of the most-quoted films in cinema history; in fact, shortly after it was released, I attended a function where we were all handed one of those stickers that says “Hello, my name is” and has a space to enter your name; I, of course, wrote in “Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” At least three other people at the function had the same idea, which was worth some laughs all around.
What else is there? It’s a guy best known as “Meathead”, a nickname Mr. Reiner certainly deserves.
Rob Reiner, to be charitable, is unclear about the idea of campaigns. His comment makes one wonder what he would have in mind if Donald Trump were to win a second term. Roseanne’s response is a good one: In a fair election it should be ideas that are aired openly and honestly. Roseanne is not perfect, and she has made mistakes. But we all make mistakes.
Of course, these conflicts are not confined to Twitter/X. My colleague has recently documented the attacks aimed towards actor Woody Harrelson because he wore a JFK Jr. hat – thereby announcing his backing for a Democrat. These attacks or, more likely, because of them have led many show business types to lean right and leave the Hollywood establishment.
By the way, where are today’s John Fords? Ford was a great filmmaker and gave us the American film icon John Wayne. He also served as a US Navy Reserve officer in World War 2. Ford achieved the rank of rear admiral upon his retirement and filmed with servicemen in places such as Midway and North Africa. John Ford was an iron-willed man and a brilliant filmmaker. What would he think of Rob Reiner, for example?
We can probably imagine the answer.
Some time ago, I came across a wonderful documentary about Rob Reiner’s antitobacco activism. Here is a sample.
