A Moment of Solidarity in a New Decade of Madness 

Upon taking some time to reflect on all the calamitous events that unfolded during this first week of the year 2020, I was able to find solace and comfort in the words of the great American poet, Gwen Stefani. In 2004 she is documented as stating, “this shit is bananas”. And some sixteen years later, her sentiment remains unphased as the start of this year has been nothing short of, “bananas”. 

In all seriousness though, the last week has been year a rough one. We have seen Australia become engulfed in flames, Iran is once again a tumultuous shit hole, and we are still waiting with bated breath for what the Senate is going to do with Trump’s articles of impeachment. With so much going on in the world, it seems only fitting that the dissociated and pretentious thoughts and opinions belonging to that of the Hollywood elites, would start slowly creeping their way into places they don’t belong, like our news sources. This happens time and time again, due to the fact that we have blurred the lines between influence and intelligence. Subsequently, we are left with nothing but an onslaught of unwarranted life-coaching form the overpaid and the opinionated.   

During this specific time of the year, known to many as, “award season” has slowly evolved into the prime opportunity for these actors, actresses, producers, directors, and writers to stand in front of their audience and spout forth tears and self-indulgent cries for change, all in the name of the injustices and hardships of this world. But it’s all for not, as they grip tight their gold statues and get chauffeured home in the backseat of a car that costs more than some people make in a lifetime. 

              Of course, not all members of Hollywood are self-centered cretins. Some celebrities are cognizant enough to understand the power to influence that they possess, and they use their platforms for the greater good. But let’s be honest, that’s few and far in between. What we normally see are famous people latching on to whatever humanitarian cause is currently trending in order to provide themselves with more exposure, and then migrating to the next viable cause. No different than a parasite searching for a host. 

And those organizing and attending the 2020 Golden Globes found themselves in the perfect shitstorm of political, economic, and environmental upheaval to facilitate speeches that were bound to be saturated in levels of self-righteousness so incredible, even (Pre-Jesus) Kanye West would find himself in shock. That was until legendary comedian, Ricky Gervais commanded the stage with nothing but sheer wit and a beer. And from his podium, proceeded to kick the entire entertainment industry square in the solar plexus in a valiant attempt to rip the air straight from their lungs. 

 In a matter of roughly eight minutes, Ricky Gervais managed to shit on every hypocritic facet of Hollywood. There were no punches being pulled by Mr. Gervais as he stood in front of his peers and spoke his truth. This should have come as no surprise, after all, he did open his monologue by explicitly stating that he did not care. He made ruthless jokes directed towards those that associated with Harvey Weinstein, and how Ronan Farrow was coming for the rest of the Hollywood rapists. This joke was met with harsh faces of disgust by those that had likely worked with Weinstein. Gervais did not care. Gervais followed this with an, “Epstein didn’t kill himself” joke in front of a room of people that actually knew the man. The joke was received with disheartened groans but was followed immediately by Gervais once again telling the audience, he knew Epstein was a friend of some in the room and he did not care. Reminding the audience of the pedophilic allegations that still loom over not just Epstein, but many other high-profile individuals. Yet, Ricky Gervais’ cu de gras of not giving a single fuck came when he attacked the, hypocritical “wokeness” of celebrities concerned with promoting “dignity and doing the right thing”, but who simultaneously collect their paychecks from corporations like “Apple, that run sweatshops in China”. In other words, (well, Gervais’ words, to be precise) “If Isis had a streaming service you would call your agents, wouldn’t you?” Finally, Gervais instructed his peers to act graciously and professionally, for a change, if they did in fact win an award. Well, what he actually said was, “Thank your God. Thank your agent. And fuck off.” No, Mr. Gervais, thank you. 

It’s like breathing in fresh air in the ruins of Chernobyl to hear a celebrity speak poignantly and with clarity. Instead of the miseducated, propagandized, and self-induced brain vomit we’ve become accustomed to from our altruistic A-listers . Gervais was absolutely correct when he told the Golden-Globes attendees to not lecture the audience at home about anything because they “do not know anything about the real world.” If only more people with clout actually exercised it like Gervais did, we would be in a much better place culturally. 

Who’s to say how long the impact of Gervais’ speech will resonate? Or, if it will make any change in the tradition of using celebrities to push agendas? But if there is anything lasting that can be taken away from this, just remember that our country, our politics, and our opinions are not supposed to be influenced by the Leonardo DiCaprio’s and the Meryl Streep’s of the world. Those important factors of life belong to all of us and exist far beyond the silver screen.

https://youtu.be/oR7mEaqMubU