| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Oh, the burdens of cruising the French Riviera while feeling ashamed of your country! |
| 2008-07-02 |
| Pam Meister, Pajamas Media Will Smith is the latest overpaid navel-gazer to join the “Embarrassed to Be a Rich American Celebrity Tour.” On a recent Today Show appearance to hawk his upcoming movie Hancock — which, if this report is correct, is likely to be a box office disaster — Smith had this to say about his recent travels abroad: You know I just, I just came back from Moscow, Berlin, London, and Paris and it’s the first, I’ve been there quite a few times in the past five to 10 years. And it just hasn’t been a good thing to be American. And this is the first time, since Barack has gotten the nomination, that it, it was a good thing. Yup. That dastardly George W. Bush has made life incredibly difficult for the jet set. Imagine having to hide your face in shame every time you travel to Europe just because holier-than-thou Europeans think that since they don’t like your president, you shouldn’t either. It must really put a cramp in your ability to enjoy luxuries like private jet travel, expensive hotels, and fine wines. Oh, the horror. . . . When I hear that Smith, who has climbed the ladder of incredible success over the past ten or fifteen years, says it’s not a “good thing to be American” just because the current president is unpopular, I get really steamed. How have Bush’s decisions while in the White House affected Smith’s ability to work and live the life that most of us can only dream of? If Smith and his cronies are “embarrassed” when they see the snooty folks at the Cannes Film Festival and other such gatherings, I have this to say: hard cheese. My husband wonders why I bother to get all worked up over incidents like this. And every time I do, I swear it will be the last time I waste my breath. But then I hear things like Smith’s comment and I get all hot under the collar again. Why? Because it really galls me that American celebrities, our unofficial ambassadors, feel like they have to go around denouncing the country that gave them the opportunities for the exceedingly good careers and lives they enjoy. Despite the fact that I believe history will be much kinder to George W. Bush than his contemporaries are, you don’t have to agree with Bush’s policies or even like the man to be proud to be an American. Despite any missteps throughout our history, we are responsible for much good in the world, and more people are clamoring to get in than to get out. That says more about how horrible America is than anything the chattering classes in Europe can come up with any day of the week. So I say this to Will: you think it hasn’t been good to be an American for the last few years? Try being a citizen of Zimbabwe, where people are starving to death due to the ham-fisted management of a brutal dictator and being killed if they dare oppose his policies. I hear North Korea is nice; they have a great new diet over there: eating grass. Or how about living in Cuba, which has been frozen in time for nearly fifty years and where political opponents of the “president” are tossed into prison for speaking up? And perhaps on a lesser scale but still alarming, how about being a citizen of the UK, where the impossibility of finding a dentist on the national health plan has led to some people, out of desperation, pulling out their own teeth, and where the government wants to inspect what parents pack in their children’s school lunch boxes — and if it doesn’t meet government standards, it might be confiscated and stern warnings sent home to Mum and Dad. It shouldn’t take the installation of a new president — which happens every four and sometimes eight years, like clockwork — to restore your pride in being an American. And if it’s really that bad, one of the other great things about this country is that if you want to leave, no one’s stopping you. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #8 Another actor in movies I will now never pay to see. Good job, Will you dum#@ss. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2008-07-02 16:44 |
| #7 He is also a fellow traveler of Scientologists. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2008-07-02 12:31 |
| #6 Shut Up And Act But then, as Anony mentioned - he doesn't really act - he just forces his one character into whatever role the movie calls for. The character in 'Independance Day' is the same one in 'Wild Wild West', 'Men in Black (I&II)' and "I Robot" and any of his other movies. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2008-07-02 10:57 |
| #5 So they don't like us in Eeeeurrrrope because of George Bush. Big whoop - newsflash to Will Smith - the Eeeeeurooopeeens have been snotty about the US since... well, forever. Just because a lot of them now are giving the big sloppy tongue-bath to the Obamessiah doesn't change much. Tomorrow, they will still be snotty about us obstreperous Yanks who have no culture and don't know our place and refuse to do as our betters command. Deal with it, Mr. Smith - and move on. BTW, my next book - or rather, three of them are all about a bunch of European immigrants in the 19th century to came to Texas, looking for land and the chance to live without being lorded over by politicians and a so-called elite. They had a rough time at first, but eventually prospered, and were damn grateful for the opportunity to become Americans. The "Adelsverein Trilogy" will be released in December, but I am taking orders now, for all three books (with autograph!)to be delivered shortly before the release date. I can promise that if I become rich and famous from this, I will never, ever whine to an interviewer about how perfectly horrid it is when Eeeeeuuuropeans don't like us! |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2008-07-02 10:36 |
| #4 I can't stand will smith, he's Mr. Narcissism incarnated (ok, so is Wesley Snipes, but I tend to like him in his various action flicks & in the great Del Toro's "Blade II")... plus, he's not an actor, an actor pretends to be what he isn't, all that smith does is "being" the character he's contructed for himself in real life (with the possible exception of "Ali", which I didn't bother to see, anyway, I don't watch movies anymore)... From movie to movie, he "is" will smith, if you see what I mean, even it it kills the whole premise of the movie - the two worst betrayals were that ignominous "Wild wild West" (God, I really liked and still like that show, and I'm not even gay, at least, I think, I'll have to buy the DVDs to be sure), and "I am legend", a great novel whose whole point is lost by having him play the part (not his ethnicity, but his "image", as opposed to the hero and tone of the Bloch novel). |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2008-07-02 10:15 |
| #3 There is one less actor that I will go see. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-07-02 10:00 |
| #2 Don't listen to him...he is evil! I saw him smoke a cigar in a movie! Since no movie is anymore just a movie, can anyone hear the title of this movie and not think "John" - so I understand it is a movie about an asshole with super powers that causes more harm than good when using his powers. Hollywood, getting the point of the theme vs. box office return - especially when you make your top billing actor pander what was supposed to be the subtlety of the box office smash on the f'n Today show? Haaaa Ha ha ha! Whoooouu! hooo hoo! Mr. Smith, you were just thrown onto the altar of burnt celluloids! The people who were going to go see your movie already saw it and now you look like a tool. Now go play golf with Cruise and enjoy your later years. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-07-02 09:37 |
| #1 You know I just, I just came back from Moscow, Berlin, London, and Paris and itÂ’s the first, IÂ’ve been there quite a few times in the past five to 10 years. And it just hasnÂ’t been a good thing to be American. And this is the first time, since Barack has gotten the nomination, that it, it was a good thing. hmmm, reminicient of Michelle not being proud of her country huh. This trend of hollywood types makes me sick, and I like Will Smith's talent, too bad we're stuck with them for more than 4 years at a time, can we have term limits on these yah whos? What makes these hollywood types feel they have so much credibility to think their comments actually mean something while off the screen. Wow. Another thing, isn't it these guys that while visiting other countries that in a way represent us as Americans to these countries? More buses in isle 5.... |
| Posted by: Jan 2008-07-02 08:40 |