Celebrity Hypocrisy and Selective Outrage

Isn’t it strange how entertainers love to give us advice? They like to give us spiritual advice; tell us how to vote, what kinds of cars to drive. Some urge us not to vaccinate our children, while some even tell us how much toilet paper we should be using. The majority of these preaching celebrities are very hypocritical, and it’s pretty hard not to notice.

Sure, we don’t have to listen. Most of us don’t listen, some of us do. But I always have a little fun hearing out their reasoning (if any) and going a bit past their rhetoric. They know what’s best for us, but do they live by their own standards? They’re also very selective about their outrage. Here are a few examples that should get some of us giggling, and scratching our heads.

Former Playboy Playmate and television personality Jenny McCarthy is urging parents not to vaccinate their children. That’s a lot of responsibility, I can’t imagine giving that kind of advice. There have been quite a lot of diseases practically wiped out in the 20th century thanks to vaccinations; the human life expectancy has nearly doubled in the last century, thanks in part to vaccines.

Putting her faith in an old study (that was completely debunked) conducted by a charlatan, and proved to be based on false data, Ms. McCarthy is convinced her child became autistic because of vaccinations. She’s also convinced she cured her child with diet and nutrition. She stands there, behind her silicone implants and urges young mothers to take their chances with Diphtheria, Measles, Malaria, Chicken Pox, Small Pox, Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid Fever and Yellow Fever in order to prevent autism. What are her qualifications? She was a Playboy Centerfold.

Please don’t use the Charmin. Singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow loves trees. That’s nice, trees are nice. She loves trees so much, she actually proposed a one toilet paper square limitation on each restroom visit. She’s actually in favor of rationing toilet paper.  I wonder if Sheryl enforces her toilet paper rationing as she and her band drive around the countryside doing their shows; her entourage needs three tractor trailers, four buses and six cars. That’s fine; not only don’t I care about how much toilet paper Ms. Crow uses (well, maybe a little), I also don’t care about how many tractor trailers she uses. But it’s curious that she’s so concerned with our toilet habits.

John Travolta has expressed his concern about Global Warming. He’s said we should look into enclosing our cities in domes, or colonizing other planets. He’s very worried, but not enough to stop flying his own Boeing 707 around the world (not very fuel efficient). He was asked how he can be an environmentalist when he owns, and uses five airplanes. His publicist said, “he only owns two airplanes.” Wow, a two-airplane household. They’re really cutting corners in the Travolta house.

Environmentalist Paul McCartney recently had his Lexus Hybrid flown from Japan to London via Cargo Plane (instead of a ship). According to Gary Rumbold of co2balance, that flight was equal to driving the car around the Earth 300 times. I’m sure the fuel saved from the hybrid drivetrain will more than compensate for the flight, in a few hundred years.

Congress loves to hear from movie or music stars. Cynical types might think it’s an attempt to grandstand. Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek both testified to Congress on the plight of the American farmer; funny man Stephen Colbert got up and talked to them about immigration; movie producer Oliver Stone went to Capital Hill to give his opinions on the Kennedy assassination; Country star Garth Brooks had a few issues he tried to sort out on Capital Hill (foreign policy and the selling of used CDs); Mary Tyler Moore on Diabetes; Michael J. Fox on Parkinson’s; Naomi Judd on Hepatitis C; Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Angelina Jolie and others on foreign policy; and even Kermit the Frog got the puppet treatment and testified to Congress on regulating the sale of pets. What are their qualifications? Aside from Kermit (at least he’s a real frog), I don’t know.

The Hollywood crowd is also pretty selective about their outrage. They point their fingers at certain industries for things like corporate greed, outsourcing and environmental indifference. But ignore the fact that, by their own standards, their own industry is (very) guilty of all of those things.

How many movies have been made (especially recently) about uncaring corporations or businesses laying people off? George Clooney, Michael Moore, Sean Penn and others have a lot to say about that, and sometimes they say it in their films.

In order to avoid regulations, high taxes (California and Federal) and Union wages, the studios are shooting more and more of their films in Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, not even for scenery; the stories might be set in New York or Chicago.

The studios found out it’s cheaper to fly the entire cast first class, halfway around the world, put them up in nice hotels and feed them, than to shoot the film in their own backyard. It’s cheaper to film in a New Zealand soundstage than it is to film in a soundstage on the Universal lot.

Who loses? Not the George Clooneys and Sean Penns, their jobs are pretty safe. The American technicians, cameramen, sound engineers, set builders, truck drivers, caterers and “grips” (whatever that is) are the ones not working. The film industry is outsourcing more and more of their business, because all they care about is the bottom line (the horror!). That’s fine, but they’re the first to point their fingers at everyone else. Why doesn’t Oliver Stone or Michael Moore make a film on the greedy movie studios and actors? Oh yeah, those are the guys that vote for their awards.

There could be volumes written on the hypocrisy of Laurie David (Larry David’s ex wife). She would drive her hybrid around Beverly Hills and scold SUV drivers for destroying the earth, then scoot her little Prius right over to the Los Angeles Airport, jump into her private Gulfstream jet (not a hybrid), and fly it to one of her other homes (either in New York or Martha’s Vineyard). She makes up for her own huge “carbon footprint” by educating people on how THEY should live.

Ms. David told the London Telegraph, “I have a big house, but at least I use it to gather hundreds of people and get them talking about global warming.” In a nutshell, she’s saying you’re not good enough to drive a big car, and she’s too good to sit next to you on a commercial flight.

My point isn’t to “green” bash; breathing clean air and drinking clean water is common sense. I’m just pointing out that very wealthy, usually very spoiled people, are very concerned that you live the lifestyle they approve of, while they do whatever they like.

In the old Soviet Union, the people were waiting on line for bread and toilet paper. They were hungry in their little apartments (“boxes not fit for rabbits” was the term I heard over and over while I was visiting), while a certain, select class drank champagne, ate caviar, had vacation homes and sailed their yachts on the black sea. Some would like it the same way here, only the vacation homes would be in Martha’s Vineyard or East Hampton. Whenever we hear anyone asking us to “sacrifice,” our warning alarms automatically start to go off. It’s always the start of trouble.

For once, a Hollywood Icon said something I completely agree with! In a recent GQ interview, Clint Eastwood said, “Let’s spend a little more time leaving everybody alone.” What a great idea.