Reese Witherspoon's Reaction to Ellen DeGeneres, George W. Bush Controversy Draws Backlash
Reese Witherspoon is facing backlash after she tweeted her support for Ellen DeGeneres after the [...]
"A Privilege"
it is a privilege to be able to set aside the real life harm and oppression bc it does not affect you and befriend someone like that
— jhaunay-amanie (@wrightmywayout) October 8, 2019
For many, Witherspoon, as well as other celebrities' willingness to side with DeGeneres' viewpoint was evidence of their "privileged" way of looking at things, with many claiming that if it doesn't affect them, celebrities take no issues with the atrocities affecting others.
prevnextThe privilege reaks. There are thousands of people in the middle east who don't get to be friends with people with "different views" because they're dead thanks to him.
— Sara I I I 🇵🇸 (@sarac93) October 9, 2019
And he spent his presidency trying to strip away LGBT rights, so nah. This monologue is pure class privilege.
"Why are y'all co-signing this"
Noooooooooo. Why are y’all out here co-signing this mess. Ugh!!!! pic.twitter.com/AWBMJPFzKW
— Keith D. Garcia (@kgarcia_sa) October 9, 2019
In a Vanity Fair op-ed titled ""Ellen DeGeneres, George W. Bush and the Limits of Unconditional Kindness," journalist Laura Bradley argued that DeGeneres was "aid[ing] Bush's post-presidency rebrand," and that she is not the only celebrity to do so.
prevnext"Be kind to rich people"
Be kind to rich people...
— Megan Bre 👩🏼⚖️ (@hasnothing2say) October 9, 2019
For some, Witherspoon's support showcased class solidarity, something that Pajiba journalist Petr Knava touched in in a recent op-ed titled "The Rich Will Always Have Class Solidarity, And It's Going To Kill The Rest Of Us."
"The rich inhabit a different world to the rest of us," Knava wrote. "It's a world that plays by an entirely distinct set of rules, and there is an unspoken yet wildly powerful, often purely subconscious allegiance that those who live in it have for each other. They go to the same ball games. They holiday at the same resorts and attend the same parties."
prevnext"Dead kids don't matter"
❤️❤️❤️ dead kids don’t matter if they’re from Iraq
— bibi (@sappthick) October 8, 2019
One of the main issues prompting the backlash is Bush's involvement in in the Iraq War, which has led him to be dubbed a "war criminal" by many. Bush's administration in 2003 started the war, which led to t an estimated 250,000 civilian deaths, based on false claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, Huffington Post reports. More than 4,200 U.S. troops also died in the war.
prevnextKILLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS IN IRAQ IS NOT A DIFFERENCE OF POLITICAL OPINION. A difference of political opinion is whether we should put tax $$$ towards roads, schools or police. The man is a war criminal. If this “blows your mind” I’ve got news about your mind.
— Whatever 🍁🍂🎃↙️↙️↙️ (@ScrambledMeggs) October 9, 2019
"I'm friends with people who wear fur"
But Reese honey, wearing fur and starting an illegal war that literally killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people aren’t exactly the same thing.
— CAZWELL (@CAZWELLnyc) October 9, 2019
In her Tuesday statement, DeGeneres, on a lighter note, had stated that her befriending Bush was no different than befriending someone who wore real fur.
"Here's the thing: I'm friends with George Bush. In fact, I'm friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs that I have. We're all different and I think that we've forgotten that we're all different," she explained. "For instance, I wish people wouldn't wear fur. I don't like it, but I'm friends with people who wear fur and I'm friends with people who are furry, as a matter of fact."
prevnextImagine being so god damn out of touch that you're actually praising Ellen for claiming George W. Bush's atrocities are no different than a fur-wearing friend. Grotesque and shameful dismissal of the victims of the War on Terror @ReeseW @KristenBell, you just lost a longtime fan. https://t.co/KOlMVHs6TS
— Abby Martin (@AbbyMartin) October 10, 2019
Anti-LGBT+ Policies
Tell that to the LGBT kids will be losing their protections as GOP lawmakers chip them away. Are we just supposed to sit around the dinner table with them make cute videos on our iPhone and be “friends “
— Laura Hosto (@LHosto) October 9, 2019
Along with taking issue over Bush's involvement with the Iraq war, many pointed the hypocrisy of DeGenres, a gay woman, befriending a former POTUS who who held anti-LGBT stances throughout his presidency. During his eight years in office, Bush repeatedly campaigned on the promise to enact a constitutional amendment making same-sex marriage illegal.
prevnextThere is being kind, and there is freely associating with someone who called for a Constitutional Amendment banning LGBT+ citizens from equal protection under the law.
He has never apologized for his bigoted policy positions, so yeah, it’s a bad look to cuddle with him.
— Brendan O'Donnell (@NightPanther203) October 9, 2019
Witherspoon's Instagram comment
After DeGeneres shared her response to the backlash on Instagram, Witherspoon generated more backlash when she commented "Exactly" in response.
"Yes exactly spoken like a rich white privileged person," one person wrote in response.
"For those of us within the LGBT community, as well as for people in minority communities, the request to 'be kind' is a demand for silence," wrote another. "It is a demand for tolerance of hate and discrimination. It is a demand for complicity. It is bending oneself into the mold of likability defined by a man-centered, straight-centered culture. 'EXACTLY'."
"Exactly?" a third asked. "I guess you guys can be kind since you're in a tax bracket that allows you to over look that."
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