Actor Matthew McConaughey says its time to embrace Donald Trump

[Caliman73]

15. Going against the grain here...

Not really in substance but in tone.

McConaughey is entitled to his opinion. My reaction to his opinion is that it is a rather dumb and entitled opinion. To me it seems that he did not really think through his statement or that he at minimum is stating trite platitudes and thinks that we are dealing with a conventional situation. He is wrong. Just plain wrong. We should not embrace anything and we should not be "constructive with him" over anything because he is not constructing anything that a Progressive would accept. Trump is tearing down institutions that have stood for the protection of the most vulnerable in our society and around the world. He has shown throughout his life, through his candidacy, and especially in the first days of his administration, that he has no intention of moderating his positions. For someone with the resources that McConaughey has to perhaps insulate himself from some of the worst damage Trump's policies can cause to say that we should go along with Trump is akin to saying that a person who is being sexually assaulted should just, in the words of some Republican politician awhile back, "lay back and enjoy it". His statement is just wrongheaded.

That said, I am wondering if some of the responses here are also thought through sufficiently. I saw some that expressed hatred for the profession of acting, some that said that actors should be ignored, ad others of that general slant. I am wondering if that includes the actors who have come out strongly against Trump as well, or just those whose opinions are not completely in line with our own. Of course we can all have those reactions and we are all feeling strong emotions. It is understandable. I am wondering if it serves our argument though. I mean McConaghey's ignorance aside, as progressives, we listen to what people say. Our acceptance of all information has been posited as a weakness, but it is not. It is what sets us apart from conservatives. We have the ability to listen to what people say, analyze it, take out parts that maybe make sense, but also to counter the information with statements about our beliefs and information that we can support with evidence and fact.

We don't want to lose that. We need to fight and fight hard and call people like McConaughey out on their ignorance, but not dismiss a profession or make blanket statements that put us in line with what conservatives think. That is just my opinion, which I am sure people may disagree with. If you do disagree, then tell me, with as much thought as possible, how we need to respond differently.