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Tag: bigot

  • Meryl Streep Calls Walt Disney A “Gender Bigot”

    Meryl Streep Calls Walt Disney A “Gender Bigot”

    On Tuesday, when Meryl Streep got on stage at the National Board of Review Awards Gala, the audience was probably expecting a thoughtful, short, congratulatory speech. She was presenting actress Emma Thompson an award for her role in the movie “Saving Mr. Banks”. Streep read a beautiful poem to honor her friend, but she also took a few minutes to blast American business magnate and animator, Walt Disney, calling him an “anti-Semite” and a “gender bigot”.

    Some in the audience were a bit taken aback when she described the man as having “racist proclivities”. According to the LA Times, Streep described Disney as a man born in his time, and was also part of an anti-Semitic, anti-communist group that consisted of big names such as Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Clark Gable and others. The group was officially known as the “Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals”.

    In her rebuke of Disney, Streep also quoted late Disney animator Ward Kimball by saying “Disney didn’t trust women or cats.”

    Disney biographer Neal Gabler concluded that “He (Walt Disney) willingly allied himself with people who were anti-Semitic, and that reputation stuck. He was never really able to expunge it throughout his life.”

    On Thursday, Today.com highlighted a tweet by the Walt Disney Museum, an organization dedicated to the animator. The tweet fires back at Streep by linking to an insightful blog post by former Disney animator turned blogger, Floyd Norman.

    Norman entitles his blog “Sophie’s Poor Choice”, referencing a film for which Streep won a Best Actress Oscar in 1982. In his blog post, Norman acknowledges that women in the 30’s and the 40’s weren’t provided with equal employment opportunities as men but that by the 50’s that inequality had diminished greatly. However, he also pointed out that talented women were employed at Disney and that some of the women who worked there told him “they’d never had a better job”. He also mentions that there were Jewish and African-American workers too, and that Disney recognized that talent had no color or ethnicity.

    Image via YouTube

  • Joe Rickey Hundley: Baby Slapper Sentenced To 8 Months In Prison

    Joe Rickey Hundley was sentenced Monday by a federal judge to serve 8 months in prison for assaulting a 19-month-old child on February 8 of last year.

    According to FBI documents, Hundley, a resident of  Idaho at the time, committed the offence while on a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta. He was seated next to Jessica Bennett, a white woman who was carrying her adopted black toddler on her lap. As the plane descended into Atlanta, the child started crying and Hundley told the mother to “shut that N****R baby up.” Hundley then slapped the baby, leaving a scratch below the child’s right eye.

    After reaching an agreement with prosecutors, Hundley pleaded guilty to simple assault against a toddler and also admitted to using a racial slur against the child.

    In court, Hundley expressed remorse for his behavior telling the judge that he accepts full responsibility for his actions. “I made the most terrible day in my life much worse for me and for others,” Hundley told the judge.

    According to Hundley’s lawyer, Marcia Shein, Hundley’s grieving for his son and his alcohol intoxication contributed to his actions. Turns out that Hundley booked a last-minute flight to Atlanta to meet with his ex-wife so that they could take his son off of life support.  His son was declared brain dead after being in a coma at the hospital due to an apparent suicide attempt.

    Although the prosecutors had recommended a 6-month sentence, Judge Alan Baverman said he imposed a higher jail term because Hundley has a criminal history which includes a prior assault. The judge told Hundley, “you cannot assault another individual, regardless of how sad or upset, or even how intoxicated or sick, you are.”

    Hundley’s lawyers strongly objected to the ruling saying the sentence was not proportionate to what had been agreed to in the plea agreement with the prosecutors.

    The 8-month sentence was not the only punishment for Hundley. Judge Baverman also ordered a year of supervised release, alcohol and anger management treatment, 120 hours of community service and restitution of $105 to Jessica Bennett. He will also have to pay a $2,500 fine to the government.

    Hundley was not taken directly to prison after the ruling, more time is needed for assignment but he and his lawyer are considering an appeal.

    Image via YouTube

  • I Stand With Phil Petition: Bigotry In Danger?

    When people sign the “I Stand With Phil” petition, what is it that they’re actually standing with? You’ve probably heard the following or seen it written: “I stand with Phil Robertson because freedom of speech is under attack!”

    The First Amendment of the American Constitution defines freedom of speech as the following:

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

    Despite American citizens repeatedly saying is our freedom of speech under attack based on the drama surrounding a reality television show, this just isn’t the case. Unless Congress and all fifty states passed laws while we were sleeping.

    What is being argued regarding Phil Robertson is really about bigotry in America: The freedom to hate and hate openly. The problem is that yes, you are free to do that. This is why the KKK and other hate groups are able to have parades and meetings, despite a history of murder and terrorist-actions orchestrated by persons related to such groups. Yes, as an American you are free to hate other people for any reason you want to or for no sensible reason at all. No one has taken that right away.

    Even certain politicians have gotten it wrong on that front:

    Millions of Americans being up in arms about a scripted television show is embarrassing enough on the global stage. But up in arms about something that is not true regarding our very own Constitution? A sign that many are either willfully ignorant or just out-and-out uninformed.

    Hate speech is protected by the Constitution until it becomes “fighting words” or something that will lead to imminent harm or violence. This was the decision in the landmark 1992 United States Supreme Court ruling on R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul. American citizens are still free to hold opinions that are unpopular.

    However, you cannot hold an unpopular opinion and be unprepared to see consequences for that opinion or actions that back it up. The reality is that we are living in a world where people are changing, and the popular opinions of yesteryear are going. Remember, once upon a time it was seen as perfectly Christian to burn down churches or hate someone for the color of their skin. Now, It’s no longer seen as okay to ostracize people for their race. We are increasingly see sexual orientation as something that it is less and less okay to demean or hate without a negative response. And religion is simply no longer seen as a valid reason for justifying this form of bigotry.

    Bigotry, when it falls outside of social mores, is often seen also as bad for business. This is why when ratings and advertising dollars are threatened by unaccepted forms of bigotry, the unpopular bigots tend to go out the window right along with their opinions. This is about money for the powers that be, not Robertson and not the people that support him. Most Americans are not opposed to same sex marriage and don’t approve of homophobia. Even if “Duck Dynasty” appeals to an audience that is fine with discriminatory behavior and opinions, the network has other shows, other audiences, and other advertisers to think about. Whether the angry like it or not, their loud voice is but a whisper in the ocean of money to be made and accolades to be had.

    People can write as many petitions for Phil Robertson as they want to: A&E is not the United States government or a state government or even a city government. It’s a television network looking to protect its brand and be on the right side of history (and its consumer base). History is never kind to bigotry. You may be proud to put your name on a petition today, but ask the people in photographs like this or this how history remembers them. You should be careful regarding what you sign and why you think you’re signing it: You could find yourself wrong on more counts than you know.

    Image via FranAlva

  • Leah Remini Is A “Bigot” Says Kirstie Alley

    Leah Remini Is A “Bigot” Says Kirstie Alley

    Kirstie Alley seems to be upset by Leah Remini’s public criticism of the Church of Scientology. Alley, who was a guest on “The Howard Stern Show” Wednesday, ended up calling Remini a Bigot for attacking her religion.

    Alley has been a staunch and vocal supporter of the controversial church and says she joined the church to overcome her cocaine addiction when she was younger. Alley was asked whether she feels offended when people attack her because of her beliefs. “I think that is the most repulsive thing a person can do, attack another person’s faith,” she said, “Because a faith is what you look to to have hope, and is what you look to to help other people, and I just think it’s really wrong.”

    Actress Leah Remini has been on the offensive against the Church of Scientology, an organization she broke away from since July. Remini had been one of the church’s celebrity members for almost 30 years but broke away from the church because according to her, the church attempted to modify thoughts and use interrogations on members. “I don’t think everybody knows that’s what is required when you leave… its the friends and family members, mothers and daughters, that is what is required,” Remini said on “The View.”  “They can no longer have relationships with me, my family, so I don’t get to see my god kids, friends that we’ve known for 34 years.” said Remini.

    Now, the former “King of Queens” star is receiving push back from Alley, who thinks that the 43-year-old (Remini) is a bigot.

    “When you are generalizing, and when your goal is to malign and to say things about an entire group — there are tens of millions of Scientologists in the world — when you decide to blanket statement, ‘Scientology is evil,’ you are my enemy,” Alley said.

    Alley also admitted that she had blocked Remini on her Twitter although they had not seen each other for seven or eight years. “She’s a bigot,” Alley said, as she seemed quite unapologetic on her aggressive stand against Remini, “If someone was out there attacking your religion, would they be your friend? They wouldn’t be mine .. It’s not selective, I just won’t have people in my life that are bigots.”

    Kirstie Alley Defends Church Of Scientology On Howard Stern

    http://youtu.be/INmZ9lFm7vU

    (main image via YouTube)