http://au.news.yahoo.com/030306/11/qt71.html <b><font size=4>Hollywood actors raise McCarthyism specter</font></b><i> Hollywood actors, facing a vitriolic backlash for their opposition to a war against Iraq", has been under fire since emerging as a chief spokesman in the anti-war coalition. Sheen said in a Los Angeles Times interview this week that his hate-mail critics have demanded that NBC fire him from the Emmy-award winning series, adding that NBC executives had privately expressed fears that ratings would suffer because of the furor. Sheen said the show's staff has been "100 percent supportive" but that top network executives have "let it be known that they're very uncomfortable with where I'm at." NBC said on Tuesday that Sheen's personal views had nothing to do with the show. "Martin Sheen is acting in his capacity as a private citizen. We respect his opinion and his right to freedom of expression," NBC said in statement. SHAMEFUL PERIOD SAG said suggestions that "well-known individuals who express 'unacceptable' views should be punished by losing their right to work" was a "shocking development" which recalled the 1950s House Committee on Un-American Activities. More than 320 people, including Arthur Miller, Orson Welles, Dashiell Hammett, Paul Robeson and Charlie Chaplin were placed on a blacklist that stopped them working for the entertainment industry because of views considered left-wing or unpatriotic. SAG called it a "shameful period" for the entertainment industry, saying the industry today had a duty to guard and cherish U.S. constitutional principles of free speech rather than "prostrate itself before smear campaigns and witch hunters" as it had 50 years ago. Sheen, along with actor Sean Penn (who visited Baghdad in January), singer Sheryl Crow (who performed at last month's Grammy awards wearing a "No War" guitar strap), and scores of other celebrities have been slammed for being unpatriotic. "I will not go to the movies. I will not support their television shows, I will not buy their music. My family and I shall boycott supporting anyone in Hollywood until they decide their job is for entertainment value only," said one writer to the "Citizens Against Celebrity Pundits" online petition. <B>G.I.Jargon.com, a Web site representing U.S. military, police and firefighters, dubbed the celebrities "Taliban" and called for a boycott of "anti-American entertainers".</B> McCarthyism expert Ellen Schrecker, professor of history at Yeshiva University in New York, said the level of rhetoric against anti-war campaigners could presage a return to the era of witch-hunts and blacklists. "I think it is certainly a possibility. What I find heartening about the SAG statement is that it recognizes the importance of remembering that history, and being determined not to repeat it. "It's very important to take a public stand the way the SAG has done," Schrecker told Reuters. Reuters/Variety</I> I wonder how the Citizens Against Celebrity Pundits rolleyes: ) feels about Charlton Heston.
g.i.jargon.com edit: never mind, it works now. I tried g.i.jargon.com at first (no luck). I tried gijargon.com (no luck) but now the latter works. Perhaps their servers were flooded with cc.net'ers?
man...i don't want to get into a whole big constitutional deal here again...but mccarthyism was bad because it was the government who was doing the censoring...or the pressuring to shut these people up...this looks like a group of private individuals just saying, "hey, you jackholes...we disagree...we think your stance is unamerican." this is nothing like mccarthyism at all. this is priviate individuals speaking up...did you check out gijargon.com? just a privately run website, from what i could tell. apparently when sheen makes his arguments as a private individual, it's ok: NBC said on Tuesday that Sheen's personal views had nothing to do with the show. "Martin Sheen is acting in his capacity as a private citizen. We respect his opinion and his right to freedom of expression," NBC said in statement.
Isn't Sean Penn already suing a movie producer who apparently backed out of casting Penn for a movie after he gave his expert opinion on the need for war in Iraq? It seems like that is more applicable than what that article is referring to. If a movie producer feels that people are going to skip the ovie simply because of the actor's views, then I don't see any problem with it. The movie producer is the one putting up the money. Same goes for television.
Here is the page in question: http://www.gijargon.com/boycott.asp and their Photoshop skills at work: They urge all military personnel to stop watching movies made by the following people: (straight quote fromt he site: ) SUPPORT YOUR COUNTRY, PEOPLE! SUPPORT THE ARMED FORCES WHO PROTECT YOUR WAY OF LIFE! Here are some of the Taliban that signed the letter: Martin Sheen, West Wing (this hypocrite a-hole didn't have a problem promoting war violence when it furthered his budding acting career in Apocalypse Now) Tony Shalhoub, star of the ABC detective show "Monk." Mike Farrell, start of Television's MASH and Providence (Again, I guess it's OK to star in war themed television shows to get rich and take care of family but war is not good for protecting country and citizens) Academy Award winner Kim Basinger Academy Award winner Helen Hunt Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon (cry me a river, you leather-faced hag) Director Jonathan Demme "X-Files" star Gillian Anderson (damn, this one hurts) "X-Files" star David Duchovny Janel Moloney, West Wing Bradley Whitford, West Wing Lily Tomlin, West Wing Marg Helgenberger, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Robert David Hall, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Matt Damon (Matt, say it ain't so. It's OK to star in Private Ryan but you draw the line at war violence. You HYPOCRITE!) Don Cheadle Elliott Gould (Another a-hole who profits from starring in war movies but can't stomach the thought of war) Carl Reiner Michael Stipe, R.E.M. (Now he's ugly AND a Moron!) Peter Buck, R.E.M. Mike Mills, R.E.M. Peter Yarrow, musician Bonnie Raitt, musician
There is a flip side to the Penn story. The producer claims that Penn never had an agreement for 10 million, and that Penn is blackmailing him using the "McCarthy" argument. This article, and the SAG stance, is insulting on many different levels. Basically, people like me who will no longer watch or buy any product including Martin Sheen are being attacked for expressing an opinion.
Idiots. A couple of those war movies depicted war as hell, nothing more (MASH and Apocalypse Now). It's also very possible to be anti-this war, and pro-a different war. Ugh.
And you're attacking them for expressing an opinion. And, yeah, I'm attacking you by expressing an opinion. I think you're an idiot for doing this. Who gives a **** what an Entertainers politics are? I don't watch Arnold movies because he's a Republican, it's because they usually suck ass. You're free to do whatever you want though, this is America, where one of the great things about this country is that you can disagree. Of course, it's not anti-American to disagree like these r****ds think.
Nice. Do you realize that the current situation is NOTHING like the 1950s? Perhaps you should re-think the title of the thread.
How could you deny his stellar performance in "Batman & Robin"?I've never seen one actor's entire film role and lines revolve around nothing but witty puns!
It's not yet. But people like you are trying to make it that way. While I don't think there will ever be government hearings on actors' political views (again, thank God...had I been around in the 50s, I'd be ending every post with "eh"), studios may start to not cast people in roles because of people boycotting various actors because of <B>an opinion</B>. I think that's terribly stupid.
you know there are more than a few conservative actors who've been complaining about that for years. that they are treated as outcasts in hollywood. let's all thank God for market economics...if the market wants to see sean penn in a movie, it will happen.
Yeah, I know. Arnold, Tom Selleck, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone...they never get movies made. Maybe these conservative actors you speak of (examples, please) just aren't very good actors.
That John Wayne was about as liberal as it gets. This is one of the dumbest complaints by conservatives going, Hollywood is so liberal. People in Hollywood maybe liberal, but Hollywood's products are as mainstream as America gets, if they weren't they couldn't make money.
i agree...i think there's a lot of whining on this...but my point is, actors on both sides of the aisle whine about this.
