Here is a fresh lesson in what does and does not constitute political correctness, Trumplicans: Being polite, considerate, well-mannered, and generally not being a rude, boorish, blowhard swine is not being "politically correct"; whereas being a rude, boorish, blowhard swine to a man who's been dead for forty years and just happens to be an American cultural icon over a completely harmless State legislative resolution honoring him with a bit of fresh recognition for his cinematic accomplishments emphatically is:
What a California lawmaker intended as a benign resolution honoring world-renowned movie icon John Wayne exploded into an emotional debate over his politics and comments he made decades ago.
The State Assembly defeated the official John Wayne Day resolution after several legislators described statements he made about racial minorities and his support for the anti-communist House Un-American Activities Committee and John Birch Society, reported the Associated Press....
Republican State Assemblyman Matthew Harper of Huntington Beach sought to declare May 26th, 2016, as John Wayne Day to mark the day the actor was born.
Well, given that that same day marks the ninth anniversary of the Hard Starboard Radio program, which I understand is quite popular in certain parts of the Pyrite State, I'd be happy to have this commemoration transferred. I'll even change the show logo to a picture of the Duke.
Seriously.
"He had disturbing views towards race," objected Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, leading off a twenty-minute debate....
That must have come off like a Newsbusters parody.
Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, who is black, said he found Wayne's comments personally offensive.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, cited his comments defending white Europeans' encroachment on American Indians who Wayne once said "were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves."
....blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. Y'all might want to consider a few mitigating factors. Such as that (1) the one-time Marion Morrison was a cultural product of his time. He grew up smack in the middle of the American Apartheid period, where such "personally offensive" views were much more generally held. Did he rise above them? No, he didn't. But he was hardly a night-rider, either. Holding what are now widely recognized as disparaging views about minorities in those days was akin to how pretty much everybody in my parents' and grandparents' generations smoked. It was an unfortunate cultural affectation that We, the People eventually outgrew. And in any case, it didn't define the Duke, who was an Oscar-winning character actor and great, patriotic American - and, had he been born, say, forty years later, I'm quite certain would have been just as debauched of a leftwingnut noodlehead as almost all of Hollyweird is today.
The bottom line is, Assemblyman Harper wasn't even seeking to give John Wayne his own State holiday, but just one, single, solitary day. Twenty-four hours. 1,440 minutes. 86,400 seconds. A throw-away one-off. But even that was too much for the brittle, hyper-"triggering" commumaniacs who rule Gollyfornia.
I am, however, willing to make them a deal. And it doesn't even involve correspondingly stripping one of their cultural icons - say, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whom Sacramento's scions similarly honored despite his internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. All they have to do is prevail upon "comedian" Will Ferrell to not make his recently announced slapstick farce depicting President Ronald Reagan's descent into Alzheimer's disease:
Will Ferrell's plans to portray the late President Ronald Reagan in a dark comedy about his battle with Alzheimer's "looks like a horrific idea from the start," MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said Friday.
"I have a mom with dementia. It's a horrifying process over a long period of time, and I can't imagine somebody thinks this is within bounds," the Morning Joe host said, while discussing the movie with NBC's Willie Geist. "I can't believe he's not going to try to get away from this thing."
Do any of you believe that? Me, either.
Scarborough and Geist agreed that they are "huge" Ferrell fans....
Why? Doesn't humor need to have some degree of cleverness to it? Any intellectual content? Ferrell's flicks are little more than a serious of whoopie cushions.
....but Geist also said he doubts Hollywood would do a movie about a Democrat with Alzheimer's.
Ya think? And it's a shame, because I can just see that laugh-a-minute riot about Ted Kennedy's brain being consumed by malignant tumors explaining pretty much his entire miserable life. Smells like money to me! That could even put Ferrell in Academy Award territory....right next to the Duke.
"I have a feeling Will may rethink this one before it's made," Geist said.
Perhaps. But only if California Democrats to the necessary convincing.
Deal? Or can John Wayne have his one, f'ing day.
Your choice.
#Alzheimers is not a comedy to the five million people who are suffering with the d[is]ease, it first robs you of your mind and then it kills you.
UPDATE: Ferrell finds a clue:
Will Ferrell has backed out of a comedy about Ronald Reagan’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease following outrage from the former president’s family.
The 48-year-old comic confirmed Friday that while he had seen the script and considered signing on to star and produce Reagan, he was no longer going ahead with the project.
A spokesperson for Will said, “The Reagan script is one of a number of scripts that had been submitted to Will Ferrell which he had considered. While it is by no means a ‘Alzheimer’s comedy’ as has been suggested, Mr. Ferrell is not pursuing this project.”
Which means that's precisely what it was, and Ferrell got inexplicably spooked by the instant negative backlash. Either that or he figured out that it will probably bomb at the box office.
Which is not to say that it won't still be made; of course it will. Care to take bets on who Ferrell's replacement will be?
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