WhatsappHow important are the political opinions of actors and actresses? They should be rather irrelevant to their jobs. But, in today’s polarized political climate, their is a strong amount of silencing going on – in one direction. Should it really be impossible to hold down a job in Hollywood without a non-progressive political opinion?
Hollywood has always been a stronghold of the Left. But their were always the exceptional right-wingers. Charlton Heston is one example of a well known name from the past who did not toe the standard liberal line. But perhaps the most famous of all actors who was not a liberal nor a progressive was Ronald Reagan. He actually personified the right-wing side of the Republican party for around two decades. To this day, he is remembered as the actor who made it and then succeeded in the White House. Reagan espoused a small government ideology and supported a tough stand against Communism in order to bring down the Soviet Union. He succeeded more in bringing down the Soviet Union than he did in reducing the government. The debt actually ballooned under the Reagan administration more than in any previous administration.
But the key point is that Reagan was universally respected – even by his political opponents. That is what is lacking in today’s culture. It is time that we go back to a world of political decency and pure openness to a free dialogue of ideas.
