One of my favorite distractions in my free time is reading about ancient history. I have a background in Classics, and even though my Latin is very rusty these days, it is both fun and educational for me to go back from time to time to learn more about one of the greatest civilizations in human history: the Roman Republic and subsequent Principate.
We can learn a great deal from Rome, its successes AND its failures. One aspect of Roman society we might consider bringing back is the status in which the Roman people held actors. They were considered infames under Roman law. It is often said that Romans viewed actors as lower than prostitutes. This is not technically accurate. They were considered equally, that is to say, they were both disreputable professions and not protected by many laws or eligible to hold public office.
This is not to say that Romans did not enjoy their entertainment (or their prostitutes). They did. Like today, actors and their 'oldest profession' counterparts could and often did attain significant wealth and even celebrity. But it was always tempered by the overwhelming public opinion of who and what they really were.
In fact, this was not the case only in ancient Rome. One could argue that most actors never really obtained elevated social status until the 20th Century and the rise of film. And over the past 100 years or so, actors suddenly not only had the potential for wealth and fame, but they began to be held in such high esteem that many adopted the belief that they were better than average citizens.
And why wouldn't they? They were celebrated, lauded, and feted at every opportunity by media, politicians, and citizens alike. They could do no wrong. And people started seeking them out for approval and to opine on issues completely outside of their expertise or experience.
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This was a hallmark of Barack Obama's rise to the presidency. He was considered 'cool' because all of the 'cool' people in Hollywood liked him. Bill Clinton had this in his favor too, but he was nothing compared to the celebrity of Obama. In 2024, Kamala Harris tried to go back to that well as she paid millions of dollars for billionaire Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities like her to speak on her behalf.
Only a funny thing happened in 2024. People, for the most part, completely stopped caring what Hollywood told us to think.
To be fair, this erosion of celebrity status didn't just happen this year. It's been building over a long period of time, at least since Obama and probably going back to Clinton as well. But this year was a sea change. And you don't have to take my word for it. Listen to the voters.
NOBODY CARES: New Poll Shows Americans Didn't Care About Celebrity Endorsements in 2024 Electionhttps://t.co/Ow3nrAtG0o
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) November 25, 2024
Conservatives have been saying for a long time that 'nobody cares what Hollywood thinks.' In the past, that was probably wishful thinking. It hasn't really been true until quite recently. Because it is not just conservatives saying it anymore. It is the VAST majority of Americans.
From Sean Hannity and Breitbart News:
For the recent presidential election, a full 75 percent of survey respondents said a celebrity’s endorsement of a candidate made no difference or not much of a difference on how they voted, according to the new Rasmussen poll released Monday.
Surprisingly, respondents who identify as liberal were more likely than others to disregard the opinion of a celebrity, with a full 80 percent saying a Hollywood endorsement didn’t sway their decision this election season. Among conservatives, that figure was 73 percent.
Wow. It's not surprising that liberal voters would reject the idea that people who have no concept of the average Americans' lives and struggles (especially under the Biden administration) know better than us what's good for us. But to outpace conservatives by seven points on that scale?
That is remarkable.
Of course, Hollywood didn't exactly help their case by constantly insulting us, such as Sharon Stone's recent comments in Italy.
JUST IN: American Actress Sharon Stone says Americans elected Donald Trump because they are dumb and don't travel enough.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 26, 2024
The comments were made at the Torino Film Festival in Turin, Italy.
Stone appeared to compare Trump to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
"My country is… pic.twitter.com/unuHO2k7HJ
For the record, not that it matters, but Stone is a college dropout. We know a lot of people who are much smarter than she is and who never went to college, but since the left loves to bring up credentialism, it is important to remember that many of the Hollywood celebrities who lecture us have none of their own.
Moreover, it is great to be able to travel the world, Ms. Stone, but that has nothing to do with how informed a person is about American politics. And, of course, Stone fails to recognize how out of touch she is, given that many Americans (especially after the past four years) cannot afford to travel the world, as much as we might like to.
Stone is not alone though. This is a trademark of the celebrity left. They lecture us about our 'carbon footprint' while they fly on private jets. They try to take our guns while many of the elite among them have armed security and gated mansions. And they never miss a chance to tell us how much they hate America and Americans, the same country and people who provided them with their wealth and privilege.
Finally, this year, a HUGE majority of Americans seem to have said back to them, 'We do not care about your opinions of us. Not even a little bit.'
Good! Relegate Hollywood to political irrelevance. https://t.co/uJLGTjiG3J
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) November 26, 2024
FACTS. Hollyweird is irrelevant. https://t.co/dzkrjtyhA4
— Mandy Rose (@themandyrosy) November 26, 2024
They are almost as irrelevant as the dead legacy media (many of whom erroneously think that they are on par with Hollywood celebrities) and it's about time.
Hollywood does not talk to America. They talk down to America. And we are sick and tired of it.
I must add that this is not the case with everyone who lists acting (or directing or music) as their primary profession. There are an increasingly large number of artists who are informed and do want to talk to us. James Woods, Justine Bateman, Dennis Quaid, Patricia Heaton, and others have shown not only that they want to be part of conversations, but they don't hold that false belief that they are better than the rest of us. And they universally hold the belief that America is the greatest country in the world and with fighting for.
One of those actors, Matthew Marsden, offered some sound advice yesterday that many in Hollywood would do well to heed.
Dear actors,
— Matthew Marsden (@matthewdmarsden) November 27, 2024
When doing a press junket, do the following.
1, if asked, talk about your character and the story.
2,Say nice things about the director and costars.
3, if using existing ip, praise those who came before you.
4, Lastly, be humble, and thank the audience and…
The tweet concludes:
4, Lastly, be humble, and thank the audience and your fans for their support.
You are welcome.
Signed Someone who has been doing this for 25 years.
Humility. What a novel concept.
Hey, I don't begrudge elite actors or musicians their wealth and fame. Good for them. I love music. And I love movies. I will continue to love both forms of art. More importantly, I firmly believe that every American, regardless of status, has the right to free speech and their opinions, even if I don't agree with them.
But Hollywood got a very rude awakening in 2024, one that was long overdue. Their opinions are no more informed or authoritative than mine -- often far less so -- just because their last movie grossed $1 billion at the box office. (Of course, many of their movies don't reach those heights anymore and often tank because we don't like to be lectured to by people who haven't struggled to afford groceries for most of their adult lives.)
I don't know what the future holds for Hollywood. It's possible they may go the way of the dead media because of the woke ideology that still pervades much of that community. Or that artificial intelligence may render many of them obsolete. It is also possible that they will course correct and start making movies again that people want to go see.
Time will tell. But one thing I do know that is over -- forever -- is America elevating actors and musicians to positions of infallibility when it comes to anything other than their art.
They are not better than us. Many of them, in point of fact, are far worse than most of us. It's a lesson they sorely needed. We can only wait to see whether they will learn it.
We don't necessarily need to return celebrities to the Roman status of infami, but America knocking them down about 50 pegs or so from their previously high pedestals was one of the best results that the 2024 election could have delivered.
