Tuesday, May 30, 2017

BloggeRhythms

The American Screenwriters Association should put together an annual event in honor of Robert De Niro. Because on Sunday he proved that without them, actors would not only sound like morons, but without others thinking for them they’d display how out of touch with reality they really are as individuals.  

According to Oliver Gettell @ew.com, De Niro addressed a class of Brown University graduates, lamenting that “in movie terms,” the U.S. was once “an inspiring uplifting drama” but has now turned into “a tragic dumbass comedy,” according to the Associated Press.

Receiving an honorary doctorate of fine arts, he urged the graduates to “work to stop the insanity” and to strive to make the world a better place.

“The day before the commencement ceremony, the 73-year-old actor also called the current political climate “nightmarish” and referred to President Trump as an “idiot.”

“De Niro has long been critical of Trump’s political acumen, likening him to a car salesman with “a big hustle” in 2011 and describing him last summer as “totally nuts” and unfit to lead. A month before the election, De Niro said in an outtake for a celebrity endorsement video that he’d “like to punch [Trump] in the face.” (After Trump won, De Niro said he “can’t [punch him] now — he’s the president”.)

As far as De Niro’s own credentials are concerned, Marilyn Zelinsky-Syarto writes @bankrate.com he’s “been an actor since he showed an affinity for acting at 10 years old when he played the cowardly lion in a school production of “The Wizard of Oz.” 

“As a restless teen, De Niro took to running with street gangs in Little Italy before sneaking into acting workshops at what was then called the Stella Adler Conservatory. After playing bit parts and dinner theaters in the 1960s, he worked with director Brian de Palma on several films.” 

“In 1972, de Palma introduced De Niro to director Martin Scorsese at a party. That meeting was a turning point for the young actor. De Niro and Scorsese would go on to work together on many films that boosted their careers, beginning with “Mean Streets” in 1973. That was followed by “Taxi Driver” (1976), “New York, New York” (1977), “Raging Bull” (1980), “Goodfellas” (1990) and more.”

So, here we have a guy who’s never had an original thought in his life, critiquing another who built a multi-billion dollar business empire, went on to become POTUS and is in the process of turning the nation’s economy around. And at the same time, he’s revitalized the nation’s image in Europe, Japan and the Middle-East while beginning to get NATO’s funding back to satisfactory levels.

All of which begs the question that in the condition the nation was in last November, if anyone with an iota of intelligence was asked who they really though best to fix the problems, who do you think would be the better choice, Robert De Niro or Donald Trump, the query would be regarded as completely ridiculous.

Part of the basis for the irrationality of much of leftist thinking came from nationally syndicated radio host Dennis Prager who “believes it could take decades to undo the damage done to American universities by the institutional left, if it can ever be undone at all.”

Partnering with comedian and podcaster Adam Carolla on a new film, No Safe Spaces, Prager says “the two will explore and then pick apart the culture of political correctness — and the left’s suppression of differing viewpoints and open debate — that has metastasized on college campuses throughout the country.

“If Americans understand what the Left has done to the universities, it will understand what it is doing and what it will do to America,” says Prager, who graduated from Brooklyn College and went on to attend Columbia University and the University of Leeds in England.

“The university is first, and then the rest of the country follows,” Prager explains. “The suppression of free speech, the rendering of kids into immature creatures who have little thought of their own, who are given slogans rather than ideas — the university is the least morally acute place in the United States, as an institution.”

While Prager is certainly correct in his premise regarding leftist influence at the university level, today’s political conditioning begins far earlier than that.  

Last Thursday, N.J. Burkett titled a column @abc7.com/politics: “Half of 8th grade class from New Jersey refuses to pose with Speaker Ryan”

Burkett writes: “A group of middle school students from New Jersey caused quite a flap, after half of them refused to take a picture with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. It happened Thursday during a field trip to Washington.

“Reaction from the students' parents are as politically divided as the country.

"It's not just a picture," said Matthew Malespina, a student.

"Matthew says he couldn't go through with it.


“It didn't matter that Paul Ryan is the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, or that he is third in-line to the presidency.”

Peter Jamison covered the same subject, writing @washingtonpost.com: “But a group from South Orange Middle School in New Jersey may remember their trip to the nation’s capital last week for another reason: It was the occasion for a pointed snub of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

“Dozens of the 218 students on the trip refused to have their photo taken with Ryan when he briefly joined them outside the capitol Thursday.” 

However, while Thursday's snubbing of Ryan addressed a current occurrence, further research disclosed that political indoctrination is a concerted effort beginning quite early in the educational process. 

As reported by Eric Kiefer @patch.com/new-jersey: “Last week’s reported snub of Ryan isn’t the first time that South Orange students have participated in organized political dissent.

“Following President Trump’s inauguration, a large group of South Orange Middle School students — joined by their peers at Columbia High School in Maplewood — conducted an organized, “anti-hate” walkout at the school.”

Fred Smith and Anna Sandler took the subject even further @tapinto.net, reporting that South Orange Middle School (SOMS) students “began protesting inside the halls at about 12:15 p.m., with the walkout happening shortly afterwards. The protest, which was student-led and organized, was largely organized by eighth grader Harley Cenedella.

“SOMS students left the building chanting "love not hate" and met at the front of the school building where they continued with "we will overcome."

“Eighth grade student Alice Linkh explained, "we're all out here to speak out against Trump, who is not going to be the greatest for our country. He wants to do some things that won't be good for a lot of people, especially LGBTQ people. We need to have our voices heard." Linkh added that she is getting up at 4 a.m. to attend the Woman's March on Washington on Saturday.

“Eighth-grader Andrea R. said she participated because "Trump becoming President is not in the best interest for our country and I think children's views and voices should be noticed."

What also becomes apparent in the preceding is the similarity of word choice in participant's comments, suggesting that they were given to them to parrot when interviewed. 

All of which adds substance to the conclusions of observers like Dennis Prager, that “The suppression of free speech, the rendering of kids into immature creatures who have little thought of their own, who are given slogans rather than ideas — the university is the least morally acute place in the United States, as an institution.” Except, as the evidence now proves, the “rendering” starts far earlier than he’s apparently aware of. 


That’s it for today folks.

Adios

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