Most celebrity activists are informed, articulate

Parade Halt! on the celebrity-smearing bandwagon The Times seems to have jumped aboard.

Patrick Goldstein’s disdain for celebrities is palpable as he writes, “Hollywood took it on the chin” in this election [“Curse of the Limo Liberals,” Nov. 16]. Get your head out of showbiz, sir. How about the troops, the children, the elderly and the unemployed whose chins will continue to be bloodied?

Contrary to the sexy controversy that is being stirred up, most celebrity activists are informed, compassionate and articulate. We spend more time in the Red States working with and living alongside the locals than the fat wallet business interests who wish we were their chums. We even know that there are millions of Blue people in the Red States. The press does them a great disservice to constantly negate their existence.

Goldstein’s column and an earlier Calendar article [“But They’re Famous,” by Geoff Boucher and Elaine Dutka, Nov. 5] suggest that this past election was some sort of Super Bowl that people in the entertainment industry dabbled in for recreation and amusement. The idea that artists should be fabulous, empty-headed and apolitical is as backward as the notion that women should be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.

In Greek, the word “politic” translates to “citizen.” A citizen is one who is responsible to the life and governing of the city. We are all citizens. Some of us are raising children. We have cousins, siblings and parents all across this country. We have nephews and nieces in Iraq. It would be unconscionable and elitist not to step up to the responsibility of civic participation and political discourse that all Americans owe each other and our nation.

Nov. 2 was not a contest to be chatted about in the same glib context in which we keep score on Oscar gowns. It was and remains a fight for the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and for a higher quality of life for millions.

There was a surge in political participation this year because people in all sectors realized how much was at stake. Wall Streeters didn’t sit out; teachers didn’t; firemen didn’t; corporate bosses didn’t. Americans everywhere hit the streets, walking precincts, canvassing, phone banking, debating, speaking out on issues of pressing importance.

Thank goodness Hollywood didn’t sit out like a bunch of hothouse airheads. How vacuous would that have been?

Those of us who took to neighborhoods across the land sweated and rallied in union halls, in churches, on buses and in rec centers, cheek by jowl with our fellow Americans, hearing their stories, eating their food, holding their children. We were living the real privilege celebrity affords us. We bring the people back with us, and will deliver their spirit again to them through our work.

As a black female in America, I was taught early on to stand for what is just and true, not necessarily to see the results at the end of the day or even in my lifetime. You stand because you are part of a continuum. Others have stood for you, and your children will see you stand. It is vitally important that, in bleak times, history records that there were those who worked to create positive change. I’m proud to know that members of my industry, no matter what side of the issues impassioned them, stepped forward and joined the ranks of those Americans who implored their neighbors to exercise the power we have in a democracy. Our teachers, our parents, our mentors, our communities have invested a lot into who we are. It would be shameful for us to occupy the spotlight and turn our backs on that connection.

Those of us who are awake to this responsibility will continue to agitate for the common good. I hope the cynicism that reduces artists to trick ponies will not silence those who are just finding their voices.

Congratulations to those in Hollywood who joined the rest of the country and entered the fray for the first time this round. You didn’t sit out because some think you too cute, too rich or too famous to accept the responsibility that falls to adults. Stay involved. Your work will deepen, your sleep will be sweeter and you won’t care nearly as much about how you look.

Patrick, if you travel this country, you will find that people in all professions speak their minds. Sometimes they say profound things, sometimes inappropriate musings, but they have the right to, they are Americans, and that right extends all the way across the border into Hollywood.