Entertainment and Liberalism

I started performing on stage since the age of four. I've pretty much been on a stage most all my life. I started out dancing and found myself wanting to do other stage work. I did several things here and there; I'll just cover the highlights. I got a few small parts on stage in high school. I also played a lead in a small play our drama class had performed.

I have experience working backstage. My first job was spotlight for the musical, "Sweeney Todd" at the Omaha Community Playhouse. I did various things backstage for them until, I landed a role as the nun in, "Tony 'n Tina's Wedding" which was an improv comedy. I absolutely loved performing but, doing so deteriorated a part of me. I decided to go back to school and retire my work as a performer. 

In college, I did discover that I have a talent speaking in front of people. Debate in college was completed with an A plus. I also didn't have too hard of a time speaking up in any of my classes, expressing my opinion, even if I was the only one in the classroom that held that point of view. By the time I went back to school, I was older than most the other students and, quite more experienced in life. I was not shy about asserting this.

I think my years on stage were the best and worst times of my life. I met some amazing people but, I had turned quite liberal in those years and, it wasn't till I was able to get away from the stage that I was able to see things in a completely different light. I was really self absorbed. I did whatever I wanted to do and, as long as I was "tolerant" of everyone else, I felt justified in anything I said and did. All you really need to do is qualify all your statements with, "I don't judge anyone..."

Yes, I partied a lot. I suppose you could say I was near a local-type-Lindsey Lohan or, a wanna-be Paris Hilton. (Oh, wow...this is embarrassing!) I can't believe I'm admitting to this but, I feel it necessary in order to make my point. I actually like Britney and Paris. I understand them on a weird and bizarre level. I look back at my life and know that had I had that type of fame, I would probably have acted just like they have, maybe worse. Here I was, at a local level, in Omaha, NE of all places, and I thought I was G-d's gift to the world.

I would get recognized, I knew people, I could go anywhere and skip standing in lines. This went right to my head, not even realizing for a moment how truly pathetic I was. I allowed myself to get caught up in everything. Here's what happens: You live and breathe the theatre. When you entertain, you are performing constantly. We had shows on Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, and two shows on Sunday. Some shows were dark on Mon, Tues, and Wed but, even those days, you were with other cast members, people that did the same things as you. It was rare that I would be around anyone that had a different point of view on life. Or, if I was, I didn't pay any attention. It was all about ME.

All this coupled with being young, which is a selfish period to begin with, became a dark time in my life. Of course, I didn't realize that while I was living it. No, I was right about everything. I will tell you, I had told myself that I was so great and, so amazing that G-d must have blessed with with "special knowledge," that I truly knew what was best for everyone and, if they didn't agree, it was because, they were pathetic and led worthless lives.

Now, of course, you can only imagine how utterly humiliating this is for me to reveal to you but, this is exactly what goes on in the mind of Hollywood elites, only MUCH worse I'm sure. Again, keep in mind, I was NOWHERE near the level of fame and fortune that people in Hollywood have and yet, here I was experiencing delusions of grandeur. Oh, how I thank the Lord I never went much further.

Now this doesn't mean that you cannot be in Hollywood or, be an entertainer and not have a good head on your shoulders. Quite the contrary. There are many people that do just fine working on stage or, on the screen and are not crazy liberal or, even if they are liberal, they don't completely lose control over their lives the way I did. I was just weak, very weak and, I allowed myself to be intoxicated by many things but, mostly the ambiance of it all. The treatment I received from people made me feel as though I was much more important than I truly was.

Now for me, when I see people in Hollywood, they irritate the crap out of me but for some, I just have a soft spot for. I know they are not evil people. Some of the most wonderful people I know to this day, are those I met in the theatre. I've always felt safe around these people. I never felt like they would mistreat me or, allow bad things to happen to me. I come from a background where I've had the displeasure of meeting some pretty shady characters. People in entertainment never made me feel uncomfortable or uneasy to be around. We had great fun and I always felt happy around them.

For me, I guess it's not that these people are evil, it's just they are simply absorbed in entertainment. They block themselves out from thinking about things in different ways because they are famous, everyone kisses their butts, they are never around anything else, they feel important, and much more important than others. If one thinks they are more important, they naturally will feel as though they are superior, and if they are superior, their opinions must also be superior; they feel and know that they know better than others.

Take for instance Tom Cruise. This man seems like a great guy. He's got it together for the most part. He's not been in too many scandalous stories, meaning he's not known for his partying ways, or his rampant drug use. He has a remarkable career and an impressive resume. However, there is NO doubt that this man thinks he's better than everyone. He literally goes on tv and says things like (paraphrasing), "You don't know the history of psychology like I do..." Clearly the way that is stated is, he knows things others do not and, and he truly believes that unless you're an elite like him, you cannot understand. In his mind, he is helping you and enlightening you, and if you don't understand, that's okay, just do what he does and you're life will be better because of him.

This is the first problem with the mindset of a Hollywood actor. They truly, honestly believe, with all their hearts that they have a "secret knowledge" that other "simple minded" people just do not have.

They believe with every fiber of their being that they experience emotions so much more than others. You will see this whenever you are viewing a benefit of some kind on tv. You will hear actors or singers express how much they believe in a cause, and "how important it is for people to come together" and, fill-in-the-blank. It's important because, they "feel" it's important and their feelings are more important because, they are superior to you.

You see, they are more important because, they are blessed with fame. If they weren't special, they wouldn't be famous. Now, of course, they always tell people to work hard if you want to be famous like them but, what they really mean is, only a select few, the lucky, the more important people, really achieve fame and fortune.

I think a lot of people in Hollywood turn to drugs because of the perplexity that is involved in their lives. On one hand, they are loved but, on the other hand, they have absolutely no privacy and some people actually hate them. People do not respect them as a person.

I remember when I did the improv show, the audience was really also a part of the show. You wouldn't believe the amount of people that felt as if it was their right to fondle me or, other cast members. Some were just down right nasty with us. In their eyes, we were entertainment they had rented for the evening and, we were just their puppets to play with. It was frightening in some ways. I had a few altercations in the parking lot with patrons because of how they had treated me or my friends.

I guess this is why we frequently see Hollywood actors go crazy on the paparazzi. The downside of being an entertainer is even though you are loved and adored by some, the folks that hate you or, disrespect you are just mean, really mean. Some very hurtful things are said and not behind your back but, right there to your face. It's hard to deal with that. For me, I was extremely sensitive. I still am. It's hard for me to deal with criticism. I happen to be my biggest critic but, when someone else does it, even if it's respectful, it still stings just a little. As I've gotten older, it's gotten much easier but, when I was younger, it was quite an overwhelming feeling of sadness.

Of course, when I felt sad, everyone needed to stop and pay attention because, remember, I was so important and my feelings were so important. Yes, I was quite good at being a little drama queen.

Being in entertainment is all about accepting other people. Let's face it, lots of gays are attracted to being in the entertainment world. Not just gays but, misfits as well. I think we were all odd or unusual in some sort of way. This bonded us yet, ironically we still felt more enlightened than the rest of the general population.

Fitting in with this crowd was more about "acting out."The more wild I was, the more willing I was to do crazy things, the more accepted I was. Doing things outside the norm was considered almost a virtue.

On the other hand, there were others that were much more responsible and understood that entertaining is a business and, if you were too much of a pain, you were not someone they would take a chance on. They knew it wouldn't be wise to rely on you to do their show.

Bottom line, yes, the entertainment industry is filled with liberals but, if you really want to make money and be a professional, you have to be a capitalist!

The only reason why I bothered writing this is because, a lot of people ask me my opinion of why actors and entertainers are liberal. Most these people have never even been on stage and are frightened to even speak in front of anyone.

I just wanted to explain a little bit as to what my opinion is on this issue. My experience is not at all everyone's experience. Again, lots of people know how to keep their head on their shoulders and are very good at being in the business of entertainment. I just happen to understand the messes of Hollywood.

When I got away from the entertainment industry, I started reading a lot. I listened to the news and, had always been quite interested in politics. I also started listening to talk radio. I began studying math and chemistry. I finally saw an underlying logic to things that I hadn't had the privilege of  seeing before. I also became Christian later on.

Even though I was liberal before, I had NO idea how unbelievably selfish I was. It was quite the opposite. I thought I was being a good person by accepting every action, good or bad. What I discovered was, that true love, and true tolerance is when you are able to recognize right and wrong and, not be afraid to point out when someone is doing something wrong. Hate the sin, love the sinner.

A lot of people will say, "I don't agree but, I don't judge if someone does..." x, y, or z. What they are really saying is, they only care about their actions and, they don't care enough to let someone know they are doing something that could potentially hurt themselves. They know the danger because, they would never do it themselves but, do not have the character to try and prevent others from doing something harmful, people they claim to care about. It's easier to say that nothing is black and white and it's all shades of gray. It's easier to avoid an argument or confrontation. It's easier so, therefore it must be right but, that couldn't be further from the truth.

I will give an example:

I know it's wrong to gossip about people. I think we can agree it's not an activity that one should participate in. I'm sure we've all done it from time to time, I admit, I have. For the purposes of this example, we'll pretend my 18 month old daughter is 14 years old. I hear her on the phone gossiping. I will most certainly sit down with her and let her know that what she is doing is wrong and, will eventually get her into trouble.

I would not say, "Well, gossiping isn't something I would do but, it's okay if you chose to do it." It's not okay. What is wrong is wrong and, yes, in the end, my daughter is going to make her own choices but, I'm going to make sure that I have already warned her in advance of the dangers of gossiping. It is much more loving to let someone know when they are doing something wrong then it is to pretend as if it doesn't matter one way or the other.

Sure, the EASIER way is to say it doesn't matter but, who is it easier for? Not the person making the mistake, it's the person that looks the other way and says nothing about the negative consequences that will happen if that wrong is committed.

As liberalism is defined today, at the root of it is a selfish core. You have to remember that many of these folks do not know this at all. They will tell you the exact opposite. They believe because they are superior, that you are just being closed minded and judgmental. What is sad is that, they are actually projecting onto you exactly what is at their core. This is why liberalism is a mental disorder...just like the great Dr. Savage says.


Again, I know there are people in the entertainment industry that are able to understand this. It's just when you have an entertainer that has become so self absorbed, it stands to reason that they are going to be liberals. Liberalism is an ideology rooted in elitism and pure selfishness.

The truly selfless in this culture are those that know that the government doesn't always have the right answers. They believe not only in G-d but, that people can help one another directly. They know that the true spirit of a man is harnessed when they achieve accomplishments on their own and, not through hand outs or affirmative action. They do not see victims but, potential. They do not see race but, humans. They are people that are not afraid to stand up and point out when something is wrong because, they don't care about the "easy way" for them, they care about you.

These are the people I see in the conservative movement and, this is why I am now a conservative. It's not about being better than anyone, it's just about love. G-d is love. Not just a superficial love but, a deep love of mankind. I'm not saying ALL conservatives are like this but, I have seen the greatest love of all come from folks who believe in the Lord and happen to be conservative as well.