I really did not expect this to become one of the gossip stories of the week, but sure – it’s actually one of the most interesting conversations to have, especially at this point at the intersection of politics and celebrity. Over the weekend, Ellen DeGeneres went to a Dallas Cowboys game in Texas, and she was seated in the VIP area with George W. and Laura Bush. Ellen and Dubya were seen acting chummy and sharing laughs with each other, and a lot of people criticized Ellen for cozying up to a war criminal who also made homophobia a giant part of his 2004 re-election bid. Ellen ended up responding on her show and her argument was, in essence, that kindness is a virtue and we should all be more kind to each other, and you don’t have to surround yourself with people who agree with you on everything. She also said she considers George W. Bush a friend.
For days now, people have still been debating what happened and what she said. Some say that Ellen’s stance comes from her extremely privileged, rich-person position and some argue that this is all about the privilege afforded to white people. There’s another argument that Ellen is basically just out-of-touch, completely and totally… perhaps because her skin color and money insulate her from basically everything. Most of Ellen’s celebrity friends are defending her. But not… Mark Ruffalo…?
Sorry, until George W. Bush is brought to justice for the crimes of the Iraq War, (including American-lead torture, Iraqi deaths & displacement, and the deep scars—emotional & otherwise—inflicted on our military that served his folly), we can’t even begin to talk about kindness. https://t.co/dpMwfck6su
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 9, 2019
I remember something Chris Hayes (from MSNBC) has said a few times, which is that the political landscape might be much different today if the Democrats had – at the very least – opened an impeachment inquiry into George W. Bush in 2007, when they got control of the House and Senate. Hayes’ argument has been that any kind of public hearings and public testimony into how Bush & Company lied us into war would have been one of the biggest services to democracy. I was around back then and I understand why the Dems didn’t do it. But in retrospect, it certainly would have stopped all of this “Bush is a kindly old bloke who is much better than Trump” stuff.
Photos courtesy of Getty and WENN.
Good for Mark. Kindness to those who are actively trying to harm other people is not a kindness to those on the receiving end of those acts. Bush’s judicial appointees could do serious harm to women and the LGBTQ community this year. And let’s not forget he campaigned for Kavanaugh.
forgiveness is good, but people need to atone before being forgiven.
has Dubya apologized for ANY of the terrible things he did while in office? no?
then Ellen can have a seat.
ETA: no one is even talking about how she was in Jerry Jones’ box. Jones is a bigot and a 45 supporter. that she even accepted an invitation to be there is gross.
It’s like what James Baldwin said – we can disagree and still love eachother unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist. No we don’t have to be kind to everyone. Does that mean we should be kind to trump? Oh hell no.
“We can disagree and still love eachother unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist. ” Exactly.
Been quoting James Baldwin a lot recently myself.
“Kindness to those who are actively trying to harm other people is not a kindness to those on the receiving end of those acts.” Perfectly put.
Go Hulk, go smash it.
Thank *ucking god for Ruffalo. He’s always outspoken and never afraid.
I can’t believe how out of touch Ellen and her celebrities friends are.
Orlando Bloom commented on her post with “kill them in kindness”….LIKE WTF???
I love Mark!! I agree with him on pretty much everything politically. He’s absolutely right. Now that years have passed since W’s presidency we’re all supposed to forget about the BS war he put not only us, but Iraq through? Nope. He is a war criminal. He caused devastation for so many. People lost loved ones for nothing. Those of us who protested against him were branded unamerican. So ellen and everyone else who wants to live and let live can kiss my ass. He is dangerous and unrepentant and that doesn’t get my kindness.
Ruffalo being spot on again. We’re not talking about being kind to your ignorant uncle, neighbor, mailman, that thinks the GOP is great. Were talking about a criminal that should be in prison for crimes against humanity. Ellen is in the wrong here.
I understand the urge to be kind to him. I get it. He seems like a funny, normal guy who you know just happened to orchestrate the death of 1 million Iraqis for no reason. How quickly people forget how loathed we were worldwide before Obama.
He’s right.
Yes, he is.
*waves at Eve*
:*
Absolutely right.
Ellen preaches a lot from her rich white woman bubble, and it’s honestly made me dislike her now.
No, Ellen, I don’t have to be kind to everyone.
It’s especially funny since Ellen is known for being unkind. I’ve noticed that with a lot of people who are always on the whole “positive vibes only!!!” train seem to be the most unkind, judgmental people. They only care about “positive vibes” because they think it absolves them of accountability for their actions.
Omg you are so right. And I can confirm that Ellen is known as the biggest b*tch in Hollywood
Yup. So true. If you say ‘positive vibes only!’ I immediately side-eye you.
Dude yes! I always thought there was something weirdly mean-spirited about her
Eff Dubya and eff Ellen. Mark is absolutely correct. That man is a monster just like his father. I have been done with Ellen since the Kevin Hart defending bull$hit she pulled.
Amem! Let’s just not forget the worshiped Michelle Obama is great friends with GW and constantly supports him… It’s not just Ellen…
And she was criticized. The Obama’s didn’t go and preach afterwards though, did they?
no, she’s not “great friends” with him, and has only appeared with him at “official” kinds of functions (funerals/inauguration). she didn’t accept an invitation from a bigoted 45 supporter to sit in his box and share goodies with a war criminal, like Ellen did.
and, as noted, she WAS dragged for being friendly with him and didn’t preach afterwards about she considered him a friend.
Please read the replies in the articles about MO praising Bush. She was called out harshly and deservedly. Also the Obamas didn’t go on their tv show and make a joke out of the whole thing.
Stop dragging the nearest black woman in sight whenever white people make a mess.
Thank you! +1000
“Stop dragging the nearest black woman in sight whenever white people make a mess.“ Omg, thank you, XiTang! It’s like clockwork every damn time.
This has nothing to do with MO, effy, you tried it though.
What about the Obama’s being chummy with him? Everyone looks at that as great chivalry. Why is this different? My opinion is that everyone who wants to write of all Republicans are the reason the republicans have become the party they are. Democrats (which I am one) have gotten to the point they do think everyone has to be fully on board with their policies and sorry but that’s just not gonna happen ever and that’s why Trump will get a second term.
Kath … I don’t agree with you. What Bush did? He is quoted as saying, “War is good for business.” That is hugely unethical and immoral. It just is. It is okay to feel he deserves some type of consequences for his actions regarding Iraq. I think people who are angry in this regard are justified. And if THIS is why Trump gets a second term, because people think a war criminal should be held accountable for that? That is in no way, shape or form wrong to ask for. Perhaps our bar for morals and ethics is now so low that this type of behaviour seems like it should be tolerated? But it shouldn’t Kath. It really shouldn’t.
I didn’t say I agreed. I didn’t say he should get a pass.
But we should acknowledge that everyone doesn’t feel that way and not have the mentality that they should all get on board or get out… there’s certainly some hypocrisy there.
Kath … you said this is why Trump will win a second term. That makes no sense to me. This argument Mark makes is a valid and astute one. There is no hypocrisy here. It is the one place there is no hypocrisy. With Ellen, hypocrisy. With Michele Obama, hypocrisy. (Although, the fact that Michele Obama sees George Bush at work events comes into play, I think. I also think people latch onto Michele and George as hope Republicans and Democrats can bridge their gap.) Everyone doesn’t have to “feel” that way, but this is the point. Feelings? Feelings are not facts. That war was highly questionable.
Err- not the same thing Kath. At all. Why? Because every instance of the Obamas interacting with Bush was during official Presidential events. Presidents HAVE to interact with each other and I have no issues with the Obamas doing so.
That is in no way the same thing as Ellen taking selfies with Dubya and calling him her friend
Yes, they had no choice. And what is unfair, people mostly drag Michelle into it.
But then, don’t forget Barrack Obama has blood of innocent on his hands too.
The Obamas have and continue to be criticized for their friendliness with Bush. If you’re not aware of that, then you need to expand your reading material.
“My opinion is that everyone who wants to write of all Republicans are the reason the republicans have become the party they are.”
No, the reason they’ve become the party they are is because they don’t care about the average person, people of color, women or children. they are the party of rich, white, “Christian” men. they’ve demonstrated that over and over. people want to write them off BECAUSE of the party they’ve become, not vice versa.
“Democrats (which I am one) have gotten to the point they do think everyone has to be fully on board with their policies”
funny, their policies are designed to help the less fortunate, the people who need it the most. people SHOULD be on board with their policies, but what you say is not true at all. they don’t think that. they think that policy should benefit everyone, not just rich white men.
as for your claim of being a Democrat, I don’t believe that for a second.
@whatwhat. Not all Republicans are Nazis. Just like not all Democrats are left-wing progressives. To pit Democrats against Republicans is to fall into what exactly Baby Small Hands wants. This all or nothing thinking is so gross and so divisive. It doesnt help move anything forward. It just makes people become defensive and stop wanting to learn or work together.
Oh Kath. The projection is strong with you. The GOP has been leaning more and more to the extreme right for decades, culminating in the rise of the fanatical tea party, that LITERALLY told Republicans that they are going all-in, hard-right, and to get on board or be booted out of the party. But you think Democrats are the problem?! The same Democrats that are too spineless to take any type of real stand, at any time? The Democrats, that are expected to be the party of “civility” and evoke outrage from the right any time they are the least bit uncivil? Wow. Just, wow.
My dad was part of the movement that got Reagan into office by turning the Republican Party into the one that had “morals” and “values” in order to mobilize evangelicals. The party morphed into libertarianism while trying to carry the evangelical base. Now my dad supports Trump. All the times he preached to me about his superior morality and railed against relative truths. And here he is supporting Trump and his any means to an end. I stopped talking to the effin’ hypocrite.
While I agree with Mark, I’m wondering why people didn’t boast the same outrage over Michelle Obama’s friendship and love over Bush? Ellen and Michelle didn’t really say anything different about their fondness of him.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/time.com/5454153/michelle-obama-on-george-w-bush/%3famp=true
THIS. I came here to say the same thing. I come at this as a liberal Obama fan but I find it so curious that everything thinks Michelle’s friendship with W is adorable.
I feel like the answer to this is pretty damn obvious AND I’m perfectly ok with it right now.
However, when the collective is ready to holistically approach the Obama Presidency we can definitely talk about how he by his own admission was slightly left of Reagan.
You can despise the racism directed at the Obamas while also noting their many, many political flaws. But people still want to act like the only “wrong” thing Obama did was wear a tan suit.
The selective outrage is truly baffling. And I love the Obama’s, but why is Ellen getting trashed and no one gave Michelle the same vitriol?
^^^ Unfortunately this is true, and the people defending this by claiming that Michelle is only friendly to him at presidential events that she has to be at…um, that’s just not true. It’s false. And it did personally affect my opinion of her. I mean, not much, I still love her, I do. But…I have a big problem with this. As for why Ellen gets it worse…well, she’s not likable to a lot of people because a lot of people feel she has a mean streak a mile wide. Nobody thinks Michelle Obama has a mean streak at all. She doesn’t. So there is some of that there. I’m guilty of it myself. If that’s actually something to be “Guilty” about.
I don’t recall Michelle virtue signaling her relationship with W the way Ellen is. The Obamas interactions with Bush were at funerals and government events. Their behavior was appropriate. Ellen was taking selfies at a football game and is now treating this story like an opportunity to lecture on kindness. It’s disingenuous, to say the least.
Michelle has said straight up that she and W are good friends. I’ve always had a problem with that. Of course, it’s expected/acceptable to be cordial at public events. Very different than “being friends with” someone. Bush took us into the new millennium with an illegal war and all the crimes that went with it. He has not been held accountable. #notmyfriend
This is about Ellen, and has nothing to do with MO, try to keep focus, please. I cannot believe how many people RAN in here to make this about Mobama, it’s very telling to me.
Ellen is the embodiment of white rich privilege and I am happy that not everyone accepted her half-assed “we are all different and have to love each other nonetheless” explanation. I’ve never found her funny, or interesting, or progressive and while she will never get the comeuppance she deserves i am glad the bubble that she occupies has gotten somewhat smaller in the past few days.
To me it’s one of those situations where the way a person went about defending what they did is the bigger problem than what they actually did. It’s understandable to want to try to be friendly with everyone, but don’t reduce the worst things he’s done to just a matter of disagreement or people being different.
Michelle for the rest of her life will be seated next to George W, funerals etc.
She said she will always remember the Bushes kindness to her family.
Do they invite one another to dinner? chances no.
Yeah this. MObama has to make the best of a situation that she’ll continually find herself in for up to another 20 years at any sort of national function. Same reason why she didn’t throw a temper tantrum at the Trump inauguration.
But her face told the story at the inauguration. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjw16387JHlAhXrV98KHRdcAs4QjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=%2Furl%3Fsa%3Di%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26source%3Dimages%26cd%3D%26ved%3D%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.standard.co.uk%252Fnews%252Fworld%252Fmichelle-obamas-honest-glare-during-inauguration-spotted-by-viewers-worldwide-a3446086.html%26psig%3DAOvVaw3caJMSMtht8jC0V-eK_WeT%26ust%3D1570802310889202&psig=AOvVaw3caJMSMtht8jC0V-eK_WeT&ust=1570802310889202
hero!
he may be rich enough to be honest with out fear of never working again or being popular
but clearly he is authentically honestly himself: brave! consistent, and
it takes courage to speak truth to power
Ellen always seemed like too good to be true so this doesn’t really surprise me. Kudos to Mark for calling her out when rest of the rich white Hollywood stayed silent as usual. Chris Evans wishes he had this kind of backbone or any backbone at all.
Is this Mark? LOL Each chooses to speak out on what is important to them.
@ DaisySharp Chris Evans’ “wokeness” barely goes past Trump bashing. So you are telling me apart from Trump shenanigans nothing bothers Evans? Okay
@A Oh please, if Evans hadn´t recently been called out for his bullshit regarding the Botham Jean Case he would have joined right in with the privileged whites like Kristen Bell et all.
Was he called out for that? I saw the tweet and cringed. Yeah it was a bad tweet. Who hugged the cop though and said he didn’t want her to go to jail and that he forgives her? Was that Evans? I guess he was supposed to know that was some messed up stuff. I mean, I knew it was. Hey what do all the Ruffalo fans think of Liz’s little ditty last night about the yellow children?
@Pitch Yeah like Evans’ shrewd publicist would allow him to publicly support one of the most hated man in US. You didn’t get my point. I was trying to shade Evans for only being woke about few safe-for-celeb-twitter issues and getting praised for it while Mark does so much more but doesn’t even get half of that respect and attention on social media. That’s pathetic imo no matter what gullible Evans stans say.
@A I saw the funniest tweet yesterday— it said something like “Mark Ruffalo should have been getting the praise instead of Chris Evans all along!” And ITA.
Hey the way I look at things, it weren’t for Ruffalo and some of his buddies’ bernie broing we wouldn’t be here in the first place. So we all have our thing. Ruffalo ain’t mine. He’s yours, that’ s okay. No need to tear down someone else.
I’ve always seen this side of Ellen. She of all people should not be talking about kindness. Look at the thrill she gets from scaring, pranking and making fun of people. She is a closet mean girl and always has been. The reason why all these celebs are falling over themselves to defend her is because she’s friends with most of them. Clearly Mark sees right through her.
Both Reese Witherspoon and Kristen Bell defended Ellen. It’s just so…gross. And it goes back to what others have said. That rich white people are their own little clique and they will defend each other. Mark has always been politically and socially active and I expected nothing less of him.
Amen, sister. Preach it louder.
Reese ended up deleting hers, but’s it’s like…nice try, but the damage is already done.
In a just world, Bush and co. would be tried at the Hague.
THIS. Like many African former leaders involved/accused of war crimes.
I wrote Ellen off long ago for her support of the Kardashians. The Kardashians are a part of what’s wrong with this world right now and Ellen actively promotes and supports them.
I am not into the kardashians at all. but have you seen how many followers on instagram they have and how many celebs brag about being friends with them? ellen is just one of miiiiiillions.
As mentioned in earlier comments… Michelle Obama has a very special and public relationships with him. It is beyond that she has to interact with him at public events because her husband was president. She is not being lacerated by public option. If people want to intensely criticize Ellen (which is fine) then criticize Michele Obama too.
After all Michelle Obama did for this nation when she didn’t have to? What exactly has Ellen don’t to put herself into the same category as Michelle Obama? Nothing whatsoever, she’s a celebrity.
And, at least MO is only around that criminal when she HAS to be. Oh, and just keep ignoring that Ellen and Porsche were in Jerry Jones’ box at the game, a known racist and trump supporter, but yeah, exactly the same!
There’s a difference in being polite and kind to a human being, and calling a man whose actions have cause worldwide damage, death, and mutilation, a friend.
She could have said “it was awkward because of our beliefs but we were being polite because a cowboys game is not the time or place for a political discussion”. But, nope. She claims W as a friend. She’s absolutely living up to the whispers that she’s two-faced and a mean spirited person when the cameras are off. With war criminal friends, honestly, who needs enemies?
spot on!
Stupid question here:
Can someone explain the start of the Iraq war? Why do people call Bush a war criminal? I was very young when it all happened so I don’t know much about it… Also I’m not from the US so I may have heard less about it too…
Because he lied to the world about Iraq to justify a war. He told everyone that Iraq had weponds of mass destruction. When America got attacked on 9/11 he tried to connect Iraq with the attacks, which they never had anything to do with it. He invaded Iraq without an exit plan, putting our people and our allies and the iraq people at terrible risk. In other words, he started a unwinnable war on lies.
I don’t want to be mean about it but isn’t this outlook the exact problem? Instead of educating yourself through research you want someone else to do it for you? There are fairly quick summaries that can be read in 30 min to 1 hour…
I was 5 years old when we invaded Afghanistan and I remember vividly listening to NPR in total silence driving with my parents to school.
No one is saying everyone around the world must know everything about US history but this topic is one that merits deep attention.
Because he lied to the American people and the world and started a war with a country purely on the basis of corporate interest and greed. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, and neither did Saddam Hussein, but Shrub used 9/11 as a pretext to invade and occupy and destroy a country that he otherwise had no justification for doing so. In the process, he refused to hold the actual culprits (Saudi Arabia) accountable, and even went so far as to protect their ruling family, again because of corporate interests. He trampled over the constitution, introduced the Patriot Act which heavily curtailed freedoms for Americans, authorized the use of torture when dealing with supposed militants, and basically murdered half a million civilians for no other reason except that they were Iraqis living in Iraq and therefore that made them an acceptable collateral damage in his quest to protect the oil industry’s profits.
and don’t forget that the rise of ISIS was a direct result of the war in Iraq.
bush was a problem. but why is obama loved when he also ordered military interventions in the middle east? and he even received the nobel peace prize…for what?
@Elisa
and therefore the European refugee crisis, etc.
Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld (and many more) should be in prison for war crimes. I know a lot of Americans don’t care about the collateral damage during the Iraq war because those civilians were not white, Christian, Americans. However, the lingering damage can still be felt here, and everyone should care about that. The instability we caused over there is still enabling anti-American terrorists. The Patriot Act did more to “destroy American freedom” than any terrorist attack ever did. The view that the deaths of “others” don’t count, is carried over into our police departments across the country. The bigotry against Muslims, immigrants, and people of color is as bad as ever. The protection of oil money against all else means we continue to destroy the earth. Much of the sh!t happening right now in America was either created, reinforced, or brought to the mainstream because of Bush Jr. And he has NEVER apologized for any of it.
It’s not that he’s only a war criminal. He’s actively anti LGBTQ, was pro Kavanaugh, mishandled the response to Katrina etc etc.
Given all this Ellen’s response makes no sense. Someone on twitter said “Ellen is very good at playing the role of Ellen”. I suspect that’s right.
@BRUNSWICKSTOVAL
I totally agree. Ellen’s good guy/kindness thing has seemed like a shtick for a long time. Her smile never quite a reaches her eyes and she usually seems annoyed.
Must be the hoards of money that allow her to forget W considers her marriage and abomination
Yes, it doesn’t matter if he strips her of her rights as a gay woman. She’s so rich, she knows she will never have to worry about her actions.
And all of this was coming out when the Supreme Court was hearing testimony about LGBTQ rights.
I doubt that I’ve seen her show even ten times all the years it’s been on, but she seems to put her guests on the spot with her teasing, her mean teasing. I saw clips of her interaction with the young tennis player and she was really obnoxious.
Mark Ruffalo-the real Avenger!
What gets me so much about this is that it is known that Ellen is not kind to everyone. She has an all-out feud with Kathy Griffin and she hated Joan Rivers. Ellen has been able to “forgive” and be kind to Kevin Hart (an anti-gay comic), Dax Shepard (who said women lie about sexual assault), Brad Pitt (who “allegedly” had a physical confrontation with at least 1 child), and a war criminal like George W. Bush. She seems to have lots of kindness for straight dudes.
Also, she has a reputation for not being kind at her workplace. That’s been documented time and time again. I don’t remember one of the most recent interviews when it was brought up about how her workplace was not happy. Her reaction was something like, “Who said that?”
And anyone who gets off on scaring people over and over again has a big mean streak going through them. It’s funny the first 50 times. Then it’s just mean.
Your comment says it all…you can’t be taken seriously🙄
I agree wholeheartedly with Mark Ruffalo. Even on this website people were way to forgevinf of Bush Jr when he was cosying up with the Obamas.
He and his administration are war criminals. They started an illegal war that killed and still kill today thousand and thousand of people and which lead to the rise of ISIS. All of that because their greed.
Donald Trump being a terrible piece of sh!t does not negate any of this.
He’s speaking some much-needed sense, thank you.
And to anyone bringing up the Obamas–no, it’s not okay when the Obamas do it either. Michelle Obama being Chums with Bush isn’t pleasant. They’re not ignorant, they’re fully aware of the optics of that situation, and they chose to go along with it anyway because people continue to place a premium on the veneer of civility over it’s actual existence.
However, do imagine for a moment what would have happened if Michelle Obama, a black woman, had been anything except completely polite and cordial and friendly to Bush. There’s another reason they’re outwardly so friendly, and it’s also because the world is such that a black person exhibiting anything except friendliness and cordiality towards white people tends to get them killed. Ellen is not in that position. She can afford to confront Bush and hold him accountable w/o having to fear for her life. Michelle Obama can’t.
THANK YOU.
part of the white privilege that SO MANY white folk don’t acknowledge/understand.
remember how people reacted to her treatment of John Boehner at that dinner? he said something to her and she responded without even looking at him as she took a bite of food? I mean, I CHEERED her for that, but a lot of people were like “that’s totally inappropriate, she should have been more polite”.
YES THIS
Oh, I remember how prior to the 2008 election Michelle was being portrayed as the scary “angry Black woman”. Time mag did a cover story on it iirc.
oh, Jerusha, I’m so f*cking tired of women in politics having to be “nice”…like, people said that about HRC, too. “she doesn’t come off as warm and fuzzy” or “she’s too stiff and cold, she should be nicer”…Who the F EVER said that about a male candidate? and, of COURSE, women of color aren’t just “not nice”, they’re “angry”.
it’s a DOUBLE double standard for a black woman.
This.
This EXACTLY. I hope those of you who are both sides-ing about Michelle Obama consider this. Perfect example of white privilege.
You said it all!
Thank you all for your reminders and commentary. I was starting to go soft on the Ol’ Good boy myself, and all of these reminders and visions of Rumsfeld, Cheney, etc… and my late adolescent powerful angst during the war in Iraq and 9/11 towards this man. He surrounded himself with very bad people. The newfound Harmless loving goofball grampa image is very misleading.
It’s amazing all the people in here like, “WHAT ABOUT MICHELLE YEW GUISE??!” Anyone with any intellectual honesty whatsoever can see the difference between a former First Lady being kind and friendly to a former President at official functions (who has been and still is criticised for it), and a celebrity in a VIP box of a football game (a seat given to her by a Trumper) calling said President a friend and taking selfies.
That wasn’t a random VIP box. You lot ask yourselves from whom she got those tickets. And knock off the “BUT BUT OBAMA” garbage. It’s ridiculous and obvious.
That’s true. And i didn’t know she got the tickets from this trump supporter. I mean, this does seem like she pals around with Magas. I don’t like her, so I’m trying to be fair and balanced. Perhaps I went a bit overboard.
Listen, I love Michelle, but lets not act like she was just being cordial to a man she was seated next to at some public function. In her own words, she has acknowledge their “friendship”.
In September 2016, cameras captured Obama and the former Republican president sharing a warm embrace at the dedication of the National Museum of American History and Culture.
When asked why people have an appetite for moments like that, Obama had plenty to share.
“Because I think the political discourse, the way it’s shown in the media, is…all the nasty parts of it. You know? Because I guess we’ve become a culture where the nasty sells. So people are just gonna keep feeding that. We’re all Americans. We all care about our family and our kids, and we’re trying’ to get ahead. And that’s how I feel about your father. You know? He’s a beautiful, funny, kind, sweet man.”
Obama went on to say that she and Bush have not let their political differences get in the way of their relationship.
“And I don’t know that I agree with him on everything. But the truth is much more complicated and complex than that. And I’d love if we as a country could get back to the place where we didn’t demonize people who disagreed with us. Because that’s essentially the difference between Republicans and Democrats.”
Here’s the thing. Ellen was invited to sit there by Jerry Jones, a massive bigot and Trump supporter. That’s on top of the fun-time hangout with W. Is Michelle going out of her way to be chummy on personal time with them or anyone else of their ilk? Is she hanging with the Bushes at sports events? She was and is still heavily criticised for her actions.
Also, tell me how the reaction would have been if Michelle had responded any other way. If she had been even slightly less than the most kind, she would have been raked over the coals for it. Ellen in her privilege wouldn’t have been treated anywhere near that by anyone other than right-wing assholes.
The ethical and moral force is SO STRONG with this adult human. Holy cow. Holy cow. I love listening to people like this. So intelligent, so compassionate, so truthful. It is a hard thing to stomach but that war, that was just so, so wrong. So wrong.
I LOVE YOU, MARK. Thank you.
I can’t be nice to everyone because being nice to certain people is inherently cruel to others
The whataboutism regard MO and GWB in this thread pisses me off. It’s not apples to apples.
Ellen accepting the seat in Jerry Jones’ box in the first place is a HUGE faux pas given his outspoken support of Trump and his blatant racism. But when you’re a rich white lady, NBD right?
I’m not a member of the LGBTQI+ community, but I can’t imagine Ellen is in their good graces.
“Ellen accepting the seat in Jerry Jones’ box in the first place is a HUGE faux pas given his outspoken support of Trump and his blatant racism.”
RIGHT?! I also mentioned this in yesterday’s post and today’s. to me, it’s a bigger issue than being chummy with the Shrub.
Honestly, if Ellen is accepting invitations from the Jerry Jones type, she knows what kind of people she’s gonna be running into in his circle, and she doesn’t care, or is okay with it.
Mark’s right. And yet it’s so difficult, because Ellen’s message seems unifying in a time when we must tamp down division and come together to defeat Trump… However, to gloss over what happened in our recent past just puts us in the position of pretending there is no objective truth. And the truth is that George W. Bush rubber-stamped a war based on lies.
Good on Mark. I’ve never liked Ellen, she always seemed phoney and unaware of her privilege. I’ve read the stories of what she’s like to work with and I’ve seen the mean pranks she pulls on guests. I trust my gut feeling she’s not who she says she is.
Also, I recall reading an interview with her before the release of her last Netflix special. I thought it was a joke because she discussed how she felt “regular” people would still find her relatable. Yet, the article detailed how she and Portia live in a beachfront mansion surrounded by celebrity neighbors AND she sent back a smoothie her personal chef had made her because it didn’t taste right. She had the chef make her a second drink.
I’m half convinced the article was written as a joke but now I know it wasn’t.
If I was in another social media besides fb and the good vibes madhouse that is tumblr, I’d follow the hell out of Mark.
I need to know more about Ellen being mean…examples please. Not that I don’t believe it but this is the only place I’ve read anything about her alleged meanness.
What a disappointment.
I can’t post links because I’m typing in my phone but there have been numerous reports of her berating staff and purposely humiliating specific ones in front of others. I’ve also read stories from people who’ve attended tapings of her show that have stated it like a switch flips when the cameras are off and she acts like a completely different person. And not in a good way.
Please give examples of Ellen being mean. Also how do you all work with people you all disagree with at work?
Well she’s friends with a man who defended torturing people on TV, so that’s pretty mean.
My coworkers aren’t war criminals, so it’s easy to work with them.
Why am I not surprised that Michelle Obama is dragged in to prop up a White woman.
I have always had a problem with Michelle’s relationship with Bush. I really, REALLY wish it wasn’t so. But even while I don’t like it, I understand it.
People tend to think of the Obama presidency as some sort of Camelot, where everyone loved each other and peace ruled through the land. But, from the second that Barack Obama started his presidential campaign, life became hell for Michelle Obama. She was called ugly, an animal, a traitor and much, much more. It got worse when her husband was elected. He set a record for presidential death threats. I remember reading about people going out and stocking up on guns and the predictions of violence an Obama presidency would bring.
One of the few people who treated the Obamas with kindness were the Bushes. The Bush daughters showed the Obama girls around the White House. The Bushes were very kind to Michelle’s mother and gave her tips on living in the White House.
In addition, it was President George Bush who assigned one of the last spots on the Washington Mall to the National Museum of African-American Culture and History and worked hard to make that project happen. I was at the opening and I didn’t like that Bush was there but understood why he was given a place of honour by the President and the First Lady.
I don’t think that Michelle Obama has any illusions about who and what George Bush is. But I think that his family’s decency toward her and her family touched her deeply.
A lot of people are against the Iraq war NOW but I was living in the United States then and I will never forget how shocked I was at how popular the invasion of Iraq was. The American people were definitely lied to but it seemed that at the time, people were okay with those lies. The American people seemed to have no problem accepting the death and torture done in their names at the time. Hindsight is one thing but George Bush was one of the most popular presidents in American history so a LOT of folks were on board.
I’ve called George Bush a war criminal since the invasion of Iraq. He, Cheney, Rumsfeld and so many others should stand in the dock of the World Court and answer for their crimes.
As I said, I don’t like Michelle Obama’s choice of Bush as a friend. But, unlike Ellen, Michelle Obama doesn’t claim that her friendship with Bush is because she’s ‘kind’ and better than the average person.
All of the “whataboutism ” in this thread is just incredible..
If people would start thinking instead of yelling maybe there wasn’t as much hostility which leads to total war between different identity groups. Kindness is not a political strategy, it is a human trait. We can’t be kind to the whole world and usually are to those we have a special connection/bond to. This is why it is in my opinion unfair to judge who can be friendly or choosing to forgive something or even overlook something as way of being kind. So I don’t think it is fair to yell at Ellen and box her decision which she herself explained as a white privilege or a privilege of a posh, wealthy person, or anything else we so easily throw around all the time now. Now. Having said that it is within everybody else’s right not feel different. It is however not the same in politics. In my view it is Bush who laid ground for Trump. Bush made lie into a strategy, used it as a way to justify a war and got away with it. It is a crucial point hence in seeing that well organized lies can be a useful political tool and that in this day and age even if it is obvious that facts point the other way, it is possible to stubble through if you hold up into the lie long enough. He wasn’t held accountable and so here we have the result. Along with the 2008 financial crisis and Obama’s choosing to bail out the banks who went ahead and played themselves millions while the simple people had to take the hit for it and there is the result in the form of Trump, who lives by the only rule that the goal justifies the means. So at this point his supporters see exactly that, that he will hold into some perverse vision of different America and all means even at the cost of democracy and truth, are justified. And he plays into the sentiment of being used and abused by elites. And so I go back and forth on this. In a way I do think that in some respect Bush was even worse because he got into a war through lie, but then again, he still held out to some kind of conduct of a politician, while Trump lies and doesn’t even feel embarrassed when caught lying, he openly assaults the democratic system and mobilises his supporters against the constitutional order, so in that respect he is worse.
I know I’m in the minority here but I don’t know if I believe that Bush is an evil man. Easily-led, clueless, and weak yes, but I go back and forth on believing if he is truly evil. I don’t think he has the intelligence to find his way out of a wet paper bag (or more accurately a wet poncho) much less implement the atrocities that occurred because of his administration. I think his stupidity made him a scapegoat of sorts for Dick Cheney’s actions and policies. Bush was the figurehead of the administration but I believe Cheney was the one pulling the strings. Does that mean I think he deserves a pass or kindness? Absolutely not. I just think it’s important to point out that Cheney deserves as much, if not more, of the blame. It seems that a large number of people have forgotten just how evil that man truly was.
No one has forgotten Dick Cheney–BELIEVE me. It’s just that he isn’t the focus of the conversation right now. Plus, Dick Cheney doesn’t have what Bush seems to still have, which is that he’s fundamentally affable as a human being. Dick Cheney is so rotten that even the devil rejected him, which is why he’s still alive and kicking after six heart attacks.
At any rate, stupidity and ignorance can be evil. It shows that you don’t care enough to learn any better. You can overcome stupidity, which seems to me the crucial thing that people forget. George W. Bush could have picked up a press briefing any day of the week and actually read through it. He could have educated himself on anything he wanted. He CHOSE not to. He CHOSE to trust his advisers because it benefited him politically. He CHOSE to remain apathetic and turn a blind eye to such horrific crimes. Stupid people can still be stupid and know better than to think water boarding or rectal infusion is an acceptable method of interrogation.
Ellen lost me after her Spectrum commercials.
I feel like Dick “Darth Vader” Cheney needs to be put on trial for war crimes & crimes against humanity more than Bush. Bush always seemed like a puppet to me. I am not saying Bush shouldn’t have to answer for his role but Cheney was the puppet master in that White House.
I’ll never forget when Ellen outed an audience member for taking an extra free hat or shirt that was offered to audience members. She horribly and publicly shamed a women for taking an extra freaking hat. It was mean. It was bullying. She unloaded an arsenal of humiliation on a fan. I actually felt sick and thought, “Ellen is not a good person. She is not kind.” Google it. It will make you’re skin crawl, and you’ll probably write off Ellen like I have.
I’ve always felt like she was an asshole. I understand being a lesbian and having a chip on your shoulder about the way you’re treated, but she’s a rich, white lesbian who became the face of out and proud in the 90s and beyond. Even today, she’s trotted out as an example – at least before the whole Bush thing.
Ellen is such a bad rep for 2SLGBTQ+.
As if I needed another reason to love Mark Ruffalo! This man is amazing and I love how he always speaks for justice, no matter what (see that Kristen Bell?).
The lesser of two evils is still evil.