Oy vey. Every time actors speak I find myself holding my breath and hoping that what they'll say will resemble one of the moving, well-written speeches that they deliver during the roles they've taken on in their lifetime. As it turns out, those speeches are crafted by experienced people (I believe they're called "writers," or at least they are when they're not striking) who know how to turn a phrase, and directed by other experienced people who are called "directors." Or sometimes, those emotional moments are brokered by a James Lipton or Barbara Walters or Oprah or Ellen, to get actors to discover the wonderful inner workings of their own minds, to entertaining effect for the audience. Often, these celebrities become spokespeople for wonderful philanthropic causes that help people all over the world, and they should be praised for devoting part of a significant fortune and pulpit to good works.
But woe, alas and alack, sometimes it might have been better if the celebrity had said nothing at all. For instance, a recent combination of Will Smith+Scotland=a possible boycott of "I Am Legend," when the former fresh prince made the following opinion known.
Smith says he doesn't believe, quote, "Hitler didn't wake up going, "let me do the most evil thing I can do today," adding that Hitler was trying to do what he thought was good, though his mind used "a twisted, backward logic."
Do I believe that Will Smith is an anti-Semite? No. Will I never look at his movies the same way again, like what happened in the wake of Mel Gibson's trip to Crazytown? No. Will I insist, as the local JDL is, that Hollywood "shun any future projects involving Smith." Clearly not. But do I find it surprising that Smith would invoke Hitler, the most hated, and most acknowledgedly-evil human to have walked the planet (at least in recent memory) through a haze of attempted comprehension? Uh-huh.
The report continues that "Smith himself is angry at the way critics have interpreted his words" [I bet he is] "saying there's no way they should be read to imply that he believes Hitler was anything but "a vile, heinous vicious killer."
Good. We all agree. Let's move on. And please, celebrities...whether you yell at Matt Lauer for the evils of meds-prescribing psychologists or try to understand Hitlerian logic, even as an intellectual exercise that challenges the concepts of good and evil, I implore you: think before you speak.
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Before you react emotionally and write a blog that misquotes someone,or misinterprets the meaning of their statement, you need to think about the whole statement in context. Will Smith was not saying that what Hitler did was a good thing. He was saying that in Hitler's twisted mind, he did not see what he waw doing as evil, and the all encompassing presence of G-d is all inclusive. Love and blessings. Linda
i often wonder why people take everthing celebrities say and make a big thing out of it. if thats how he feels thats how he feels, he should be able to do that dont you think?
What is the big deal? This in America after all. What ever happened to freedom of speech? This means that we have the right to say what we believe without having people jumping all over us for that. It also appears that the media did not really hear what he said in the first place. The media is definately making a mountain out of a molehhill with this nonsense.
i think your comment about will smith is very basic and commpletly ill informed we all no what terrible things hitler did, i think if you looked at history in a bit more depth you will maybe find what will smith was trying to say that in the beginning when hitler tried to bring a country out of ressection through public work programmes just like new presadent abama with is road building plans..... look into history more and be mindfull that history is writen by the victors.... concentration camps where invented by the british in africa 1919 sir winston churchill " i think 100000 people should be placeed in concentration camp for the purity of the british race!!!
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