5 Ways Hollywood Can Truly Unite a Divided Nation

Hollywood is getting out of the Resistance racket.

Four years of attacking all things Trump will soon give way to peace, love and understanding. Celebrities suddenly heart America again, down to its red, white and blue undergarments.

They’re assembling to welcome the Biden-Harris ticket into the White House and call for a united country once more.

Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is leading the charge, a move suggesting a return to America circa 2008-2016:

Dissent is no longer is patriotic. 

One would be foolish to take Hollywood’s patriotic shtick at face value. Yet the stars could truly do their part to heal a battered nation, assuming that’s really what they want.

If so, these steps are an essential part of that process.

Welcome Back Roseanne

It’s time. Honestly, it’s long past time to forgive Roseanne Barr for her gross, racist Tweet aimed at Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett. Barr lost her sitcom, millions in profits and her place within the Hollywood community after sending the infamous Tweet. It’s been three years since ABC fired her show and wiped it clean of her name, all for a single Tweet for which she immediately apologized.

Barr’s sin wasn’t the Tweet itself, of course. She embraced Trump Nation and gave it a voice on her show’s triumphant return. That, as much as the awful Tweet, led to her downfall.

Why not give her a few sitcom cameos in 2021? Maybe she could play herself on a crime drama. Send a message that Hollywood welcomes second chances. It might even dent the hypocrisy for letting so many larger thought crimes slide.

Make Movies for the MAGA Crowd

This doesn’t mean tales of red-hatted heroes building walls and such. It’s about looking past the usual storylines (teens bravely getting abortions…) and finding others worth sharing. Think “Hillbilly Elegy,” a movie woke critics tried to snuff out before it could gain awards momentum.

For all of Hollywood’s diversity talk there’s little interest in the ideological kind. Change that, and make telling heartland-friendly stories cool again … before someone else beats you to it.

Get Back in the Free Speech Business

It’s clear Hollywood, Inc. has little intention of following this step, but it deserves to be said anyway. Actors should be on the front lines of the free speech battles raging across America.

Instead, they’re siding with the enemy.

For them, it’s all about Trump. The problem extends far beyond the soon-to-be ex-president, of course. Parler got nuked for embracing a freer form of expression. Conservatives are being deplatformed across social media outlets, often for spurious reasons.

And that doesn’t include the rise of Cancel Culture, a toxic trend meant to limit free expression.

Hollywood’s silence on these matters has been consistent, and maddening. What happened to all the stars cosplaying the Blacklist era? Didn’t they learn anything along the way?

It’s not too late.

Stars can start speaking out for conservatives, demanding they be allowed to share their views as easily as they can. All the talk of “unity” will be crushed if they ignore this critical advice.

Drop the Rage and Hate

We’ve witnessed four years worth of anger from the creative community. The list of examples is too long to repeat here. From the stars Trump broke to the bile spilled on Late Night TV, we witnessed an industry hissy fit like no other.

It’s time for that to end. 

Yes, Hollywood’s preferred party now controls the government, at least for the next two years. That may not stop the rage-a-thon. Heck, Alec Baldwin managed to increase his signature fury in recent days alone. Chances are Colbert and co. won’t be able to turn down the heat anytime soon, and stars will soon wish the very worst things possible to Sen. Ted Cruz, Tucker Carlson and other GOP favorites.

Vegas odds say Samantha Bee will lead the charge.

Stop. It’s enough. Lean on all that empathy you tap to bring amazing characters to life. You can’t do unity without thinking, at least a little, about those with whom you disagree.

Police Your Own

Enraged stars like Rob Reiner and Bette Midler snared plenty of headlines in the Trump era, while the average working actor or actress often keeps their politics to themselves. That’s not fair, but it’s reality.

Now, it’s time for stars to start policing their own bad actors. Call out celebrities who share conspiracy theories and Fake News with their millions of followers. Shame those calling for the deaths of others, simply because they vote for the GOP.

Staying silent through all the hate is no longer an option. Speak up, be civil and model better discourse.

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