October 28, 2016:

Well folks I think it’s about time we talk about the cult of celebrity and the social responsibility that goes with it. First and probably foremost, just because you may be a celebrity does not mean that the rest of us really give a damn what you think. Odds are I am not only better educated, traveled, read, and in general better life experienced than the vast majority of so called “celebrities”, I don’t need somebody to try and tell me what I should think. Sorry, I just have had enough of this nonsense and it is nothing new I assure you. I recall a few years back sitting out on the lawn at a venue in Virginia just outside of Washington DC when Peter Paul and Mary came out on stage. I don’t think a single song had yet been played before Mary started off with comments about the government and our presence in the Middle East and then shifting her tirade into the validity of the executive branch. Soon enough people began to yell back and even boo this performer. “We came to hear you sing and not listen to your politics” came out of the audience and she eventually returned to the performance.

For those not familiar with the DC metro area it is a liberal stronghold that embraces social protest. so for these stalwart protestors from the 60’s getting yelled at by the crowd was a bit out of character. However, in the end I have to say I was a bit pissed at that time. I had paid $75 bucks a piece for tickets just to get preached to. I was there to hear the music I had grown up with, to sip wine, and enjoy being with my wife on a cool fall evening. Listen I get it when celebrities get on TV and get put on commercials intended to make us little people buy the car, perfume, or shampoo they may be hocking. I appreciate it when they ask us to donate to the March of Dimes or some other charity in which they believe but otherwise keep it to yourself. Now for those celebrities worried about the poor people of East Batur in need of safety, food, medical attention, and schools. I ask you to take a walk in almost any inner city and in pockets of our own country that have been forgotten by those unable to see beyond the hood of their Mercedes Benz G Class that will never leave pavement or god forbid, get dirty.